Every team is bound to struggle occasionally over a lengthy MLS season. It's a long nine months, and the mean times are out there, lurking. Believe it.
One particular trio of high-profile sides has recently negotiated some tough times -- and it's instructive to see how these three high are coping with matters.
The Los Angeles Galaxy, the Chicago Fire and the two-time league champion Houston Dynamo all entered the hot summer balanced precariously, their campaigns on a teeter, easily able to go either way.
The results are playing out in wildly disparate fashion. Houston has taken off like a Tomahawk missile. Chicago is hanging on -- but just. And the Galaxy are desperate to arrest their spiral before playoff positioning begins to suffer appreciably.
Furthermore, there's no trick in pinpointing the essential difference between these sides: defense.
When things begin going sideways, a club with reasonable back-line stability and proper defensive shields in the midfield give themselves ample opportunity to hang in there, to survive the wilderness, so to speak, until they gain their bearings and find a way out of the thick woods.
This weekend was all that in microcosm for the three spotlight teams:
Houston held off a big road effort from Columbus, as Dominic Kinnear's Dynamo won their fourth consecutive match and improved their mark to 5-1-4 over the last 10 in all competitions.
Chicago hung tough for a 1-0 win at home against Chivas USA. And Ruud Gullit's team from L.A. will search anew for answers that will bring the victories back to Victoria Street in Carson.
How is the bunch from south Texas doing so? With fantastic defense, the kind that set records last year.
Bobby Boswell, who has rallied back to 2006 form, and Wade Barrett, who never seems to fall from form, have been the cornerstones of Houston's recent, more miserly ways. Plus, don't overlook the contributions of Geoff Cameron, whose versatility has been a little-talked about asset around Robertson Stadium.
Cameron, a rookie third-round draft pick, has lined up as a forward and midfielder and, lately, a center back alongside Boswell. Kinnear has needed Cameron there to cope with Eddie Robinson's injury-troubled summer and Patrick Ianni's absence for the Olympics.
The numbers say it all for Houston: Even without Robinson, a 2007 Defender of the Year finalist, the Dynamo have allowed just one goal in its last five MLS matches. Kinnear's defending champions have allowed four to squeeze past in the last 10 matches overall.
As for Chicago: generally speaking, clubs that can turn over just one goal at home shouldn't begin pondering routes for postseason victory parades. It's no real surprise that Denis Hamlett's side can't dent the opposition net any more than that at the moment. Cuauhtemoc Blanco has been struggling, and he wasn't even available Saturday, suspended for the night due to yellow card accumulation.
Chad Barrett took his team-leading five goals across the border to Canada, traded last week to Toronto for the rights to Brian McBride, who won't arrive at Toyota Park for at least two weeks.
And yet, Chicago mapped a path to victory, riding Patrick Nyarko's well-taken first-half strike (the debut goal for Chicago's first-round draft pick). With that, Hamlett's club won for only the second time in eight MLS matches. Again, the Fire are hardly on the fast track to MLS glory at the moment. But the Chicago side is doing just enough to hang around and maintain decent playoff positioning. How?
Bakary Soumare and Wilman Conde are one of the league's two best central defense pairings at the moment (along with Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave at RSL). Gonzalo Segares continues to have an outstanding season at left back and Brandon Prideaux continues to dutifully lock down the right side.
Plus, Jon Busch's back-stopping has been unwavering. Add it all up and it's clear that Hamlett's team has lots of mending ahead in matters of attack, but needs only to maintain the clockwork defensive order. That would be enough to safely ensure at least one postseason contest in Bridgeview.
The one marquee side unable to spin out of the funk at the moment -- and this is no coincidence -- happens to have one of the league's most troubled defenses.
Rudd Gullit's increasingly troubled side has not won a match since June 14, a period that covers seven MLS contests. The Galaxy have allowed 19 goals in that time (2.7 per contest). That's hardly a number that will see the victories come tumbling in.
It's that central pairing along the back line that continues to be a problem spot, along with Chris Klein -- a converted midfielder -- generating some issues with his natural inclination to roam forward.
Goalkeeper Steve Cronin shares some responsibility, too, but Gullit said all along that the first-year starter would require some patience. So, that's puts the onus on the back line and the defensive midfield worker bees ahead it.
But Gullit can't get the mix the way he needs it. And it's not for lack of trying and experimenting.
He wanted to believe that Eduardo Dominguez was the answer, as the experienced Argentinean signed on last week as, essentially, a replacement for Abel Xavier. But Dominguez was back on the bench after one start, the confidence-damaging 4-0 loss to Dallas last week.
This week, it was back to Sean Franklin and Greg Vanney in the middle. Their work was spotty, and the defending through midfield wasn't particularly effective as Landon Donovan and Peter Vagenas lined up centrally, with David Beckham and Ely Allen on the outside.
Bottom line, the Galaxy scored two on the road, which will often be enough to scoop up points. But San Jose put three past Cronin, and the Home Depot Center tenants are left to ponder the same question that has dogged them all year: can Gullit et al cobble together enough defense to support that livewire attack?
We all love the flash, dash and panache of a showy offense. But for riding out the hills and valleys of the long summer, nothing beats a reliable defense.
TACTICAL CORNER
Toronto FC manager John Carver made an interesting choice for Sunday's match at BMO. MLS rules permit teams to name 18 players per match, 11 starters and seven on the bench. But Carver named just five potential subs. "And there's a reason for that," he said after Sunday's 2-0 setback, the team's first loss at Fortress BMO this year. "If people don't deserve to be on the bench, because had a [reserve] game through the week, and there wasn't enough for me to put some of these guys on the bench. So they didn't go on the bench. Why give them false hope? They've got to prove to me that they are good enough to go on the bench, and even to play."
Carver has two players (Maurice Edu and Marvell Wynne) currently at the Olympics, plus injuries that are keeping Todd Dunnivant and Danny Dichio out of consideration for now.
The midfield balance looked just about right at RFK, where D.C. United crafted a 2-0 win without influential, injured playmaker Marcelo Gallardo.
Instead, it was Fred along the right who provided the big attacking push from midfield. Meanwhile, newcomer Joe Vide sat in with Clyde Simms in a side-by-side pairing that has been seldom seen this year at RFK. Both players are most comfortable in holding roles, so Fred had the latitude to get forward liberally. Meanwhile, Ivan Guerrero, another recent United addition, buzzed about on the left side energetically.
Gullit once again lined up two forwards in front of Landon Donovan, who manned an attacking midfield role for at least one more match.
Donovan did score, but the Galaxy aren't creating the same number of chances as in April and May, when L.A. often overwhelmed opponents with offensive initiative. L.A. seems to get more from Donovan in the second forward role.
But this also must be said: David Beckham looks a bit heavy-legged, and you have to wonder if the summer heat and travel are taking a toll? His crossing and ability to get into the right spots seems a bit sluggish.
This month should bring a bit of respite, with two matches at The Home Depot Center and no team-related travel until an Aug. 30 trip to New England.
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