Real begin road to redemption

SALT LAKE CITY -- Few MLS teams have seen their fortunes change as drastically in the span of a couple of games than Real Salt Lake.

Before leaving Utah on its most recent road trip, RSL stood on the cusp of seizing first place in the Western Conference. Now, following losses to Colorado and FC Dallas, the club returns to Salt Lake trying to avoid sinking into last place.

Recapturing some of the momentum against the San Jose Earthquakes at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday will be essential in more ways than one.

A victory against the expansion side would be the perfect way to start off a stretch of four home matches in the next five weeks. A loss or a tie could make it difficult for RSL to prevent its current downward spiral from escalating.

"If we get on a roll and get some momentum and string some points together, we're right back in it," said defender Tony Beltran. "The West is still very tight."

If nothing else, home turf offers a chance for the RSL side to find more of a winning groove. Victories have been tough to produce away from home this season. RSL is winless in five road games and each setback has looked rather ugly.

Against Dallas, the club let a 1-0 lead slip away after yielding two goals in the final 10 minutes of its 2-1 loss. RSL did a reasonable job of containing attacks from the Hoops for about 80 minutes. But it could not figure out how to contain Dominic Oduro in crunch time.

Oduro knotted the score in the 83rd minute when he flipped a nice cross from Drew Moor into the net, beating goalkeeper Nick Rimando. Then Oduro burned RSL with a game-winner in the 91st minute, eluding a sprawling Nat Borchers to set up a cool finish for the game-winner.

Continual late-game breakdowns such as the one at Dallas are becoming more and more frustrating to RSL coach Jason Kreis.

"We've got to learn how to finish games," Kreis said. "We've got to learn how to get a lead and just hold that lead and not concede anything."

For RSL, it boils down to a simple issue of gaining maturity and consistency. Even with the talent and depth it owns on paper, the club is still relatively young in terms of experience.

Being so close to first place a couple of weeks ago provided a temporary mask for the growing pains that lay ahead.

"We weren't ready to be in first place," Beltran said. "It didn't feel like we deserved it because we haven't played our best soccer yet. We haven't shown we're a dominant force like we know we can be."

San Jose might be just the right opponent to for RSL to show off its dominant side. It has been rocky at times for the Earthquakes. San Jose ended a four-game winless streak last week with a 2-1 home triumph against Houston -- its first such victory since returning to MLS action this year.

RSL handled the Earthquakes with ease in their last trip to Salt Lake a month ago, earning a 4-0 victory in a U.S. Open Cup qualifying match. San Jose looks vulnerable coming into the rematch.

Jay Ayres is still out after sustaining a broken cheekbone previously against RSL. Kei Kamara and Ivan Guerrero -- both scorers against the Dynamo -- are absent for World Cup qualifying matches this week. Ronnie O'Brien will likely sit out as well.

Aside from Ian Joy, who is serving a one-game suspension for his pair of yellow cards in Dallas, RSL expects to have many of its key players on the field Saturday evening.

For all of its troubles, RSL is only six points out of first place in the West and a win at home against the Earthquakes could change up everything dramatically.

"I think we'd be a lot more frustrated if the gap between us and first place were a lot more points," Rimando said.

Rimando said that RSL would close that gap as soon as it pieces together a strong 90-minute performance. But more inconsistency could be problematic for a club only one point removed from last place.


Jose wants big club or nothing
RSL won’t take play-in game lightly

Undermanned Dynamo look for mix

HOUSTON -- If the Houston Dynamo are going to end another multiple game winless streak, they are going to have to do it without some of their top players.

Long gone is the good feeling from back-to-back wins against Colorado and Chicago as the team lost a 2-1 match in San Jose before salvaging Wednesday's 2-2 tie at FC Dallas with another last-minute miracle.

Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad are with the Canadian national team in Seattle as the team prepares to take on Brazil, a side that De Rosario looks forward to playing because "they are among the best in the world, if not the best in the world."

Tony Caig, who played earlier this year when Onstad was out with a shoulder injury, will get the call as the Dynamo take on the New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening in the team's only meeting in the Bayou City this season.

Kyle Brown, too, will get more playing time with De Rosario called up.

Eddie Robinson will miss another match due to suspension after receiving two yellow cards in the Dallas match -- the fourth game this year when Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear has lost one of his best defenders because of suspension.

Team captain and left back Wade Barrett practiced some this week, but is still doubtful for Saturday's match. He is listed as day-to-day with a left adductor strain.

In four all-time meetings, the Red Bulls and Dynamo have split the series. Each team has won in its own stadium, but the Dynamo have outscored the Red Bulls 6-3, with five of the goals coming at Robertson.

With so many players missing, Kinnear is going to have to rely on guys like Brown and his ability to play a little differently, to get the team on the scoreboard.

"I think we really need him in there, his pace of the games, are really needed," Kinnear said. "I think he has played really well, for the most part, he gets behind the defense.

"He's got good energy, the athleticism is there. Sometimes you just need a little bit of energy off the bench and he really provides that for us."

In three games this year, Brown has two starts and three shots on goal. The Dynamo picked him up during a series of trades from Real Salt Lake. Brown, who scored one of his two goals last year against Houston, is looking forward to getting more playing time as the schedule starts to pick up starting Saturday against New York.

"I have been waiting to get some playing time all year and now I am ready to get more," Brown said. "We've got a few guys called up, and with injuries and with the two games this week, everyone is going to have to be ready to contribute and do what they can to help us get as many points as possible."

The Dynamo can only hope the series of injuries, call-ups and suspensions do not cost them in what will be only their third home match of the season so far. If players like Brown, Caig and Craig Waibel find their respective games Saturday, things will look a lot better going forward for the two-time defending champions.


Rio Praises Colleague Brown
Clemente Unhappy With Draw
Dynamo settle for draw with Chivas
Dynamo pressure results in victory

Five-a-side: What's hot around the league

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

Galaxy eye revenge vs. Reds

CARSON, Calif. -- On April 13, Jeff Cunningham nicked a late goal for Toronto FC at The Home Depot Center to steal a share of the points from the Los Angeles Galaxy. On Saturday, the Galaxy head to Canada to try and return the favor.

A trip to BMO Field is far from an easy one and the fact that Toronto has had a complete reversal of fortunes this season when compared to last -- all of which began with that victory in Los Angeles -- makes the Galaxy's task at hand a tall order.

Los Angeles is coming off a disappointing loss in the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday and will be looking to bounce back. In that game against Colorado, LA created several first-half chances, but lacked the finishing touch. They allowed the Rapids to stick around and lost 1-0 on a late goal.

"We wipe the slate clean and move on and get ready for the weekend," said Steve Cronin, who has started every game in goal for the Galaxy this season. "We're doing well in the league, so hopefully we'll continue to do the right things in those games and get a win on the road."

Part of the Galaxy's finishing woes were directed towards the fact that Landon Donovan and David Beckham were absent from Tuesday's game while on international duty. Head coach Ruud Gullit wasn't so quick to write off his team.

"Of course we gave the journalists ammunition to say that we cannot play without these two [Beckham and Donovan]," said Gullit. "We did not want it, but I do not think it's true."

Beckham remained with the England national team following Wednesday's friendly against the United States, as it has a friendly against Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday in Port of Spain. Donovan has rejoined the club after missing Wednesday's game with a groin injury. His status for Saturday's game is still uncertain, but even without him, the Galaxy are confident that they can find the back of the net.

"Obviously a player of Landon or David's caliber changes things in the final third," said Pete Vagenas, who made his first start of the season on Tuesday. "With that being said, there's guys in those positions that are confident and feel they can get the job done."

Los Angeles won't be the only team missing star players this weekend, though. Toronto will have to cope with a multitude of absences of their own. Carl Robinson, Greg Sutton and Amado Guevara are all away on international duty, while Laurent Robert is serving a suspension. That's nearly half of Toronto's regular starting 11.

At least one star player can be expected to make an appearance. The Galaxy's Carlos Ruiz will be looking to exploit the TFC backline and score his first goal of the season. The Guatemalan is coming off a knee injury and made his return to the field in Tuesday night's game.

Coming away with even a share of the points from BMO would be a positive result for any team in MLS this season. But the Galaxy have something to prove after being eliminated from the Open Cup, so it's likely they'll be gunning for more than that.

"We have to keep working. We have a very important game this weekend," said Ruiz. "We have to play in Toronto, so we'll see if we can be better in that game (than we were against Colorado)."


Reds close on Dossena
Reds jubilant after first win
Galaxy looking for scoring balance

FCD's 'Bird Man' starts to take flight

FRISCO, Texas -- Known as the "Bird Man," FC Dallas forward Dominic Oduro is flying high at the moment. The 22-year-old native of Ghana comes off the first two-goal performance of his MLS career on Saturday night against Real Salt Lake that led to a 2-1 win at Pizza Hut Park, FCD's first triumph in the month of May.

Oduro's brace last weekend came after he scored the Hoops' lone goal in the 5-1 loss to the L.A. Galaxy the Sunday before. In just those two games, Oduro has already equaled his season high for goals, which he set last year in 29 games, 10 of those as a starter.

A second-round pick (22nd overall) in the 2006 SuperDraft, the former Virginia Commonwealth standout has made big strides since his rookie campaign.

"I think I've really developed and come very far," Oduro said. "I think that I continue to work on it but won't stop because there's always room for improvement. Hopefully, I will keep getting better and better."

Oduro's second tally in the 91st minute against RSL, that proved to be the game winner, was nominated for Sierra Mist Goal of the Week. But he didn't enter the match until the 65th minute as a substitute, something he has done in all six matches he has played so far in the 2008 season.

Oduro, however, is not content just to play the role of "super-sub."

"That's a good thing, for me to be able to come in and run at defenses when they're tired," he said. "But as a player, that's not a dream for me because I don't want to be coming off the bench the whole time. If I'm given more time, which hopefully I will, then I think I can get some more out of it. It's great to come off the bench to score goals but it's my dream to be in the starting 11. I'm looking forward to it."

He scored his first goal in the 83rd minute, a tally which drew the match level after RSL's Fabian Espindola put the visitors ahead 1-0 in the 69th minute. Oduro did a somewhat subdued version of his Bird Man goal celebration after that goa, but after the second, he ripped his shirt off in jubilation.

"I didn't do it (the celebration) in the L.A. game because we were down 4-0 and I didn't think that was a good time to do it," Oduro said. "In the Salt Lake game, I did it after the first goal but didn't do it after the second goal because it was just a great relief. After what happened when Steve Morrow left, I think the group was down a little bit. After that second goal, I wasn't even thinking about the Bird Man, I was focused on us winning. It's still here and hopefully, I will score more goals and we will see it more."

Oduro's performance might have earned him a spot in the starting 11 for Wednesday's match against two-time defending MLS Cup champion Houston, where he could start up top alongside Kenny Cooper, who leads FCD with five goals. His teammates have clearly noticed how well the Bird Man is playing.

"He's been playing great," FCD defender Drew Moor said. "He's just so dangerous. I hate training against him and as a defender of an opposing team, I would hate playing against him because he's so fast, is a threat and his feet are getting better."

Moor has definitely seen a different Oduro than what he saw in 2006, when he was an MLS rookie.

"I think when he first came here, people would criticize him when he was on the ball," he said. "But he's cleaned that up and is an extremely dangerous forward right now. The way that he's playing right now, we need to ride stuff like that. He's getting us goals and points. We want him to keep that up."


“I always wanted to win at any price”
Galaxy attack explodes in rout of FCD

Chivas getting surprise contributions

CARSON, Calif. -- The way Chivas USA figured it, some of the key players in the 2008 Major League Soccer campaign would have included a former World Cup and European Championship veteran, an MLS Cup Most Valuable Player and Mexico's all-time caps leader.

Instead, two players who made the leap from amateur to professional in mere months as well as a collegiate forward turned defender are among those who have helped the club out in the early going.

Injuries have depleted Chivas USA since the preseason but young players have filled in. The club's sudden and forced youth movement has finally started paying off as the club has two consecutive wins entering Saturday's home game against the Columbus Crew.

"They're doing a great job. They've been huge, and that's what it's all about. It's about being able to go 20-something deep. In times like this, this is when it pays off," Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. "We expect nothing but a solid effort from them because at this point of the year we need them to step up."

Sueno MLS 2007 winner Jorge Flores is among the young players who have helped turn the results around. Flores scored an insurance goal against D.C. United and bagged the match-winner against Colorado on Saturday as both games finished in the Red-and-White's favor.

Justin Braun, meanwhile, has played eight games this season after joining the club from an amateur side in January. Bobby Burling, who played forward with Loyola Marymount University, has played 90 minutes in each of the last three games -- in the back.

In the offseason, Chivas USA added some depth at midfield and forward in former Swiss international Raphael Wicky and former D.C. United standout Alecko Eskandarian. Instead of contributing on the field, though, the duo has combined for 61 minutes of playing time this season. Central defense has also been hit hard by injuries as Claudio Suarez and Shavar Thomas have been limited to a combined 11 games.

Along with injuries to Maykel Galindo, Ante Razov, Jonathan Bornstein, Lawson Vaughn and Alex Zotinca, veterans such as Jim Curtin and Atiba Harris have been around to help as well. But the Red-and-White has also turned to young players for help.

"Unfortunately we haven't gotten off to the start that we would have liked. We took some injuries early and last year we took some injuries late so we'll be healthy at the end of the season. That's what we're hoping for," Burling said.

The only spot on the field that has not been affected by injury is the goalkeeper's position, where Guzan has played every minute of every game this year. In the last three games, though, Guzan has seen the defense in front of him change rapidly as the entire four first-choice defenders have given way to injury.

Burling said he is happy just to have the opportunity to play and lend a hand.

"I'm here just stepping in and trying to help the team any way I can," he said. "Anything to just get a result and help the team, I'll be happy to do that."

Others who have played key roles at times for the club include Daniel Paladini, a former Cal State Northridge standout, and Eric Ebert, who has played in five games this season.

"You've got to take it for what it is. A lot of guys are hurt. There were seven starters out (against D.C.) and I'm just going to take the opportunity and make of it the best I can," Paladini said. "I'm not being selfish. I'm just going to do what I can to help my team, do the best I can and learn from these guys."

Paladini played 58 minutes against United and helped Chivas USA out on a night the club missed nine players. Paladini said his teammates helped him adjust to the pace of the game and handling a starter's role.

"I just go out and play my own game. These guys have been great with me. I'm learning a lot from (Paulo Nagamura and Jesse Marsch)," Paladini said. "I just take what they give me, take what's gotten me here and put it on the field."

Whenever the young players feel overwhelmed, though, they have a teammate who may know what they're going through. In 2005, Guzan was thrust into the mix as a green 20-year-old. Injuries forced Guzan to step in from the start of the club's first season, but Guzan eventually improved.

"Having gone through kind of what they're going through -- it's not as extreme this year, obviously -- but I know what it's like to be kind of thrown into the mix," Guzan said. "I just tell them to continue to have fun and enjoy the moment and do what they can do. They're here for a reason."


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Deco: I’m Leaving
Guzan hopes to seize opportunity
Retooled Chivas off to slow start

Guzan hopes to seize opportunity

CARSON, Calif. -- When the United States national team takes the field against England at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday, Chivas USA might have a presence.

Goalkeeper Brad Guzan is with the United States national team with the hope of playing in his second U.S. match of the year.

"It's an awesome opportunity and an awesome honor to be involved with the national team," Guzan said. "Anytime you are involved with the national team it's a big deal and to be able to be part of the team and being able to play England at Wembley, it should be exciting and it should be fun and hopefully we'll get over there and get it going."

Following Saturday's match in Colorado, Guzan left the club to join up with his country. Guzan joined former Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley and former club goalkeeper coach Zak Abdel in London. While his familiarity with the two former Chivas USA coaches likely helps, whether Guzan's opportunity to play arrives on Wednesday or future matches likely depends on his league form and what he shows in training more than anything else.

Guzan is also in the mix for U.S. games against Spain (June 4) and Argentina (June 8). If and when his number is called, Guzan said he would be prepared. And really, he said there was only one thing he could do to ensure his inclusion on the squad.

"Continue to work hard. If the opportunity is given, you've got to be able to get a hold of it and prove you belong there," Guzan said. "Whether it's this game or a later game, a game in two years if that's my next call up or whenever, anytime you are with the national team you continue to try and prove yourself to the coaching staff and prove you belong there."

Guzan has proved he belongs on the international level while starring for Chivas USA. A year ago, Guzan capped off a brilliant individual campaign by winning the 2007 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award. He also played in Copa America for the United States. This year, he shut out Sweden on Jan. 19 as the U.S. won 2-0.

However, his form in league had been shaky at the start of the season. Guzan yielded four goals at Columbus and five goals to the Los Angeles Galaxy as the club sputtered out to a 1-4-2 start. But Guzan and Chivas USA have recovered as the Red-and-White has won consecutive matches with the fourth-year goalkeeper having played a key role in each game.

During the season's low points, though, Guzan did not doubt his ability or his stance on the national team.

"During those tough times you try and get back to what you're good at, try to get back into that groove," Guzan said. "There was never a point there where I was doubting myself or doubting my abilities. That was just a point that all professionals go through, some low times. Once you kind of get through those times -- low times are always followed by high times -- being able to get through that period and stay confident and being able to help the team, that's important."

Whether he is there as the starter or stays on the bench during the entire match, Guzan said he will remain focused on the task at hand.

"When you go, you've got to be able to focus on the match. It's not about going on vacation or getting away from Chivas or anyone else getting away from their club team. It's about going and representing your country and putting your best foot forward," he said. "And that means staying focused not only during the 90 minutes in the game but also during the days leading up to the game. You have to make sure you stay focused on the task at hand. If you start thinking about all that other stuff -- a 'vacation' and all that -- then you can get in big trouble."


Jonás Confirms Mallorca Exit
Ibagaza: Güiza Must Grasp Opportunity
Guzan takes step in right direction

Boswell making presence felt with Dynamo

HOUSTON -- The Houston Dynamo knew what they were getting when they acquired defender Bobby Boswell from D.C. United for backup goalkeeper Zach Wells during the offseason.

The team had an opening when Ryan Cochrane was lost in the expansion draft to the San Jose Earthquakes. The team also knew Cochrane had a desire to return to northern California, so the Dynamo left him unprotected.

Talent lost, the team turned to Boswell who had career year in 2006 when he was an All-Star, named the league's best defender and was named to the MLS Best XI at the end of the year.

The Dynamo are a game under .500 ahead of this week's games against FC Dallas and New York, and a slow start is to blame for a 2-3-4 record that still has the team on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

Generally, Boswell has played well and has started all nine matches, playing 810 minutes. His goal against Chicago last week gave the team its second consecutive win at the time before Thursday's disappointing 2-1 loss at San Jose.

After heading the ball into the back of the net at Toyota Park, Boswell celebrated by sliding head first across a wet field, drenched by a drive rain that night.

The display was not unsportsmanlike, and Boswell said it just felt so good to get the go-ahead goal against such a talented team.

"It felt so good and we wanted to win the game so bad," said Boswell. "They are a tough team. We've been playing well, we just haven't been getting the breaks and results we needed, so to get a win on the road is always great."

The 25-year-old Boswell is mobile and quick for a big player (6 foot-2). He used his height to his advantage to head a free kick by Richard Mulrooney past Fire goalie Jon Busch.

Of the trade to Houston, Boswell said he was glad to end up with a team with a good work ethic and one that expects to be good every time it takes the field.

"When you are getting traded, you never know where you could end up," Boswell said. "I was really happy to end up in such a great club. The guys are great. It's a hard-working team. The staff is wonderful. It's been a real nice move for me. I'm happy with it.

 "They had a spot open up, and they needed a guy who could come in and play right away. I was looking to get somewhere I could contribute. What I bring to the table, it's just a lot of hard work and a good work ethic, and that's what this team is all about."

The Tampa, Fla. native has stepped it up during the month of May, save for what many would call an average game in the loss to San Jose. He saved at least two goals with his hard-nosed defense in a win over Colorado on May 10, scored the winner against Chicago.

Fortune, work ethic and perhaps a little luck all changed for the worse in the loss to San Jose. The defenders, mainly Boswell and Eddie Robinson, held their own in the first half. Boswell slipped and was nearly responsible for a Ryan Johnson goal in the first half.

Later, after Robinson left with an abdominal injury after taking an apparent elbow, the Dynamo defense was reeling. Pat Ianni replaced Robinson, but lost was that critical element of communication that has grown between Boswell and Robinson on the back line.

"I think the injury to Eddie was an important part of that game," Boswell said. "Actually I was kind of hurt on the play right before that. I was leaning toward coming out, but his injury was a little more serious.

"It is always really tough when you switch defenders in the middle of the game, especially when the other team was big, strong fast guys up front. Plus, overall, we just didn't have a good game last week."

Despite the one-game regression, Boswell still gives the Dynamo quite a lift in what is becoming the club's most challenging season since arriving in the Bayou City.

When asked about his overall play to date. Boswell politely shies away from taking too much credit. He comes to work, plays hard and does what he can to keep the Dynamo competitive in a Western Conference that has yet to uncover a front-runner.

"I wouldn't say I'm on a roll; it's not about me here," Boswell said. "It's about the team. We've been playing really well, and finally, the results are starting to turn. The goal (against the Fire) was just from watching video with (coach) Dom (Kinnear).

"We knew we could get them on a quick one, and that's what happened there at the end. It's all about the team, though. The team is such a great team and group of guys."


Jose wants big club or nothing
Dynamo earn first victory of 2008

Return to first overdue for Galaxy

CARSON, Calif. -- When the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3-1 over the weekend, it was more than just a rare win for the Western Conference against an Eastern Conference foe. It also pushed the Galaxy into first place in the conference -- a place where they haven't been since early in the 2005 campaign.

For a team that has missed the MLS Cup Playoffs the past two seasons and has finished below .500 in each of those years, it's certainly nice to be back on top. But complacency isn't about to set in down amongst the Galaxy. While it's nice to be playing well right now, there are still a lot of games left to be played.

"(First place) means nothing right. We don't look at the table so much," said Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit. "It feels good for the players. There are a lot of games left. We know this is going to be a long season."

If history is any lesson, it's been proven that how a team is playing in the first few months of the season has very little to do with who wins the MLS Cup in November. Still, being on top early has its advantages in the long run.

"It's means we're playing well lately, but (being in first place) means very little to be quite honest. We want to keep playing well. We want to keep gaining points," said Chris Klein. "What this team showed last year is that you can't give away points early because you get to the last game of the season and you may need them."

While it is still very early in the season, this year's Galaxy team is looking much better than the past two seasons. The team's relative health can be attributed to the good start, especially when it comes to David Beckham, who is enjoying his first full season with the Galaxy.

"The biggest thing is David's healthy. That just gives us another soccer player with a good mind and good brain that can play," said Landon Donovan. "Obviously other people need to play, but the more soccer players you have on the field that know how to play, the easier it is."

It's not just Beckham's health either. Barring any injuries this week, when the Galaxy travel to Toronto this weekend for their next league game, the only player unavailable due to injury will be reserve goalie Charles Alamo. That's a far cry from last season, when the Galaxy locker room looked more like a triage unit than a soccer team.

As good as they are playing right now, there is the potential for them to come crashing down to earth in a hurry. Several of the Galaxy's regulars, including Donovan, Beckham and a recently healthy Carlos Ruiz, will miss time with international duty this summer. How that affects the team remains to be seen, yet even there is a dip in form, it seems unlikely that this club will get knocked off of its even keel.

"A few years back Columbus went like 20 games without losing and then lost in the first round of the playoffs. That's the way this league is," said Donovan. "The key is to get into the playoffs and hopefully be playing well at the end of the year."


WOODS OPTS FOR OPEN RETURN
Galaxy looking for scoring balance

Davis: Single-striker attacks catch on

It's the year of the lone forward in MLS.

How's that working out for everybody? Depends on which team you ask.

Lots of teams have tried it, with varying degrees of success. The single-striker setup has mostly worked like a charm for Columbus, Chicago, Toronto and a couple of other clubs. The New York Red Bulls have gone with one up front, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

In a few other cases (hello, Houston), it looks like maybe they could use a little more single-striker action.

Through the years, teams have deployed a single-forward lineup occasionally, usually as a defensive tactic, often in deference to injury or long odds. But the scheme is all the rage in 2008, and it's no longer just a defensive ploy. A majority of teams have tried it at least once this year, most truly judging it the best way to attack. Why such a sudden and major adjustment?

It's really not about some wave of alternative thinking or some tactical revelation. It's about the natural cycles of personnel and simple concepts of math. Midfielders and "tweeners" are carrying the day. The MLS talent collective is heavier in influential midfielders and deep-lying playmakers like Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The rosters are a bit lighter, on the other hand, in effective strikers. Or, in some cases, the most talented frontrunners have been whacked by the injury stick (such as Carlos Ruiz and Juan Pablo Angel). In other cases, forwards just aren't on top of their games at the moment (such as Brian Ching).

If you saw Sunday's big win by Juan Carlos Osorio's old team, the Fire, against Osorio's new team, the Red Bulls, then you saw the two extremes. (What is the deal with Sunday afternoon TeleFutura matches? Before last Sunday there had been just 25 instances of four-goal wins by road teams through MLS history. That's about two a season. Now we've seen four-goal road wins on consecutive weekends, and by the exact same score, no less. Weird.)

The Fire deployed Chad Barrett as a lone striker, supported by outside midfielders Chris Rolfe and Justin Mapp, and by Cuauhtemoc Blanco at attacking midfielder. It worked to blistering perfection. Generally, the Fire needed to attack with only those four players, with holding midfielders Diego Gutierrez and Logan Pause in support from behind. Rare was the run forward from outside fullbacks Brandon Prideaux or Gonzalo Segares.

With Blanco pulling the midfield strings and with yeoman work from Rolfe and Mapp, Denis Hamlett's side could go at the Red Bulsl with ample attacking firepower from just four fellows, therefore maintaining plenty of defensive shape in the rear.

On the other side, Angel didn't get any service to speak of in his solitary role. Dane Richards lined up along the right but he was completely shut down by Segares. The result was very few opportunities and a very bad afternoon. By the second half, New York had gone from one forward to three.

Perhaps it's no coincidence that the other team using a single forward so effectively in 2008 is one of East co-leaders along with Chicago. Sigi Schmid has deployed Alejandro Moreno as a lone striker for Columbus almost all year, and the plan's success is a big reason for the Ohioans' 6-2-1 record.

Livewire flank attacker Robbie Rogers is aligned on the left in midfield, with Eddie Gaven on the right in what is essentially a 4-4-1-1. Schelotto is clearly the fulcrum here. He sets up behind Moreno and then probes for soft spots in a defense. He scans ingeniously to find spaces available on that day, sometimes in deeper spots, sometimes in more advanced positions, the better to serve Moreno or split defenses for find Rogers running through.

Who can argue the results? The wily Argentinean has five assists in nine games, tied for second in MLS. (FYI: Schelotto has 16 assists overall in 31 league matches over two seasons. That's roughly one assist every two matches. It's not Carlos Valderrama territory in terms of ratio; El Pibe assisted 114 times in 175 matches. Still, Schelotto's rate of assists is better than pretty much anybody else who ever to wear an MLS jersey.)

In Los Angeles, Ruud Gullit has usually aligned his surging side into a 4-4-2. But the setup includes only one true striker, which lately has been a highly effective Edson Buddle. Behind Buddle sits Landon Donovan, who is really a midfielder in disguise. Donovan drops into the midfield frequently, either working in tandem with David Beckham from deeper spots or luring defenders out of position, aware that he can race past them and latch onto those telling, pinpoint efforts off Beckham's right foot.

At 2.44 goals a game, easily tops in MLS, you'd be hard-pressed to argue that it's not L.A.'s best plan of attack. Even as Carlos Ruiz returns to health, Gullit seems sure to retain the formation that has his team perched atop the West. (The cerebral Dutch manager may alter course temporarily, however, when Donovan departs for national team service.)

Colorado has toggled a bit tactically, moving in and out of the single-striker setup. But the Rapids' best performances have seemed to come with playmaker Christian Gomez sitting behind a lone striker.

Toronto FC changed its season dramatically with three personnel additions -- Amado Guevara, Rohan Ricketts and Laurent Robert. But getting them into the right spots was important work, too. So manager John Carver dumped his preferred 4-4-2, settling the team into a 4-2-3-1 alignment, one that better suited his talent.

Danny Dichio had six goals in his first 19 matches for Toronto, not a bad rate of production, but nothing to scream about, either. Since inheriting the lone striker role, he has four goals in seven matches, a more prodigious ratio, one that's helped the second-year success story establish itself as a true playoff contender.


Marcelino Bemoans Slack Finishing
Davis: Beckham, Donovan guiding LA
Yallop not ready to make changes

Five-a-side: What's hot around the league

MLS Five-a-side:The skinny on five things that matter this week in Major League Soccer:

1. He's surely seen worse: David Beckham seemed a bit amused with the question. And you can probably understand why.

The scene was a postgame news conference last Sunday after his LA Galaxy had ambushed hapless hosts FC Dallas 5-1. So Beckham was in a cheery mood anyway, and didn't hide a smile very well when a reporter asked about some boo birds at Pizza Hut Park.

Beckham had gotten a little hot following Adrian Serioux's nasty tackle, which resulted in the FC Dallas defender's immediate expulsion. Beckham had some words, did a little pushing and later made "shushing" gestures to the crowd when the Galaxy struck for No. 5. Nothing too out of the ordinary, really, but a few fans took offense and booed the Galaxy superstar.

So, did it bother him, he was asked?

But let's think about this for a second. Beckham has waged soccer wars in some passion pits that can be truly unkind to visitors. Here's a guy who has fought it out at Leicester and Leeds, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, etc. Later, in Spain's La Liga, he was front and center in the bitter Real Madrid-Barcelona rivalry. Think those fans can't be punishing, especially for a fellow who plays out wide as Beckham does, usually roaming near the touchline stands?

So, upon further review, was it really necessary to ask if a few derisive shouts from soccer moms and dads in the Dallas suburbs were going to unnerve soccer's global icon?

"Of course, you always hear when people shout things at you," Beckham said politely. "But trust me, I've heard a lot worse things said about me, shouted at me, than people booing. That's part and parcel in soccer. It's what happens. It's all friendly sort of banter that goes on. It's not soccer without that."

Beckham noted how he appreciates that supporters are passionate about their side and he respects how that they desperately want to see the visitors go home unhappy. What's the most hostile environment he's ever encountered? Beckham demurred, mentioning only that lots of fans love to hate Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Safe to say, his answer will never be "Frisco, Texas."

2. Earning their pay in tough times: There are times when you or I could be a manager. When clubs are winning, when the team trainers and docs are bored with inactivity and things are generally swell, it's really just a maintenance job. The lineup selects itself. The locker room polices itself.

All that is to say, the real test of a manager starts when things begin to unravel. How does the boss cope with the pressure of a couple of bad performances or increasingly wobbly job security? How does he deal with a locker room malcontent? Does he dole out internal discipline equally regardless of star power? These are the tests of leadership and mettle.

So, we're watching it unfold dramatically at RFK and at The Home Depot Center, where D.C. United and Chivas USA are dealing with issues aplenty.

Chivas USA manager Preki seems to be coping well. He has a little history of doing so.

Whether you think he was right or wrong last year to jettison Amado Guevara without compensation, he acted decisively, and that counts for a lot. It settled the team and Chivas USA was off and running. The Red-and-White were relatively unbothered by injuries or any other issues until ailments undercut the starting forwards around playoff time, so Preki had a relative smooth ride until the postseason.

Not so in 2008. Already, Preki has helped Brad Guzan through some struggles, and the side is staying afloat despite an implausible number of injuries, especially in defense. Last week, six defenders who could be starters were on the shelf. And yet, his team found a way to beat back United, albeit against the run of play.

Which brings us to Tom Soehn, whose team is under all manner of duress. There are injuries, slumps and flagging confidence to deal with up and down the roster. Soehn takes a four-game losing streak into Saturday's critical RFK match with Toronto.

3. Six Degrees of Ezra Hendrickson: Kelly Gray is settling into his fifth MLS club (assuming you count San Jose of old and new day San Jose as two organizations) following this week's trade from Colorado to the Earthquakes. That's a lot of address changing for the versatile defender/midfielder who only recently turned 27.

But he's hardly the leading contender for a cracking version of "Six Degrees of MLS Separation." Lots of fellows (more than you care to know, really) have played for five clubs.

Some have done so in more orderly fashion. Others have been all over the map, literally and figuratively. For instance, Raul Diaz Arce spent time at five organizations, but he made seven changes along the way (most of them involved coming or going from D.C. United, where he had three separate stints).

Now, six clubs. That's accomplishing something. In Columbus, Ezra Hendrickson is at his sixth MLS organization in his 12th MLS season.

But the all-time MLS frequent changer has to be John Wolyniec. He has just five clubs on his resume. But with multiple stops at New York, Chicago and Columbus, "Woly" has actually changed MLS addresses nine times. In 2005 and 2006 alone he went from Columbus to New York, back to Columbus, then to Los Angeles and back to New York.

Surely, at some point, he's gotten on the wrong team bus heading out of the stadium.

4. Armchair manager: Watching Houston midfielder Brian Mullan these days, I'm wondering if a move to the defense wouldn't help shake some of the offensive malaise that has settled over camp Dynamo? Mullan, who turned 30 in April, can still do the hard work up and down the flank.

But he doesn't beat defenders one-on-one with anywhere near the frequency of earlier career days. So, could he perhaps be more effective attacking from overlapping runs, a little more like Chris Klein does so effectively for Los Angeles? That gets him going at defenders in a greater variety of situations.

It's not that Richard Mulrooney isn't getting forward from his spot. Rather, Mulrooney probably has some central midfield duty in his future as Ricardo Clark and Dwayne De Rosario have international duty upcoming. And generally, Mullan has more pace than Mulrooney.

Plus, it can't hurt Dominic Kinnear's club to have some different offensive options, and inserting Mullan at right back would make room to get dynamic young attacker Stuart Holden on the field more regularly.

Houston, still not getting enough production from its forwards despite Brian Ching's lone effort Thursday, is on pace to hit for 33 goals this year. That would represent a significant drop from 43 for the league champs a year ago.

5. Yep, they do sometimes work: SportsCenter anchor Steve Bunin wasn't at his best on Thursday's ESPN2 halftime broadcast. During highlights of an Italian Serie A match, as viewers saw a well-executed bicycle kick, he asked rhetorically, "Have you ever seen one of those work?"

Hmmm. He must not have been watching as Taylor Twellman struck magnificently on a "bike" in what turned out to be the game-winner for New England (on a Thursday night national showcase match) in last year's Eastern Conference championship. With apologies to a few successful bicyclists who won't make the list (Miklos Molnar, Mauricio Cienfuegos, Dwayne De Rosario and a few others that might escape me, but that I'm sure I'll be reminded of in short order) here are the top five MLS bicycle strikes of all time:

5. Hugo Sanchez: This one from 1996 goes on the list just because of the showmanship involved. The San Jose defense was so horribly bad on this particular centering pass, leaving Sanchez so implausibly unmarked, he could easily have headed in from a short distance on the far post. Instead, Sanchez opted for his signature move, turning his back and slamming home dramatically.

4. Brian Ching: Distance and accuracy spotlighted his 2006 effort, which was later voted Sierra Mist Goal of the Year in MLS. It was also a game-winner and the game's only goal in a Dynamo win against D.C. United.

3. Marcelo Balboa: His fabulous strike in 2000 was another Goal of the Year, and deservedly so for the power and precision involved. (Besides, he had it coming after such a narrow and nearly famous miss on just such an effort in the 1994 World Cup.)

2. Carlos Ruiz: He has two to choose from, one with L.A. back on his first go-round with the Galaxy. But the better one, due to degree of difficulty, came on a night at RFK, where he rose high and quickly to meet a short pass from Roberto Mina. It was named Sierra Mist Goal of the Decade.

1. Taylor Twellman: Considering the stakes, Twellman's big effort in last year's huge playoff contest may be the biggest yet. Twellman is another two-timer, having hit one from close range back in 2002 against Kansas City.


Fergie Slams Madrid’s Ronaldo ‘Nonsense’
Davis: Beckham, Donovan guiding LA
Galaxy looking for scoring balance

LA Galaxy storm past Wizards

CARSON, Calif. -- Landon Donovan and David Beckham both returned to the scoring column and Edson Buddle continued his goal scoring form and the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3-1 Saturday night at The Home Depot Center.

Claudio Lopez gave the Wizards the lead with a goal late in the first half, but Donovan converted a penalty early in the second, then Buddle and Beckham scored over the final quarter hour to send the Galaxy to the top spot in the Western Conference standings as they won back-to-back games for the first time all season.

The game was wide open from the opening whistle, with Kansas City committing numbers forward and Los Angeles looking for opportunities to counter. High pressure in the midfield meant that both sides had early chances to get on the board.

In just the eighth minute, Donovan nearly added to his league-leading goal tally. Beckham found Buddle with a long ball out of the midfield, and Buddle nodded the ball down into space where Donovan sprinted into the box. In alone on goal, Donovan fired from close range, but Kevin Hartman made a great point-blank save to keep the game scoreless.

Kansas City answered with a chance of their own just three minutes later. Following a turnover in midfield, Lopez slipped a through ball to Scott Sealy inside the area. Sealy took a touch to settle but his shot was directed right at Steve Cronin, who made a kick save of his own to keep things level.

The game continued at a frenetic pace, but with neither team really generating any dangerous chances. Buddle headed a Beckham cross well wide of the mark for the Galaxy, while Lopez managed a weak effort from long range forcing a rather routine save from Cronin.

In the 34th minute, the Galaxy managed to elicit groans from their home faithful, as they came tantalizingly close. A perfectly weighted Beckham free kick found rattled around in the box before being sent goalbound by Chris Klein. The ball deflected to Sean Franklin, who hit a volley that rolled wide of the back post.

As close as the Galaxy came, it was Kansas City that opened the scoring in the 40th minute. Lopez made a weaving run through the Galaxy defense, setting up his left foot at the edge of the box. The former Argentinean international found the side netting past a diving Cronin to give the visitors the lead.

Los Angeles had almost an immediate answer. Alvaro Pires picked out Beckham with a beautiful long ball out of midfield and he headed the ball past Michael Harrington then sprinted in on goal. Beckham shot from a sharp angle, but Hartman was perfectly positioned and kicked the ball clear.

The Galaxy came out intent to find the equalizer, and dominated the early possession after the break. Finally, in the 53rd minute, Beckham found Donovan in the box. As Donovan took a touch towards goal he was brought down by Tyson Wahl, winning a penalty. Donovan stepped up and made no mistake from the penalty spot to level the score.

Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit, not content with a draw, brought on Alan Gordon for Brandon McDonald before the restart, and dropped Donovan into an attacking midfield role. Offense was the priority, and LA came close to scoring again seconds later. Beckham was again the catalyst, this time finding Buddle at the top of the area. Buddle got off a powerful shot, but Hartman punched the ball up and over his crossbar.

Los Angeles continued to press forward, and in the 61st minute, Beckham floated a ball over the top for Donovan to run onto. The U.S. international held the ball up, then found Ely Allen on the left side. The rookie was clear in on goal, but failed to find the target with his shot, shooting well wide of the back post.

It was all LA well into the second half. The Galaxy gained an advantage off a passive offside call and Donovan sent a dangerous ball into the area that bounced past two players and skipped just wide of a lunging boot from Gordon.

The Galaxy finally broke through and took the lead in the 74th minute. Some great passing through the midfield got Donovan loose near the top of the restraining arc. Donovan poked the ball through the K.C. back line for Buddle, who finished with a low shot inside the back post.

Despite LA's second half dominance, the Wizards nearly tied the game with their first real scoring chance of the second half. Lopez got in behind the Galaxy defense, and with Cronin way off his line, found Sealy on the right side. The Galaxy defense recovered well, allowing Cronin to get back into the play, as he made a great diving save on Sealy's first shot. The rebound came back to Sealy, who shot again, but Klein got back to clear the ball off the line.

Even with the late lead, Gullit continued to make offensive substitutions, bringing on Carlos Ruiz for Landon Donovan in the 84th minute. It was the first time Ruiz has been on the field at The Home Depot Center in a Galaxy jersey since being traded away before the 2005 season.

The Galaxy managed several more forays into the Kansas City final third, but failed to extend the lead despite several close calls. It wasn't until late into stoppage time that LA found that insurance goal, in dramatic fashion.

With Kevin Hartman all the way up for a late corner kick, the ball squirted out to Beckham. Beckham dribbled out, and then from about 10 yards behind the midfield stripe, he drove the ball into the empty net.


Zaragoza & Madrid In Four Goal Thriller
Donovan, Gordon fuel Galaxy rout
Cunningham boots TFC to first victory

Crew look to reassert dominance

COLUMBUS -- After mellowing their recent tear through MLS opposition with a scoreless draw in Toronto last week, the Columbus Crew look to continue their winning ways this season on Saturday when they welcome the New England Revolution to Crew Stadium.

The Crew sit atop both the Eastern Conference and MLS standings with 19 points, but the Revs are currently tied for second with Chicago, only three points behind.

Before the season, Crew coach Sigi Schmid said his squad had to make Crew Stadium their "fortress" and his team has responded by being the only squad still undefeated at home in 2008.

"We've won every game at home so far this season," said midfielder Adam Moffat. "We've got to keep that up, and the fans have been great so far this year, so hopefully they can keep that up."

Last week in Toronto the squad had plenty of hurdles in front of them on a windy day in one of the toughest road environments in MLS. Despite the conditions and facing a much tougher group than TFC showed in Columbus for the season opener, the Black and Gold managed to pull a point out of BMO Field.

"In Toronto we stole a point from them, so were happy about that and we want to keep our streak going at home," said Robbie Rogers.

"The spirits are really high," said Moffat. "The draw against Toronto was a big game. They're a team on form right now. They could have gotten three points and we could have gotten zero but we got a point."

The Crew are truly riding high at the moment, without a loss in their last six games, and the team is showing a spirit to match its on-field performance.

"It's been awesome," says Rogers of the attitude in the locker room. "The guys really enjoy each other's company, and on and off the field we look after each other."

When changing teams it is often the aspects of life away from the soccer field that can be the hardest for a new player in MLS. However, since moving from D.C. United to Columbus in the offseason, midfielder Brian Carroll has settled in nicely with the Crew and has played every minute at defensive midfield in 2008.

"I do like the city, and the guys have done a good job helping me get adjusted to the area," said Carroll. "The guys on the team are great, and I'm liking it so far."

Carroll is easily an unsung hero of the team in 2008, rarely garnering much attention or accolades but always providing a stout defensive presence and cool head in the midfield.

"I don't really worry about how much my name gets called or heard," Carroll said. "I just do what I can to help the team and I am just glad that I can be an integral part of the team's success."

The Crew are getting quality play from some unexpected sources this season, such as Moffat and Brad Evans, who recently cracked the starting lineup when Stefani Miglioranzi went down due to injury.

"We hate to see players go down with injuries but that's why we have reserves, so we can step in and the level shouldn't drop off with the reserves," says Evans, whose first professional goal was the game-winning goal in the comeback victory at San Jose.

With the standings at the top of the Eastern Conference being as close as they are, Saturday's match with New England could prove to be turning point if the Crew stumble against the always potent Revs.

"It's going to be a real big test," says Evans. "They're second in the league in points, so we're looking forward to it."

As a veteran of the Eastern Conference wars, Carroll has plenty of firsthand experience in dealing with the firepower of the New England lineup.

"I've had some battles with New England. They are a good squad that definitely continues to play no matter what the score is," Carroll said. "We need to be ready and we can do well. We just need to come out strong."


Wilhelmsson Surprised By Raúl’s Spain Absence
Jose could return to England
Stoic Moreno providing Crew big lift

Emilio looks to regain past form

WASHINGTON -- An award-winning, 20-goal season gave Luciano Emilio plenty of occasions to hone his 'superhero' goal-scoring celebration last year. But when D.C. United's Brazilian striker finally broke an eight-game scoring drought with the game-winning tally against Toronto FC on Saturday night, his reaction was a distinctly spontaneous one, happily sprinting along RFK Stadium's touchline before pointing thankfully to the heavens.

It was a welcome moment of joy and success for a once-prolific finisher who's strained mightily to find the net in his sophomore campaign.

"Definitely, you can build confidence from this. I feel a lot more motivated now and I hope to continue that," Emilio said on Monday. "Personally, I put a lot of pressure on myself to do better, but I think now I feel a lot lighter now that that load is off my shoulders."

It's also one that his coach and teammates are hoping can spark a hot streak like the one he embarked on almost a year ago.

"Of course -- strikers are happy when they're scoring goals," said D.C. head coach Tom Soehn, "and getting that first one sometimes is what puts you over the hump. He's done so much better in putting himself in spots and playing harder. It comes along with it now, and hopefully that goal will get a string going for him."

Early in the year, Soehn chalked up Emilio's off-color start to insufficient offseason conditioning work and later, lack of service from the midfield. But as the frontrunner's slump deepened and United's fortunes declined as a whole, the second-year boss had to re-evaluate.

He eventually benched last year's league MVP for a May 17 match against Chivas USA -- though Emilio would be quick to point out that he was working through a quadriceps strain at the time. But a goal poacher of his style is invariably measured first and foremost by his scoring stats, and having arrived at United after supremely successful stints in the Honduran league and Mexican second division, he admits that this season has "definitely been one of the most challenging" periods of his career.

His multinational experience and mellow temperament seems to have kept him well-grounded, however.

"You always go through this when you play soccer," said Emilio, also a veteran of the German Bundesliga. "You're always going to have periods when you're not going to score. But I'm 30 years old and I know how to overcome that."

The Brazilian's coolheaded recollection of his own scoring history provides another textbook example of a striker's mentality.

"Definitely, I want to keep scoring," he said. "Last year it was a similar situation where I didn't score for five whole games and then after that I scored 17 goals in 18 games."

His performance in Saturday's 3-2 win featured more effective movement in and around the opposing penalty box, and the awareness he displayed in following up Santino Quaranta's shot from distance provided a reminder of how "Luchigol" took MLS by storm in 2007. It came just a few minutes after Emilio saw a similarly opportunistic finish of a Jaime Moreno drive disallowed for an early offside flag on D.C.'s captain.

"We always told him that it's going to come, it's going to come at the right time, he didn't have to get desperate," said Moreno afterwards. "And luckily it came tonight."

Equally important from a team perspective, Emilio's efforts encapsulated an evening of improved industriousness from United's first XI, which will be crucial to any hopes of a midseason revival in D.C.

"I don't think we've lost sight of our objective as a team, which is to qualify for the playoffs and get that title, the MLS Cup," he said. "I think people focused more on me when it was really the team that wasn't clicking so much. We weren't getting adjusted as quickly as we needed to, and I think we were all there for each other, we all supported each other and we're coming together and doing better now."


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Schmeichel Tips United For Title
Hoops struggling to regain form
Chivas hope to use win as springboard

First XI: Reflections across the pond

First XI is lucky enough to be in London for Wednesday's friendly between the U.S. and England. So here's a rundown of notes heading into the showdown, which should provide American players and fans with an almost fantasy-like experience.

11. It's like a reunion: Walking through the lobby of the team hotel is like attending an MLS reunion. By my count, the U.S. has five current MLS players and 11 MLS alumni on its 22-man roster. Always great to see the likes of Eddie Lewis, who I wrote about in ESPN The Magazine's 1999 MLS Preview, where he was pictured alongside Clint Mathis, Ben Olsen, Ross Paule and C.J. Brown under the headline, "Will Play for Food."

10. Away is the way: Talking to the players, there's a thrill they'll get out of playing this match at Wembley that could never be duplicated playing a game like this on U.S. soil. And it's not just that Wembley is ... Wembley ... it's knowing that U.S. fans will be watching the game during the afternoon, while they're playing under the lights, the way they've watched so many games from Europe. It's hard to describe, but I sense they feel it will be like playing on Monday Night Football, even though it's Wednesday Afternoon Soccer. We've developed a cultural thing in the States, I believe, where soccer fans seem to know that Wednesdays at 2:30 or 3:00 is when big games are on.

9. What Beck-ons: I've been here for over a week now and can tell you that Brits are keen to know how David Beckham is doing in "The MLS." In fact, one cab driver was quick to point out to me that the Galaxy are leading the league in goals. In the lobby of my hotel on Sunday, where I was covering a golf event, I was showing anyone I could find the video clip of Beckham's empty-net goal.

8. The Holy Grail: Like the players, I'm thrilled to be making my maiden voyage to new Wembley. I never got to the original and can only list Old Trafford, Anfield, Villa Park and the no-longer-with-us Maine Road as the stadiums I've seen in England. You could actually see the disappointment in the players faces on Tuesday when they were told their training session would be at Watford as Wembley's pitch attempts to mend from playoff matches on three consecutive days. When the players walk on to the field on Wednesday, it'll be their first time on the grass. If I'm not mistaken, the only U.S. player on the current roster who's ever played on this field is Lewis.

7. Not the American way: Speaking of the playoffs, it never ceases to amaze me how thrilling it is for clubs and their fans to "move up." I've learned that the American expression that "second place is for losers" -- and all related American-isms -- is, as they say over here, rubbish. After watching three football playoff matches this weekend, where teams (and their cities) were fighting simply for the right to play at a higher level next season, I've come to the clear conclusion that there's more to life than first place. Saturday's 1-0 victory for Hull City over Bristol City was thrilling. Never in their 104-year history have Hull City's Tigers played in England's top division, but they'll get their chance next year because of a wonder goal struck by (get set for this name) Dean Windass, who is 39 years old, roughly 39 pounds overweight, and who grew up in Hull.

6. On the tee: As I stated earlier, I've been over here for a week working on a golf story and there's something really fun about working the range at a European Tour event. The players and caddies talk way more about soccer than they do about golf and it seems every player has a club he lives and dies with. Paul McGinley was talking Celtic. Paul Lawrie lives and dies with Aberdeen. Ian Poulter actually places an Arsenal flag behind his spot on the range. I watched the Champions League final with a tour vet named John Bickerton who's a devout Aston Villa fan. Oh, and by the way, I did see one youngster at the Wentworth Golf Club with his LA Galaxy jersey on ... No. 23, of course.

5. Landon at 100: Congrats are in order for Landon Donovan, who will join Joe-Max Moore, Tony Meola, Earnie Stewart, Kasey Keller, Eric Wynalda, Paul Caligiuri, Claudio Reyna, Marcelo Balboa, Jeff Agoos and Cobi Jones in the 100-cap club. He will also become the fourth-youngest player in the world to reach 100 caps for his country. Only Cha Bum-Kun (South Korea), Sami Al-Jaber (Saudi Arabia), Mohammed Al-Khilaiwi (Saudi Arabia), reached the century mark at an age young than Donovan, who turned 26 on March 4. How old does this note make you feel?

4. Was it really three years ago? Had to look twice at this one to believe it. Remember the U.S.-England match at Soldier Field? The one that England won 2-1, where Clint Dempsey scored his first international goal? I could not believe that was already three years ago. Guess time flies when you're having fun. It also made it hit home that qualifying is just around the corner, and before we know it, hopefully South Africa 2010.

3. How about? I'm even old enough to remember the U.S. beating England (no, not in 1950), 2-1 in 1993 at Foxboro Stadium, on goals by Thomas Dooley and Alexi Lalas. I went searching Youtube for a clip of that Lalas goal but it's not up yet. We'll test the powers of First XI and see how long it takes for a soccer fan to get that goal up for all of us to see. In the meantime, here's an Alexi video that'll take you down Memory Lane.

2. Over here. I must admit, much as I fancy myself as a soccer and MLS historian (kinda, sorta) I had no idea that the U.S. has only played England once in England. That was in September of 1994, and the U.S. lost 2-1. Current U.S. assistant coach and former Wizard/MetroStars/Fire player Mike Sorber went the full 90 in that one.

1. It should be fun. I'll be the first to admit that sometimes the English Premier League stars almost seem like TV stars to me, since I never get the chance to see them in person and the only time I've ever interviewed any of them was 10 years ago when I did a piece on an 18-year-old Michael Owen and also got a chance to talk to Alan Shearer and David Seaman. So, it will no doubt be thrilling to see the Americans face off against the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves, Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry, not to mention Owen and others. Enjoy the show.


Petric made his mark
Campbell Perfectly Happy At Pompey
Hoops look to regroup after first loss

Quakes upend returning Dynamo

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- While most homecomings are festive occasions, Thursday's get-together between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Houston Dynamo was always going to have an element of the bittersweet, given the latter club's painful departure from San Jose in 2005. But the Quakes duo of Kei Kamara and Ivan Guerrero found a way to erase at least some of those painful memories, as each player scored in the second half to give San Jose a 2-1 win against the city's former tenants.

The result not only snapped San Jose's winless streak at four games, but it was also their first home win of the season. The Dynamo's Brian Ching scored a late consolation goal, but it wasn't enough to stop Houston's modest winning streak from ending at two games.

Houston's lineup was unchanged for the third match in a row, while San Jose, in a bid to get their league-worst offense on track, gave forward Ryan Johnson just his second career MLS start in place of Joe Vide. Defender Nick Garcia also returned to the lineup at the expense of James Riley.

The first 15 minutes were devoid of any sustained attacks, as the ball spent more time in the air than it did on the ground. But when the game did settle down, it was San Jose who created the better openings with Johnson in the middle of the Quakes' best attacks.

Kamara latched on to Guerrero's cross in the 16th minute and touched the ball back to Ramiro Corrales. But his subsequent shot was palmed away by Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad.

Houston defender Bobby Boswell gifted the Quakes an opportunity in the 25th minute, stumbling over the ball and allowing Johnson to steal. The San Jose forward attempted to curl the ball high around Onstad from 20 yards, but the Dynamo 'keeper touched the effort over the bar.

San Jose kept the pressure on, and came painfully close to scoring in the 33rd minute. Johnson once again found space on the left wing, but his perfectly weighted cross was nodded goalward by Kamara then deflected off the post by Guerrero.

Johnson then had another chance a minute later, but his thunderous shot struck Houston's Dwayne De Rosario in the face and went out for a corner kick.

After being on the back foot for most of the half, Houston staged a mini-revival late. Stuart Holden was released by a Ching flick-on in the 37th minute, but his weak header was easily saved by Cannon. Ching found space again two minutes later, but his header from a Brian Mullan cross was hit straight at the Quakes 'keeper.

The second half began with Houston seeing more of the ball. A Franco Caraccio layoff near the top of the box found Holden, but his low shot was snared by Cannon.

The Dynamo continued to have the better of play in the second half, but suffered a blow in the 62nd minute when defender Eddie Robinson was forced off with an abdominal injury.

Robinson was replaced by Patrick Ianni, and the move was to have dire consequences for Houston just five minutes later. A deflected cross from Ronnie O'Brien was flicked over his head by Ned Grabavoy, finding Kamara deep in the box. His quick shot on the turn not only beat Ianni, but Onstad as well, giving the Quakes a 1-0 lead.

Houston nearly hit straight back, with substitute Kyle Brown latching onto a long ball and seemingly having a clear look at goal. But a desperate tackle from San Jose defender Ryan Cochrane took the sting out of Brown's shot, allowing Cannon to make the save.

Any hopes of a Dynamo comeback were dashed in the 81st minute. On the counter, Guerrero played Johnson through on the right side of the box, and while Onstad did well to parry his blast, Guerrero was on hand to slot home the rebound, doubling San Jose's lead.

The goal proved invaluable as Ching volleyed home a cross from substitute Brad Davis in the 88th minute. And nerves were put further on edge when the Hawaiian's deflected header from an Ianni cross went narrowly wide two minutes into stoppage time. But San Jose was able to see out the remainder of the match, much to the delight of the home crowd.


First away win since October
Jose wants big club or nothing
Johnson’s muscle gives Quakes lift

United rallies to top TFC, snap skid

WASHINGTON -- Mired in a demoralizing slump and desperate to resuscitate their fading campaign, D.C. United finally put together a winning performance on Saturday night, showing grit and resolve to defeat Toronto FC 3-2 at RFK Stadium for their third league victory of the year.

Paced by a man-of-the-match display from Jaime Moreno and a slump-breaking gamewinner from Luciano Emilio, United twice came from behind and eventually captured a hard-won victory to snap their four-game losing streak. TFC striker Danny Dichio scored two goals in defeat.

Embattled United coach Tom Soehn kept with the same 4-4-2 shape and identical starting lineup from Wednesday night's 1-0 setback in Toronto, while his opposite number John Carver followed suit with TFC's first XI as the Reds looked to continue their six-game unbeaten run.

Mindful of their team's four-game losing skid, United's Barra Brava supporters' group provided a forceful display of support -- and perhaps an urgent appeal -- to the squad in the moments before kickoff, producing a massive banner urging D.C. to "Fight For Our Colors" above a sea of black, red and white flags.

The home side finally got forward with some conviction in the 11th minute as Fred's crafty backheel earned a corner off Marvell Wynne and Jaime Moreno saw his low shot deflected just wide of goal shortly after the set piece.

But after a brief attacking flurry by United, Toronto raced back the other way and drew first blood with surprising ease. Laurent Robert rewarded TFC captain Jim Brennan for his aggressive run down the left channel with a defense-splitting pass and the left back duly clipped a tidy cross over United 'keeper Zach Wells and into the goalmouth, where Danny Dichio nodded home from close range -- his second goal in as many games.

After seeming shellshocked for some time after the goal, United were finally looking dangerous in the attacking third and after a fluid passing move in the 28th minute TFC netminder Greg Sutton was called upon to make a sharp block of Moreno's blast from 19 yards out, then was helped by Wynne's deflection of Emilio's scuffed effort on the rebound as the Reds scrambled to clear their lines.

The home team threatened again in the 35th minute when Gallardo rode Guevara's challenge before unleashing a knuckling blast that was too hot for Sutton to handle -- the Canadian international palmed it away from goal but was nearly punished as Namoff ran onto the loose ball and hammered a half-volley just high and wide.

D.C. finally broke through in the 41st minute, scoring their first goal in more than two hours of play as a leaping McTavish flicked Moreno's delivery toward the back post, where Gonzalo Peralta stooped to head home his first goal in a United uniform.

The equalizer lifted Black-and-Red spirits dramatically -- both on the field and in the stands -- and four minutes later Clyde Simms almost grabbed a second tally for his team in the half's dying moments as he capped an intricate passing sequence with a low first-time shot destined for the lower corner of goal, only for Sutton make a superb reaction save.

But United's newfound confidence sustained a devastating blow mere seconds later as Dichio burned them again to restore Toronto's advantage. The big target man exchanged passes with Guevara at the top of the D.C. box before taking advantage of the yards of space given to him by the defense with a well-aimed, side-footed shot that skipped past Wells and nestled just inside the left-hand post.

Despite the 2-1 deficit, United began the second half with renewed vigor. McTavish got into the attack some seven minutes after the break and earned his side a dangerous set piece. Gallardo stepped up to the dead ball and belted a dipping blast past Sutton, only to watch in frustration as it caromed off the crossbar and out of play.

United took a stranglehold on possession and probed the TFC defense constantly as the second period unfolded, but time after time found the finishing touch lacking as Sutton patrolled his area with authority.

Controversy erupted in the 67th minute when Emilio seemed to have drawn D.C. level, racing in to hammer home the rebound after Sutton had palmed Moreno's shot away, but the home crowd was dismayed to see the linesman standing with his flag raised, as Moreno had strayed offside at the play's outset.

But the Black-and-Red kept pushing and five minutes later earned the second equalizer they'd been seeking so desperately. Quaranta hustled into the box behind Wynne and though the sharp angle meant the D.C. winger's options were limited, he earned a penalty kick as the young TFC right back rashly knocked him to the turf with Gonzalez well-positioned to spot the infraction.

As usual, Moreno stepped up to the spot kick and sent Sutton the wrong way, driving his finish into the right side of the net to level matters at 2-2. The Bolivian's goal incited wild celebrations among the RFK faithful as it brought long-awaited relief from the pain and pressure of United's losing streak.

The euphoria reached a crescendo barely two minutes later when a TFC turnover allowed Quaranta and his mates to race forward again -- and after a second's consideration the Baltimore native elected to launch a dipping shot from 20 yards out.

Sutton was well-placed to stop the stinging drive but he palmed it down onto the turf and looked up in dismay as the hard-charging Emilio arrived to poke it past him into the net for a sudden 3-2 United advantage, the home side's first lead of the night. The Brazilian wheeled away in delirium to rejoice over his first goal in nearly two months.

Toronto fought back gamely, however, creating danger with several set pieces and corner kicks. Guevara boomed a deep, searching ball into the D.C. box that left Wells frozen on his line as Jarrod Smith stabbed Dichio's layoff just over the crossbar. Then defending a TFC corner kick, Peralta nearly gave the home fans a collective heart attack when his header looped backwards and flew inches over his own crossbar.

On the ensuing corner kick the Reds threw everyone -- including Sutton -- into the D.C. box and chaos ensued as the ball took several deflections around the danger area before the home side finally lumped clear. Spotting his linesman's raised flag, Gonzalez trotted over and conferred briefly before brandishing a red card in Robert's direction, apparently for a serious foul somewhere in the goalmouth turmoil.

The referee finally blew for full time shortly after, handing a badly-needed victory to Soehn's side and snapping Toronto's unbeaten run.


Grant: We’re Playing The Best Football
Cunningham boots TFC to first victory
Stoic Moreno providing Crew big lift

LA shows resiliency in comeback

CARSON, Calif. -- For the first time this season, the Los Angeles Galaxy came from behind to win a game. Landon Donovan scored from the penalty spot and set up the game-winner as the Galaxy beat Kansas City 3-1 at The Home Depot Center, giving LA consecutive wins for the first time on the year.

Things didn't start out well though for LA. The boys from Victoria Street could have very easily been down within the first 30 seconds of the game, as Kansas City came out very aggressive and smothered the Galaxy's goal early on.

"There was a lot of irritation on the field, especially for the start because you see things slipping out of your hands," said Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit. "The first two minutes was ridiculous. We were giving the ball away. We looked nervous, and they were growing into the game."

The Galaxy did go into the locker room down a goal. Claudio Lopez weaved through the Galaxy defense before lacing a shot past Steve Cronin. Despite a few early chances for the Galaxy, the outcome was certainly in question.

But the Galaxy came out after the break and dominated possession. They outshot Kansas City 11-2 in the second half, and when Donovan scored from the penalty spot in the 54th minute, it sent LA on its way.

"The second half was a different team. I'm very proud of the way out players responded to the demands that I had," said Gullit. "The key factor today was that Landon Donovan played excellent. That was the key to the game to change it."

Gullit made one change right before halftime, bringing on Ely Allen for Joe Franchino. Then in the locker room, some other tactical adjustments were made.

"I probably can't repeat what (Gullit) said in the locker room, but you single some people out," said Chris Klein. "We all looked around the locker room and looked at ourselves. We all played a much better second half individually. We all know the type of player (Landon) is, but what he did for us offensively and defensively as well I think really proves the type of man that he is."

Still, the fact remains that Los Angeles played an inconsistent game. While the win felt good, questions were still being raised about the way the club started the game.

"We're shooting ourselves in the foot in some of these games by not finishing chances early and then giving up goals," said Donovan. "Coming from behind gets difficult, so we'd like to get that right. But I think the reaction by us tonight was good."

One thing that can't be faulted was the defense. For a unit that has been leaky at best for large parts of the season, things are starting to come together. Aside from one chance in the second half, the Galaxy back line shut down the Kansas City attack.

It's a sign things are progressing not only on the offensive side of the ball. The central defense partnership of rookie Sean Franklin and veteran Abel Xavier seems to be getting better and better each game.

"I've worked very hard with Abel (Xavier). I've tried to stimulate him by putting him on the bench," said Gullit. "I think he responded to it, and that gave me the green light to put him on the pitch. I think he responded very well tonight."

Even after LA went up a goal, through Edson Buddle's 74th-minute strike, the game could have gone either way. It wasn't until second-half stoppage time that the Galaxy put things away on a highlight reel goal from David Beckham.

Kansas City 'keeper Kevin Hartman had come all the way forward to help on a late corner kick as the Wizards chased the equalizer. When the ball popped loose, Beckham dribbled towards midfield, before lofting a 70-yard shot into the empty net.

"If he had missed that, his reputation would have been done," Gullit said with a wry smile.

The win not only was a good show of character for the Galaxy, but it also moved LA into first place in the Western Conference. The Galaxy are now the only team in the West with a winning record, and they will try to carry that success into their U.S. Open Cup qualifying match on Tuesday. That game will be another test of character, as LA will be without Donovan and Beckham, who will face off against each other at Wembley the next day in an international friendly.


Ten-man Energie stage spectacular comeback
“We can take something off Bayern, too”
Donovan continues to shine brighter

Canada tabs six from MLS for friendly

A host of Major League Soccer players will represent Canada in a highly-anticipated friendly against Brazil at Quest Field in Seattle, Wash. on May 31, it was announced Thursday by Canadian coach Dale Mitchell.

Among those chosen for Mitchell's 23-man roster were Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad of the defending MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo. Toronto FC has a pair of players on the roster in goalkeeper Greg Sutton and defender Jim Brennan, with the group rounded out by Los Angeles Galaxy defender Ante Jazic and FC Dallas midfielder Adrian Serioux.

Canada also boasts a squad of 15 players who are European-based, including midfielder Julian de Guzman of Deportivo La Coruna in Spain's La Liga.

The match in Seattle, which will be home to an expansion MLS team in 2009, is the first of two for Brazil on its U.S. tour. The Brazilians will also meet Venezuela at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on June 6, following an MLS match between the New England Revolution and FC Dallas.

Canada will also face CONCACAF rival Panama in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 4 before beginning Stage II of World Cup qualification against St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a home-and-away aggregate series beginning June 15.

"Our first game against Brazil will be a big occasion, but both matches will be invaluable in helping us to assess and prepare for our main focus, which is the qualifying process that begins next month against Saint Vincent and Grenadines," Mitchell said.

Canada has faced Brazil three times before, including a scoreless draw at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in Ibaraki, Japan.

CANADA ROSTER

GOALKEEPERS: Lars Hirschfeld (CFR Cluj/ROM), Pat Onstad (Houston Dynamo/USA), Greg Sutton (Toronto FC), Joshua Wagenaar (unattached)

DEFENDERS: Jim Brennan (Toronto FC), Adrian Cann (Vancouver Whitecaps), Marcel de Jong, (Roda JC/NED), Tam Nsaliwa (AEK Athens FC/GRE), André Hainault (Sparta Praha/CZE-on loan from FK SIAD Most), Ante Jazic (Los Angeles Galaxy/USA), Mike Klukowski (Club Brugge KV/BEL), Richard Hastings (Inverness CT/SCO)

MIDFIELDERS: Paul Stalteri (Fulham FC/ENG; on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Adrian Serioux (FC Dallas/USA), Issey Nakajima-Farran (FC Nordsjælland/DEN), Atiba Hutchinson (F.C. København/DEN), Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo/USA), Julian de Guzman (Deportivo La Coruna/SPA), Patrice Bernier, FC Kaiserslautern/GER)

FORWARDS: Rob Friend (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER), Ali Gerba (FC Ingolstadt/GER), Jaime Peters (Ipswich Town FC/ENG), Tomasz Radzinski (Skoda Xanthi/GRE)

HEAD COACH: Dale Mitchell


Kaka - Best is yet to come
No Schwarzer talks for Boro
Fire’s Frankowski excited for friendly
Competition intense in friendly

Dube, Revs steal share of MLS lead

COLUMBUS -- Kheli Dube scored the only goal of the match in the 89th minute to give the New England Revolution a 1-0 victory against Eastern Conference leaders Columbus Crew on Saturday night at Crew Stadium.

Dube poked home the rebound after William Hesmer saved a Shalrie Joseph penalty kick. Steve Ralston drew the foul after Ezra Hendrickson lunged in on the veteran playmaker and caught his foot as he dribbled across the top of the penalty area.

The result didn't reflect the chances Columbus created, but the Revs improved in the second half and looked likely to earn a point before Hendrickson's tackle dropped all three into their laps with a minute left in regular time to bring the Revs into a tie for the Eastern Conference lead with the Crew.

Crew midfielder Adam Moffat trained this week after returning from a right knee injury, but coach Sigi Schmid opted to keep Brad Evans in central midfield. New England head coach Steve Nicol named the same side in back-to-back games for the first time all season.

The two teams struggled to create incisive chances in the opening stages, though Crew winger Robbie Rogers drew multiple fouls in the attacking third with his ability to run into the spaces permitted by the Revolution's three-man backline.

But those free kicks went astray as Guillermo Barros Schelotto failed to find touch in the opening stages. When not over a free kick, Barros Schelotto threatened with his passing and lashed a volley just over the bar.

New England emerged into the game after a quarter of an hour, earning a free kick at the edge of the penalty area that saw Mauricio Castro's effort diverted out for a corner kick by Ezra Hendrickson.

Columbus' pressure yielded the match's first real chance after 26 minutes. Brian Carroll sent Frankie Hejduk deep into the corner and Hejduk's skimming cross to the near post found Alejandro Moreno. The Venezuelan striker did well to turn the ball into the near post, forcing a smart save from Revolution keeper Matt Reis.

Eddie Gaven went close soon afterwards after nicking the ball from a ponderous Shalrie Joseph in midfield. Gaven's run took him to the edge of the penalty area before he dragged his shot inches wide of the near post.

New England had a pair of free kicks before the half ended, the second of which drew the Crew's ire after Gaven looked to be headed clear only for a late whistle drew the play back for a Hejduk tackle.

Gaven created an opening for Moreno soon after the break. Barros Schelotto played Gaven through and watched the right winger slide a ball across for Moreno. The expected effort on goal never came after Moreno couldn't get the ball out of his feet.

While Columbus continued to look the more dangerous of the two sides, New England improved after the break by winning more of the 50-50 battles in the midfield and attempting to spring the ball wide. Halftime substitute Sainey Nyassi drove an effort just wide after wriggling free inside the penalty area as the Revs tried to cement their resurgence with a goal.

The Crew never relented and the impressive Rogers continued to urge his team forward. His cross found Hejduk at the far post and the Crew captain's volley flew over the bar.

Better chances would present themselves for the home side. Gaven met Hejduk's cross at the near post and forced Reis into a diving one-handed save. Minutes later, Moreno slammed his close-range effort off the right post after Hendrickson bounced his header from a Barros Schelotto free kick across the face of goal.

Late luck shined on the Revs after Hendrickson brought down Ralston and Hesmer's save fell right to Dube to tap home at the far post to give the Revs a late victory.

The Crew nearly grabbed a late equalizer when Rogers picked out Evans with a well-weighted cross, but his header flashed just over the bar.


Bundesliga: top for goals
Crew storm past San Jose in second half
Despite easy win, Nicol not pleased

Hoops continue to haunt RSL

FRISCO, Texas -- Real Salt Lake just can't catch a break against FC Dallas. After beating the Hoops on May 10 by a 2-1 scoreline at Rice-Eccles Stadium, it looked like RSL might prevail for a second consecutive time against FCD on Saturday.

Fabian Espindola had given the visitors a 2-1 edge in the 69th minute. But the Hoops got a pair of goals from substitute Dominic Oduro, both after the 83rd minute, to hand RSL yet another tough late loss.

RSL went a man down when Ian Joy was sent off in the 38th minute after getting his second yellow card of the game. But FCD wasn't able to do much with the extra attacker and both sides were left with 10 men after Bobby Rhine was sent off just before the end of the first half.

"We gave them the game," RSL midfielder Dema Kovalenko said. "We did everything we had to do until 12 minutes left in the game but didn't put enough pressure on the ball and just got tired. We put in so much hard work during the game but to lose is disappointing. This hurts so much it's unbelievable."

After both sides had six shots in the opening half, RSL mustered just two in the final 45 minutes with one of those coming on Espindola's third goal of the year.

For RSL assistant coach Robin Fraser, this loss can be pinned on one simple thing.

"I think our effort was good," Fraser said. "The guys were tired and we defended a lot. As a result, we probably weren't able to get as much pressure on the services as we would have liked. When you've got a lead, if you can solve problems further away from your goal, then you're in much better shape. We've really got to try and put a little more pressure on service late in games. This is what happens is when the other team is chasing the game. They're going to find ways and lump them in but our defenders have to deal with it."

Midfielder Kyle Beckerman felt that it was that lack of concentration late in the match that decided the result.

"We did well up until that goal," he said. "We were thinking that we would at least get a tie. It comes down to a lack of concentration I guess. It was a lack of focus."

The loss was RSL's fifth away from home this year but it was a setback that was especially painful for Beckerman.

"We haven't gotten much luck on the road (so far this year)," he said. "I felt like today was really going to be our day to get out of our losing ways on the road and we almost did. We took a little baby step today, so hopefully next time, we will go all the way with it."

Despite the loss, Kovalenko wasn't about to hoist the white flag.

"This is not over," he said. "There are so many games left but we have two games at home coming up, both must-wins. So, that's what we need to concentrate on and take it one game at a time."

Fraser agreed that all RSL can do now is regroup, especially with two games coming up in the next week. On Tuesday, they travel to Columbus for a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifying match and then play host San Jose on Saturday.

"By the end of tomorrow or Monday, we need to refocus on Tuesday because for us, it's a very important game," he said. "We've got to figure out ways not to give up so many chances late and also how to not give up so many goals late."


The celebrations continue
Hamburg return to winning ways
Hoops look to regroup after first loss

United brings no excuses to Toronto

WASHINGTON -- Wednesday's clash with Toronto FC at BMO Field has D.C. United bracing for a bruising night at one of the most imposing venues in Major League Soccer, but the Eastern Conference's cellar dwellers are eager to dispense with excuse-making and earn a desperately-needed result.

The late collapse in Saturday night's 3-1 loss to Chivas USA undid more than an hour of hard work and exposed United's psychological fragility as the Black-and-Red found themselves unable to manage the game to a calm conclusion.

"The performance was good for about 65 minutes, and we were, for the most part, in control of that game," said midfielder Clyde Simms. "Once they got the [first] goal, we needed to change our mentality. We felt like we had to win the game, like we were in a do-or-die situation. But even a tie on the road is good, especially at Home Depot. With the goal, we had to just keep playing our game and I felt like we took too many chances going forward. ... I think some of that may come from our record so far. Once we get back used to winning, it becomes more of a habit and easier to do."

The Red-and-White grabbed their first-ever victory against D.C. as a result, and a resurgent TFC will be confident of making similar history of their own in the colorful confines of BMO Field on Wednesday.

"I don't want to say we don't know how to win, but when you're not in that situation very often, like we were in the second half, I think it's natural to just sit in and let a team come at you when you need to get three points so bad," said winger Santino Quaranta of the Chivas match. "We wanted to win the game and we were taking way too many chances. It's still early on, and a point is not bad right now, where we are."

The trip to Canada, the first half of an unusual home-and-home matchup between the two sides this week with TFC visiting RFK Stadium on Saturday, presents several challenges. BMO Field has become famous for its frenzied, in-your-face atmosphere and its artificial surface has few admirers among visiting teams -- and with several new foreign signings, the in-form Reds present an altogether different proposition from the side that capitulated in a 4-1 D.C. win in early April.

"It's almost like a playoff series," said United coach Tom Soehn of the scheduling quirk. "We've been in that environment, it's a tough place to play. They're pretty organized. They have a core of guys who sit back and wait for counterattacks."

French international Laurent Robert made his first MLS appearance against United last month, and he's since settled in well, transforming the TFC midfield alongside Rohan Ricketts and Amado Guevara. The hulking presence of target man Danny Dichio adds further difficulty to United's task.

"Toronto is a tough place to play, on that turf and with their fans. And so every time we go there, it's hard to really play soccer on that field so we know it's going to be a battle going in, physically," said Simms. "They play with five midfielders so it's going to be crowded in there, but we just have to be prepared physically and be ready to battle. We have to match their intensity and pass it."

But the passion and noise of the Reds fans might actually help D.C. raise their game, just as they've seen visiting teams rise to the occasion amidst RFK's lively atmosphere over the years.

"I'm excited to play there. I don't think it's a disadvantage, I don't," said Quaranta. "Because once you step on the field, it's just 11 on 11. The fans, they can scream all they want but they're not scoring goals, they're not doing anything to hurt you. It's an atmosphere where it helps the home team -- of course it does. So does RFK, it helps us, but we've lost here this year as well."

The weight of losing has clearly grown worn on the Baltimore native and he called on his teammates to step up and make United's crowded schedule -- the club has three matches in the next seven days -- a momentum changer rather than a burden. "I told the guys, it's changing our whole season in one week: you can come out with nine points, beating two good teams, essentially, in three games," said Quaranta. "Then everybody starts to understand how to win again and the team gets a change. I've been around this before where that happens -- and then again if it doesn't happen, it goes the other way. We just want to play hard -- win or lose, if everybody puts the effort out, and can walk off the field and look at themselves in the mirror and say 'I've done my best for my teammate next to me,' I'm fine with that, winning or losing."


Kaka Didn’t Deserve Golden Ball – Rooney
Rijkaard: We Can Win At Old Trafford
D.C. United unable to find spark against Rapids

Chivas hope to use win as springboard

CARSON, Calif. -- Saturday's victory against D.C. United might have held within it a sign of things to come for Chivas USA.

One goal opened up the floodgates as the Red-and-White beat United 3-1. Now, the club hopes that one win will also have a similar effect on their upcoming matches.

"Now is an important time," Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan said. "We've moved a few points closer to first place and it's a time where if we win two or three games in a row we can put ourselves in first place just with how the Western Conference has been going so far. We've just got to play with confidence right now."

Confidence was something the club had been lacking. A 1-4-2 record had contributed to the decline in self-belief. Injuries and a sieve-like defense also played a role in the team's slow start.

But when the club finally found a bit of what brought the team success a year ago, everything seemingly clicked instantaneously.

"When the first goal came, I really felt that we could score a second or a third just with our momentum and that's what happened," Kljestan said. "Atiba (Harris) did well on all three goals. We caught some lucky bounces but give credit to him for fighting his butt off."

Against D.C. United, Chivas USA did well to turn the tide that had plagued the team this year. D.C. became the sixth team to score first against Chivas USA this season, but unlike the other five games, the Red-and-White finally came from behind to post a victory.

It was the first-ever such victory for the club, but perhaps more importantly it gave the club a possible glimpse into the future by taking a page out of the past.

"We've seen what we can do when we can move the ball," Kljestan said. "In the second half we moved the ball real well and kind of got back to the way Chivas plays. That was Chivas out there."

Now, the club will prepare for the Colorado Rapids. Whether or not Chivas USA can regain any of its injured players back for the match will be played out this week. Defenders Shavar Thomas and Claudio Suarez and forward Maykel Galindo appear the most capable to regain their health.

Still, regardless of who plays and who is not healthy enough to make the trip to Colorado, the groundwork for success has been laid out, though it was not exactly followed on Saturday.

"Our team to be successful, we need to play with leads. That's what we're good at," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said. "When we get a lead, we can start knocking the ball and opening the other team up, then we can get the second and the third goal and the whole bit. That part was good and it felt like our old team."


Hope still alive
Chivas hope to reverse early trend

Johnson's muscle gives Quakes lift

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- When an offense struggles to score goals, there is a tendency to think that brains rather than brawn are needed to achieve a breakthrough. Quicker passing, and better off the ball movement are among the magic elixirs suggested.

But as the San Jose Earthquakes found out in their emotionally charged 2-1 win against the Houston Dynamo on Thursday, sometimes brute force works just as well, and in this case, the play of forward Ryan Johnson was the hammer at the forefront of San Jose's revamped attack.

It was a match with plenty of raw emotion, given that up until 2005, the Houston club had called San Jose home. This was evident at the final whistle when former teammates Ryan Cochrane and Brian Ching engaged in a shoving match.

But while head coach Frank Yallop insisted that the victory was "no different than any other game we were trying to get three points out of," he did acknowledge the play of Johnson, who was making just his second career start.

"[Johnson] is raw and rough and a bit of a rough-and-tumbler," said Yallop. "But he gets it done. He's not afraid of getting in there. He was the difference tonight to be honest."

That's not to say that there weren't any elements of guile in Johnson's play. The Oregon State product made some intelligent layoffs to the midfield, and ran the channels well. But it was his physicality that unsettled the hulking partnership of Bobby Boswell and Eddie Robinson in the center of Houston's defense. The result was an attack that, after a hectic first 15 minutes, put the visitors on the defensive.

"I always try to make [the defense] uncomfortable," said Johnson. "I'm always making them look around and see who's coming...It was just constant movement from the forwards and we really tired out their backline out tonight."

The biggest beneficiary of Johnson's presence was forward Kei Kamara, who acknowledged his teammate's contribution by calling him "my MVP." In previous matches Kamara had borne most of the responsibility for holding the ball up and battling for high balls. With Johnson on the field, that responsibility was spread out more evenly, allowing Kamara to focus more on making runs into the box.

That approach nearly worked to perfection in the 33rd minute. A ball over the top released Johnson down the left wing, giving him ample time to pick out Kamara at the far post. But Kamara could only look on in agony as his diving header bounced off the woodwork.

It was the latest in a long line of near-misses this season for the Sierra Leone native, and this close call had Kamara wondering if another frustrating night wasn't in the offing.

"I was thinking 'Here goes another one again,'" said Kamara. "I was thinking maybe I should have hit it in with my foot. But we came into the half and coach [Yallop] said, 'Just keep your head up. It's going to come.'"

That advice proved prophetic, as Kamara was finally rewarded in the 67th minute, when after receiving Ned Grabavoy's flick-on, his low shot on the turn beat Pat Onstad in the Houston goal.

"That's a forward for you," said Kamara. "You might miss one, you might miss two. But you just have to keep going and you'll get one. That's what I did."

His teammates adopted the same approach, allowing them to get a second goal in the 81st minute. Ivan Guerrero's deft pass put Johnson through on goal, and when Onstad could only get a hand to his subsequent shot, Guerrero was on hand to hammer home the rebound.

The goal gave San Jose some valuable breathing space, especially when Houston's Brian Ching pulled a goal back in the 88th minute. But the Quakes, despite a few nervous moments, hung on for their first home win of the season, one that is bound to give them a much-needed dose of confidence.


Fulham Best Brum In Six-Pointer
Steady progress being made by Quakes
Defenses prevail at Buck Shaw opener

Citing direction, FCD remove coach

FRISCO, Texas -- Apparently, FC Dallas' disastrous 5-1 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday in front of the biggest crowd ever at Pizza Hut Park was the last straw for FCD president and general manager Michael Hitchcock and the team's ownership as they dismissed Steve Morrow as head coach on Tuesday morning.

Marco Ferruzzi, an FCD assistant coach since 2005, will fill the head coach role on an interim basis until a permanent replacement can be found.

"This is obviously a difficult decision for me since it was my choice to give Steve this opportunity," Hitchcock said. "We have great fans who I believe deserve more from our team for their support. We have set very high standards, expectations and goals for this team and organization. I feel that the team wasn't heading in the direction we had planned and believe it was in the best interest of the club to make a change in leadership at this time."

Morrow was hired in December 2006 after the club had relieved Colin Clarke of his duties. In 2007, Morrow led FCD to a 13-12-5 record and 44 points, putting them in third place in the MLS Western Conference. But the Hoops lost in the opening round of the playoffs for the third consecutive year and haven't advanced in the postseason since 1999.

However, FCD is struggling in 2008. They started off the year with disappointing draws to Chivas USA and at Houston, two games in which they held late leads. The Hoops then rebounded with back-to-back wins against New York and at Chivas USA but are currently mired in a four-match winless streak that has seen them score just twice in their last four matches. Morrow finished his tenure at FCD with a 15-15-8 record.

The latest setback, a 5-1 loss to the Galaxy on Sunday where the Hoops were outclassed by the visitors, was indeed the final act for Morrow and Hitchcock admitted that had FCD fared better against L.A., the change would not have been made.

"It certainly wasn't a decision that I made lightly," Hitchcock said. "If this wasn't a decision that was best for the team and organization going forward, I wouldn't make this decision. I felt the team was heading in the wrong direction and that we needed to make this decision at this time. Losing 5-1 to Los Angeles in front of our biggest crowd was a factor."

When asked what criteria he would use in finding Morrow's replacement, Hitchcock said it was an open process.

"At this time, we're just beginning the search and will consider anyone at this time," he said. "We need someone who will be a strong leader and will get this team back on track. We know that we have the potential to be a very good team in this league and we want someone to help this team reach its potential. We're going to analyze the candidates, weigh the pros and cons and use a similar system to what we've used in the past."

Hitchcock further added that at no point was he approached by any players asking for Morrow to be removed.

"No, I always have conversations with players but none of them came to me and requested that we make a change with our head coach," he said. "We all accept accountability for where we are as a team. That is shared with me, the coaching staff and all the players. We're going to fix this and get back on track to put ourselves in the best possible position to make a run at MLS Cup."

He also emphasized that the club's struggles at home during Morrow's tenure were another driving force in his departure.

"If you look on our home record over the last year and a half, we have had 30 matches and have won 10 of those," Hitchcock said. "I'm a firm believer that when we bring our fans out to the stadiums, this needs to be a home field advantage for the team and we need the team to respond and reward the fans for coming out. Our home record hasn't been great. We were heading in the wrong direction and that manifested itself with the 5-1 loss last Sunday."

After finishing the 2006 season with the best home record in MLS (12-3-1), FCD slid to 7-5-3 at home last year (tied for sixth-best in the league). But so far this season, the Hoops have struggled on their home field with a 1-2-1 record in Frisco, losing each of their last two matches there.


Schäfer excused from training
Hoops look to regroup after first loss
FC Dallas eager to move on

RSL youngsters with national team

SALT LAKE CITY -- While their Real Salt Lake teammates try to regroup after a stinging road loss to the Colorado Rapids, Tony Beltran and Chris Seitz will spend this week once again utilizing their soccer talents for their country.

Beltran and Seitz were among the 22 players named to the U.S. under-23 national team in advance of this week's Toulon International Tournament being staged in Toulon, France.

Being selected to a national team is not a new occurrence for either player.

Beltran joined the U-20 team as an alternate and graduated to starter going into last summer's FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. The ex-UCLA defender started all five contests for the U.S. team, helping it reach the tournament's quarterfinal round.

Seitz saw time in Olympic qualifying matches with RSL teammates Nate Sturgis and Robbie Findley earlier this year. He also teamed with Beltran in Canada last summer and has been part of the national team system for many years now.

"It's a great honor," Seitz said of his selection. "You're wearing the badge and you're representing your country. It's always going to be great honor."

Recent history indicates that Seitz should perform well in France. In his three appearances in the net during Olympic qualifying matches earlier this year, Seitz posted a 2-0-1 record while allowing a meager 0.33 goals per game.

Beltran has been no slouch either in his rookie season with RSL. He moved into the starting lineup after ankle problems sidelined Ian Joy and has acclimated himself quickly to the professional game.

His rapid rise into RSL's starting eleven parallels Beltran's earlier ascent with the U-20 team a year ago. Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis is pleased with how his young defender has developed so far and feels like he has earned all three of his early season starts.

"He's a kid that's in consideration for our starting 11 every week," Kreis said. "It's obviously difficult to let somebody like that go. But, at the same time, we realize what a fantastic opportunity it is for Tony, so we would never want to stand in the way of that."

Beltran said that playing such an important role for the team in the last few games has added a new dimension to his game.

"Confidence-wise, it's made a huge difference," Beltran said.

For either player, the only difficult part of earning a selection to the national team is the time spent away from RSL at a critical juncture in the MLS season.

In addition to the setback against the Rapids, the RSL side is dealing with a growing list of players dealing with various injuries and ailments. Taking two more out of the lineup only erodes the team's depth further before this weekend's rematch with FC Dallas.

But both Seitz and Beltran realize their stint with the U-23 team can only mean good things with the experience they will get for the remainder of the season.

"It's an opportunity that's really hard to turn down," Beltran said.

The RSL duo are scheduled to rejoin the team in time for its return to Rice-Eccles Stadium against the San Jose Earthquakes on May 31.


Good start for Bayern
FC Dallas eager to move on

Fire, Wisla Krakow battle to scoreless draw

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Tomasz Frankowski's triumphant show against his former team turned into a scoreless draw Wednesday night, as the Chicago Fire and Wisla Krakow played to a tame result, the Polish team playing a man down for the final 40 minutes.

The biggest events of the opening 45 minutes involving some heavy body blows. In the 29th minute, Chicago's Mike Banner tangled with Wisla's Piotr Brozek. Both players hit the grass pretty hard. Banner bounced up in a minute or two, while Brozek limped off the field with assistance.

Then in the 38th minute Peter Lowry crossed the ball into the box, where a running Calen Carr shot the ball toward goal. Wisla goalkeeper Mariusz Pawelek slid out and collided with Carr. Both players went down on the play. Carr was attended to off the field, but returned shortly after.

The visitors caused some anxious moments for the Fire defense in the 34th minute. Marek Zienczuk rocketed the ball at the net and Fire goalkeeper Nick Noble made a one-handed save, sending the ball back into play. Defender Wilman Conde cleared the ball before another Wisla player got to it. On the corner kick, Cleber de Lima attempted a header, but sent it wide right.

Referee Mark Kadlecik showed a flurry of cards starting in the 51st minute. After a rough tackle on Carr by de Lima, Kadlecik pulled out a yellow. A minute later, Kadlecik showed a yellow to Mauro Cantoro and a red to Junior Diaz for serious foul play. Wisla players chased after the referee. Soon, the referee regained control and play continued.

Despite going down a man, in the 59th minute, Wisla picked up the offensive pressure. Jean Paulista Rodrigues made a run and shot the ball just wide right of the post.

In the 61st minute, the Fire were awarded a freekick. Frankowski and Peter Lowry stood around the ball deciding who would take it. Once the refeee gave the OK, Lowry ran around the ball and Frankowski shot it into the box, but to no avail.

As the crowd chanted for C.J. Brown, the Fire original came off the bench and entered the match in the 64th minute, replacing Banner. Brian Plotkin also made his first appearance of the season, entering the match to start the second half for Logan Pause.

In the 66th minute, the game was briefly postponed as a fan made his way onto the field and was escorted off the field. Another fan was tackled a minute or so later.

Play resumed with the public address announcing no fans on the field in English and Polish for the remainder of the game. Wilman Conde and Brown found themselves booked with yellows in the 75th, 78th and 81st minutes respectfully.

Chicago finished the match with seven shots to Wisla's four. However, Wisla had two on goal, while the Fire had none.

The Fire are now 5-4-3 in international friendlies played in Chicago.


Serie A round-up
All-square in Frankfurt
Fire’s Frankowski excited for friendly

Chivas' Flores living the dream

CARSON, Calif. -- Dream turned into reality a year ago when Jorge Flores won the first-ever Sueno MLS competition, landed a professional contract and played in a Major League Soccer match for Chivas USA.

Now, his path has led him to places he'd never dreamed of visiting in such a whirlwind manner. Since the start of the year, Flores captained the U.S. under-20 national team, earned playing time with Chivas USA and scored his first-ever goal for the Red-and-White.

Through it all, Flores has kept his feet firmly on the ground.

"The work and effort you put into training sessions, an opportunity as well as the support from the coaching staff," Flores said when asked what he attributed his success to. "They're the ones who you need to prove yourself to."

Flores might soon have another opportunity to prove his worth. With Chivas USA still licking its wounds from a recent array of injuries, Flores could play a role in Saturday's match in Colorado.

It might be difficult for Flores to repeat Saturday's performance, though. With D.C. United ahead 1-0, Flores came on as a substitute in the 67th minute for Ante Razov. He immediately added a spark on the left side as he slipped a ball to Francisco Mendoza, who fired a shot on goal from the left side of the penalty area.

After Jesse Marsch scored the equalizer, Flores made a run into the box and drew a defender towards him. Atiba Harris fed Sacha Kljestan who had an open strike at goal as Flores dragged the defender away and Chivas USA took the lead.

In the 82nd minute, though, it was Flores' turn for glory. Harris again sent the ball into the penalty area and Flores ripped a shot on goal. D.C. goalkeeper Zach Wells got a piece of the ball but could not stop it from rolling across the end line as Flores scored his first professional goal. Chivas USA won the match 3-1.

Though the league and the U.S. under-20 national team staff has seen flashes of Flores' potential, the 18-year-old's drive is nothing new to Chivas USA coaches.

"You can tell the kid is brave, the kid wants it," Chivas USA coach Preki said. "Ever since he came to us last year, I've always said that the kid has a good mentality."

What captivated scouts during Flores' Sueno MLS tryout were his soccer skills. Once he reached the further stages of the tournament and after being named the inaugural Sueno MLS winner, Flores' frame of mind continued to impress the staff.

"One of the big things Jorge has is that he has a very good mentality," Chivas USA director of football Dennis te Kloese said. "He is very determined to achieve something."

Flores has done well to succeed with both Chivas USA and the under-20 national team. With the former, he's a diligent worker in training and soaks up as much as he can to try and improve his game.

On the international level, Flores seemingly has a bright future. Already he has been to Argentina, Mexico, Portugal and England as part of the U.S. youth national team setup. He's donned the captain's armband and scored several goals, including one during a recent trip to England.

Just where he could end up, though, is uncertain. "It's a little bit hard to project where his ultimate level will be because he's only been in a professional environment a little less than a year now," te Kloese said. "It's pretty impressive where he came from and where he is now but I think it's probably harder to stay where you are now then to get there."

Many young players strive to get the opportunities Flores has gotten and to reach the professional and international level. But getting there is not enough, te Kloese said.

"To stay on the level and to still improve on some things he needs to improve on, he has a pretty decent chance but it's tough," he said. "What has helped him a lot is his attitude and his mentality. I think our head coach appreciates that. Technically and tactically he's also improved a lot. He has an incredible drive and an incredible work ethic to get things done."

Flores is now a full-fledged professional player, unlike last year when he was still in high school and hoping that a scout would notice him. Starting the year off with the club has helped the transition.

"I feel more comfortable, more settled down," Flores said. "This year has started off better than last year."

As far as his teammates go, they see him as a peer now, albeit a young one.

"They still see as a kid, the squad's child, but I get along with everyone," Flores said.


Schalke stay on track
Cygan: I Would Like To Stay
Chivas explodes late, stuns United
Donovan continues to shine brighter

Chivas happy to have Talley

CARSON, Calif. -- Mired on a club that has struggled since its inception in 2005, Carey Talley felt his future with Real Salt Lake was suddenly uncertain and prepared for life outside of Utah.

"I kind of got a feeling in the locker room when I was in Salt Lake that maybe something was in the works," Talley said. "I kind of prepared myself for it in the days before it did happen."

His premonition became reality on May 9 when Chivas USA acquired Talley from Real Salt Lake in exchange for supplemental draft picks. The move was not necessarily made with the present in mind as Talley is battling a quadriceps strain, but more so for the grueling SuperLiga-laden summer and beyond.

Chivas USA coach Preki, who played alongside Talley with the Kansas City Wizards for two seasons, said his former teammate was a valuable addition to the Red-and-White.

"We feel Carey Talley is a good player," Preki said. "He's been in this league a long time. He's been on championship teams and knows how to win. In the last couple of years I've felt he's been the best player in Salt Lake."

Talley had been with RSL since 2006. He pieced together a pair of solid campaigns for the club. In 2006, he had two goals and eight assists in 2,618 minutes while last season he scored three goals in 2,195 minutes.

This season, Talley played 307 minutes over four games with RSL and scored a goal, off a corner kick against D.C. United. But his days with the fourth-year club were numbered.

Despite the unsettling nature of a trade, though, Talley said his family dealt with it well.

"I told my wife that I had a feeling," Talley said. "We handled it a lot better than if it was just sprung on us out of the blue so we kind of felt it coming."

Chivas USA is Talley's fifth team. After playing four seasons with D.C. United, Talley moved to Kansas City and Dallas before joining RSL. With Chivas USA, Talley said he could offer exactly what he gave his previous employers.

"I definitely believe that I read the game well and am a technical player. That's what has kept me in the league this whole time, my technical ability and ability to tackle and read the game," Talley said. "I'm going to bring that and the bite that I've had my whole career. I'll definitely bring that aspect of my game here and I think it will fit in well because they get after it in training each day."

Despite Chivas USA's depleted roster -- Talley was one of nine players unavailable for Saturday's match against D.C. United -- the veteran midfielder said he wanted to recover from his quadriceps strain before suiting up for the Red-and-White.

"It's going to take some healing. I have had this quad strain for (two) weeks," Talley said. "I've been a good healer in the past. I do want to make sure that I'm fit when I come back and make my debut for Chivas because I don't want to let anyone down if I'm hobbling out there."

Talley might make his Chivas USA debut this month, whether it is Saturday in Colorado or on May 31 against Columbus at The Home Depot Center. Though the club has just two wins this season, Talley said he has seen the caliber of players and coaches in his brief time with Chivas USA.

And that has made the move to the West Coast even smoother.

"I'm happy to come to this team. There are some things going on with this club. Preki definitely has a great system he's put into this team and got them to a level where he wanted them last year and he's tried to continue that," he said. "I wanted to come, I want to fit in and I want to play and be a big contributor to this team. That basically is up to me, in practice every day."


Milan To Bid For Unsettled Ramos
Good start for Bayern
Galaxy looking for scoring balance

Competition intense in friendly

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill.-- The Chicago Fire's friendly on Wednesday might have looked like a quiet scoreless draw vs. Polish side Wisla Krakow. But within the squad, a number of otherwise reserves got some quality playing time. And Fire original C.J. Brown made his first appearance of the season.

"They don't call these games friendlies anymore -- I thought both teams went out there to compete and try to win," Fire head coach Denis Hamlett said. "Usually in a friendly game you don't see seven yellow cards thrown out, that just shows you both teams went out to try to win the game.

"It was a good game for some of our young guys to be thrown in a real game that was very competitive, so I was happy with their performance."

Andy Herron and Wilman Conde played a full 90 minutes. Herron was all over the field, while Conde had a number of strong defensive plays.

"I count this game as my first game back with the Fire," Herron said. "It's a friendly, but we tried to push tonight. I feel overall I did pretty well. I didn't get a clear chance to finish, but I feel happy with the way I performed today."

Conde made a few key plays, including slowing down Wisla's attack with a key tackle in the 34th minute.

"I am thankful that I had the chance to show the coaching staff and the fans how I am and what I can bring to the team as I await the chance to play on this team," Conde said. "I would've liked for the Fire to win the game but I was pleased to be part of a good game. It was exciting and even fun to see the fans running on the field."

In the second half, Brown started warming up and Section 8 began chanting "C.J. Brown." And in the 64th minute, Brown entered the game.

"It's such a great feeling to hear the fans," Brown said. "I work so hard for this club. When I was warming up and the fans started cheering, it was great. They appreciate what I do. It's really nice to have them in my corner.

"It was a fun game, but exhausting to get back out there. I'm not used to that pace anymore."

Fire midfielder Brian Plotkin also entered the match in the second half, making his first appearance of this season.

"It's been a long time, since I played," Plotkin said. "It was fun to get back out there. It was a physical game -- more physical than most games. But it was a chance for a lot of guys to prove themselves."

Hamlett said he was pleased overall with the play of his club. Now the team will regroup and get ready for Sunday's match at New York.

"I think it's important that these guys are training, hard throughout the season, and now they have a game in front of a good crowd and good opponent," Hamlett said. "It's a good exercise to see how they measure up. All in all it was just good."


Rio Praises Colleague Brown
Hamlett faces welcome dilemma
Fire expect Revs to target revenge

Davis: Second step tougher

Individuals and teams continually confront a hard reality when it comes to getting past sticking points: maneuvering past the first step isn't easy, of course, but it's a piece of candy compared to what comes next.

Achieving the next level is even more troublesome and demanding.

Look at Robbie Rogers at Columbus. Look at how hard he's obviously worked to establish himself as a presence in MLS. Mission accomplished! Well done, young man!

Now, if you can kindly push the tempo even more, pour even greater effort and heart into future outings. Never mind the extra attention and kicks to the shin that you'll now receive from opposing defenders. And please ignore the significant undertow of heightened expectations. Sound OK? Thanks.

Rogers' five goals in eight matches have provided a huge boosts as Columbus, without a playoff appearance since 2004, is suddenly all that in MLS. But it's going to get tougher on the U.S. winger, who only last week reached his 21st birthday.

Last Saturday in Toronto, the fastest man of the BMO bunch, Marvel Wynne, made sure that Rogers had a quiet afternoon. With Toronto's right back concentrating on keeping Rogers in check, the teams played to a 0-0 draw.

The good news for Rogers: opposing defenses also have to worry about Crew teammates Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno. The bad news for Rogers: he'll soon be the target of ever more transfer speculation, which will test his ability to block out blaring distraction.

Ask Jozy Altidore about how tough that can be sometimes.

Some other sticking points and "next steps" around MLS:

• Real Salt Lake and Colorado have proven they can hold their own at home. But they'll have to reach deeper and be more confident on the road.

Jason Kreis' team has taken the first step to greater competitiveness by guarding the home grounds; RSL is unbeaten at Rice-Eccles this year with two wins and two draws and a plus-5 goal difference. Away from Utah, the side has lost all four and faces an ugly minus-8 goal difference.

Colorado has made its Commerce City home a little bit of a fortress early in 2008, allowing just two goals in posting a 3-1-0 mark. Fernando Clavijo's men haven't been as good away from Dick's Sporting Goods Park -- although there is evidence that they aren't far away from righting matters. The Rapids have been quite competitive in one-goal losses at Kansas City, Chicago and Houston.

• The LA Galaxy certainly aren't hurting for offense, with 19 goals in eight matches. At that pace (2.375 per outing) Ruud Gullit's men will land at about 71 goals -- which would mark the best MLS output since 1998.

On the other hand, the Galaxy must zip up that defense a little tighter. In Sunday's ambush in Frisco, a 5-1 Galaxy victory, FC Dallas missed numerous chances to get back in the match, threatening to make it another old-fashioned Texas shootout (like the 6-5 doozy in last year's SuperLiga).

But Gullit is advising fans and media to stop picking solely on his defenders. He agrees that the Galaxy has ample room for improvement, but says defensive betterment is needed front to back.

"I tell you, it's not all defense," he insisted with a smile, but in a tone that suggested he was losing in the battle to convince people. "It all starts before that. If teams have easy access, like the last goal against New York, where they have access all up the middle and can just run, what do you want from the defense?"

In that one, New York's Dane Richards was allowed to run about 50 yards with the ball before releasing it to Juan Pablo Angel, who rounded L.A. goalkeeper Steve Cronin and scored in the empty net.

"Then, the defenders have to make choices, and sometimes they make mistakes, but it's not their mistakes," Gullit said.

• Clearly, the next step in San Jose, where Frank Yallop's defense is increasingly leaky but still the side's better half, is scoring more goals. The Earthquakes are on pace to reach historic lows in offensive output.

Yallop's men are on pace to score about 17 this year, which would easily be the all-time low. Toronto FC currently holds the dubious mark, netting just 25 in its expansion campaign.

It won't be easy for Buck Shaw brigade. Ronnie O'Brien is arguably the top offensive talent. But he's a lifelong set-up man, always better at arranging goals for others than at scoring himself -- which is a little odd considering his ability to strike powerfully from distance. He has 13 MLS goals to go with 40 assists.

Also working against San Jose is this: Ramiro Corrales is toiling admirably as a central midfielder. But he's really a defender disguised as a linkman, and he doesn't provide much offensive punch going forward. Ned Grabavoy is the Earthquakes' attacking midfielder. But he's never quite figured out how to translate some of that smooth skill into match production; the U.S. midfielder has five goals and 12 assists in 77 career MLS contests.

• In the nation's capital Tom Soehn and Co. are searching desperately for answers, still trying to take the first next step, which is as obvious as a boot to the face: the 2007 Supporters' Shield winners need to get off the mat and start playing better. How far behind have they already drifted in the playoff chase?

In MLS, the magic number for points is right around 40. Climbing to the 40-point plateau gives a side a chance, at least, of stamping their postseason pass. United currently have six points from eight matches.

That means the Beetles (ya know ... they are sponsored by VW now) need about 34 points from the remaining 22 matches. Translation into Win-Loss-Tie language, that's something like 9-6-7 or 10-8-4. So, the men from D.C. are hardly out of it ... but they had better push the pedal and get that little VW Beetle moving fast.

TACTICAL CORNER:

Ruud Gullit is no slave to any one system. That's obvious.

He started his days in L.A. by aligning the Galaxy in the Dutch version of a 4-3-3. When that didn't fit, he adopted a more standard 4-4-2.

But he cooked up something a little special for the Galaxy's latest visit to Texas, where the tactics proved spot-on in Los Angeles' big win 5-1 Sunday against FC Dallas. (Road teams have won by four goal margins or more only 25 times in league history.)

The Galaxy used a hybrid formation, crossing the 4-3-3 with the 4-4-2 and coming out with something that obviously rocked Dallas.

Gullit was eager to get healthy-again Alvaro Pires back in the lineup, since Pires "holds" at holding midfielder better than L.A.'s other choices. So Gullit put Pires there, and then aligned Joe Franchino and Brandon McDonald in central roles in front of him.

David Beckham played on the right, as a midfielder/forward with latitude to go, well, pretty much anywhere. Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle were up front.

What does that leave? Uh, oh, yes ... the left!

Who was on the left?

That's just it. The Galaxy essentially played without a left-sided guy. Franchino was tasked with drifting left should the need arise. But Dallas had Andre Rocha as the right-sided presence in the Hoops' 3-4-3, and the young Brazilian is really out of place as an outside guy. So, he drifts inside frequently and rarely tries to exploit the wide areas and crossing channels.

Gullit recognized this and was thus able to get an extra man into the middle, essentially playing three central midfielders against Dallas' two.

On the right, Beckham's drifting and floating gave Dallas trouble immediately. FCD manager Steve Morrow had assigned young Anthony Wallace to essentially man-mark Beckham. When the England international went inside or remained in a more defensive position, it exposed a big gap on Dallas' left flank and forced FCD defenders to adjust quickly.

Yes. Beckham became a multi-million dollar decoy. And happily so, according to the man himself and his boss. The Galaxy scored five goals, and not one came officially from Beckham or Landon Donovan. (Although an own goal came off Donovan's cross/shot.)

"It was a tactical move that we had to do," Gullit said afterward. "And tactically, they [Dallas] played exactly the game that I expected from them. Sometimes, you are not in the headlines, but it is necessary to do these things to win. And also, they [Donovan and Beckham] are happy, because if you win like that, they are happy to do it. It's OK for somebody else to profit. That is good."


Hargreaves: Destiny In Our Hands
Buddle adds dimension to Galaxy
Galaxy looking for scoring balance

Fire's Frankowski excited for friendly

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- For Chicago Fire fans -- and Polish soccer fans -- Wednesday night's friendly matching the Fire against Wisla Krakow will be a special game. It's a chance for Fire forward Tomasz Frankowski to play against one of his former teams. And a time for Polish fans to dust off their scarves and head to Toyota Park.

"It's going to be very special for me," Frankowski said. "There are may be six or seven players on the team that played when I was there. So I'll get the chance to see them. I made good friends with them while playing for Wisla."

Frankowski played with Wisla from 1998-2005. During that span he played in 177 games and helped the club to five Polish championships (1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005) and two Polish Cups (2002, 2003). During his stint with Wisla, Frankowski earned top scoring honors in the Polish premier league (Orange Ekstraklasa) three times (1999, 2001, 2005). Frankowski left Wisla to explore international options.

After leaving Wisla, Frankowski played for Elche CF (Spain), Wolverhampton Wanderers (England) and CD Tenerife (Spain). He then signed with the Fire Feb. 21, 2008. The 33-year-old Frankowski started his Fire career off with a bang, scoring two early goals and adding an assist. Since then he's seen limited action while battling injuries. In the team's first eight games, Frankowski has played in six matches for 352 minutes.

Frankowski said he's been battling back to be healthy. And while he takes each day as it comes, he knows Wednesday's match will be a special one.

"This is going to be a party for the Polish community," Frankowski said. "There are many people that are talking about the game. We hope to see maybe 17,000 people come out to enjoy the party and they'll also get to see how good of a team the Fire is."

The Fire are 5-4-2 all-time in international exhibition matches in Chicago. Wisla last made a stop in the Windy City last summer, defeating FC Sevilla 1-0 in the inaugural Chicago Trophy tournament held at Soldier Field July 27-29.

Originally billed as a Polish two-pack, the Fire's second friendly against Polish opposition, vs. Jagiellonia Bialystok on May 31, has been cancelled. After finishing their league season in a playoff position, Jagiellonia has its playoff games scheduled for May 28 and 31. The Fire said Jagionella offered to bring their reserve squad, but they didn't feel that was a viable option for Fire fans.

Chicago ticket holders do have options however. They can trade in the tickets for Wednesday's match, or another Fire game this season. Fans may also trade them in for a refund.


Toni: “It’s a magical season for me!”
Champs headed East
Thorrington shines as Fire rebound
Fire confident, but know season is long

Chivas explodes late, stuns United

CARSON, Calif. -- After a sluggish opening 70 minutes, Chivas USA's offense sparked to life as the Red-and-White scored three goals in the final 17 minutes to beat D.C. United 3-1 at The Home Depot Center on Saturday.

Jesse Marsch, Sacha Kljestan and Jorge Flores scored for Chivas, who came from behind to win a match for the first time in the club's four-year history. Chivas USA had come from behind to tie 15 times in their existence but had never come all the way back to win before Saturday.

The offense broke a bit of a dry spell for Chivas, as the club had scored just once in the previous two games. The three goals matched a season high but the result was more favorable this time around, as Chivas USA fell 4-3 at Columbus on April 12.

In what is now a common occurrence, though, Chivas USA was forced to make do without more players. Chivas USA had the following injured players unavailable: Maykel Galindo (groin), Alecko Eskandarian (groin), Jonathan Bornstein (knee), Lawson Vaughn (facial injury), Rapael Wicky (back), Claudio Suarez (hamstring), Shavar Thomas (hamstring), Carey Talley (quadriceps) and Alex Zotinca (knee). All but Zotinca have played for Chivas USA this season.

Midfielder Jesse Marsch dropped into the middle of a three-man backline to cover for the missing defenders -- the first time he had played as a center back, he said, since he was 13 years old.

Just seconds into the game, there was almost another injury-forced change. Starting left midfielder Justin Braun sent a through ball to the top of the penalty area. Ante Razov charged in and D.C. 'keeper Zach Wells sprang outside the area to try and stop Razov. The two collided and both lay on the ground well after the ball sailed over the end line.

Trainers from respective sides tended to the players as each eventually moved around with no apparent immediate negative effects.

In the seventh minute, United midfielder Santino Quaranta raced down the right side of the field and slipped a ball inside the penalty area. Bobby Burling though was in good position and cleared the ball out of danger.

It took a half hour for D.C. to strike first. Gallardo opened the scoring when he shook Marsch off and curled a 20-yard shot with his left foot high into the back of the net. It was Gallardo's third goal of the season.

For Chivas USA, the goal marked the sixth time in eight games this season that the opponent had opened the scoring first. Gallardo's goal was the latest, though, as the previous five teams found the back of the net within the opening 26 minutes.

Six minutes later Chivas USA appeared to equalize but Razov's headed goal was disallowed for offside.

To start the second half, Marsch moved back into the midfield as Chivas USA tried to begin to maintain possession. Burling and Jim Curtin manned central defense.

Chivas USA coach Preki went to the bench for the first time in the 58th minute. Eric Ebert, who started against New England a week ago, replaced Daniel Paladini as Chivas began go with a more familiar 4-4-2.

Atiba Harris, who started for the first time since April 12, had a few chances to control the ball in a dangerous area but could not find the handle on either attempt. Harris played more forward in the second half than he did in the first, when he played wide on the right of the Chivas 3-4-3 scheme. In the second half, he attracted some attention from United's backline and drew some fouls but could not easily find control the ball when it mattered until late in the match.

Chivas USA's Flores replaced Razov in the 67th minute. Flores immediately showed his worth. He slipped a pass to Mendoza on the left side and Mendoza ripped a shot on goal and forced Wells to dive and push the ball over the end line. Chivas USA won a corner kick, and then another after a D.C. defender cleared the ball over the crossbar, but the second corner went nowhere. Marsch finally gave the home crowd something to cheer about in the 73rd minute. Harris tried but failed to reach a loose ball inside the penalty area. Wells, though, dived and failed to collect the ball. Marsch ran onto the ball and softly slipped it into the back of the goal.

Kljestan continued the late offensive surge. Harris tracked down a bouncing ball on the right flank and slipped a well-placed ball to the center of the box. Kljestan ran onto the ball and tucked it into the back of the net before heading toward a pocket of United supporters and karate-kicking his way toward a celebration.

Flores, the original Sueno MLS winner who had a goal and an assist in a recent swing through England with the U.S. under-20 national team, scored his first career MLS goal in the 82nd minute when he ripped a shot from the left side of the penalty area, set up by a cross-field pass by Harris after he was sprung free with a long ball over the top from Kljestan.


Serie A round-up
Deja vu in loss to Revolution
Chivas come out flat, learn lesson

FC Dallas eager to move on

FRISCO, Texas -- Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy -- a game that was 4-0 before it was 40 minutes old -- had very few positives for FC Dallas.

Dominic Oduro netted his first goal of the year in the second half off a great cross from Kenny Cooper, who got his first assist of the year, but other than that, there were few positives to take from the debacle in front of a record crowd at Pizza Hut Park.

And with Real Salt Lake, the same team that handed them a 2-1 defeat nearly two weeks ago at Rice-Eccles Stadium, coming to Frisco for a visit on Saturday, the Hoops look to win for the first time in May, a month in which they have taken one point earned out of a possible nine.

Sunday's loss stung not only because of how much the Galaxy dominated play on the Hoops' home field, but also how FCD felt the effects of it in the standings. They started the week in second place in the Western Conference with nine points but now find themselves in fourth, just one point ahead of both RSL and Chivas USA.

FCD head coach Steve Morrow didn't have much to say about the loss on Sunday but did take personal responsibility for the blowout.

"Yes, (the team has put in behind them) because you have to," Morrow said on Monday. "It's a new day and you have to always learn from mistakes to move on in a positive way. We certainly had a long, clear-the-air meeting this morning and will have more of that tomorrow to make sure we get it all out of our system."

Morrow reiterated how much he believes in his team and that despite their recent struggles, the character remains strong.

"There are always going to be hiccups along the way and things that are sent to test you and this is a test for us right now," he said. "We're very confident of the character, talent and personality that we've got within the team. We know that we'll come out stronger as a group. The things that we do will stay within the group. It's a strong mentality within the group and these things will certain bring us closer as a group. We'll come out fighting for sure."

The Hoops will certainly be without one starter for the match with RSL. Starting left back Adrian Serioux was sent off for the first time in his MLS career after a hard tackle on the Galaxy's David Beckham right in front of the Hoops bench in the second half. Either Aaron Pitchkolan or Anthony Wallace are the likely replacements.

Pitchkolan, who has appeared in five games this year for FCD, including one start, last played on May 10 at RSL, when he came on for Serioux in the 71st minute after he was injured. Wallace made his second start in three games on Sunday, this time at left midfield after starting two weeks earlier at center back in Serioux's place.

"We'll look at that as the week goes on," Morrow said when asked about the possible replacements for Serioux. "Those are certainly two options that we've got. We haven't looked at it too much yet. We'll look at it in training this week and make a decision."

Morrow plugged Wallace into the left midfield spot for Juan Toja, a 2007 MLS all-star who has yet to find his form in 2008 and has continued to struggle. Toja was moved to a more central role on Sunday, the same place where he scored most of the six goals he had a year ago when he was one of the league's breakout performers. For the most part, he performed better than he did a week prior on the left side but still wasn't involved enough in the attack to be much of a factor against the Galaxy.

"He certainly got more involved in the game," Morrow said. "There is a gradual process of Juan getting back to his form and that will come as the season goes on. It's a long season and we all need to be peaking at the right time. I'm sure as the games go on, he'll continue to get better."

Should the Hoops not break through with their first win of the month on Saturday, the road doesn't get much easier as two-time defending MLS Cup champion Houston, who has found their groove of late after struggling earlier in the year, comes to Frisco for a midweek affair the following Wednesday.

FCD wants to avoid going winless in the month of May, something that has happened only twice before in club history, most recently in 2004. That was when the Hoops were 0-4-1 in May, a record that happened for the first time four years earlier.


Fresh Doubts About Liverpool Stadium Project
Hoops finish the job this time

Cordeiro shines in D.C. United debut

WASHINGTON -- D.C. United let another match slip away under dispiriting circumstances in California over the weekend, but fans and observers looking for bright spots from the 3-1 loss to Chivas USA can point to Ryan Cordeiro's professional debut.

The rookie produced a capable display in 90 minutes on the left wing in his first-ever MLS appearance, an encouraging sign for a club which has largely banked on veteran savvy this season.

"I just wish we would've gotten a better result," said Cordeiro. "It felt good out there, though."

The first-team action marked another step in his steady forward progression this year. Cordeiro's labor on the practice field was rewarded with inclusion on the 18-man game day roster for United's previous three matches before getting the starting nod against Chivas.

"You don't always get the verbal feedback that you might have a good practice or a good week of practice," said Cordeiro. "Nothing might get said, but then once you get to the 18, that's like coach telling you you're doing good, and then once you make it into the starting 11, there's another pat on the back. It's good to see that your hard work is being noticed and then it's up to me to go out and prove that the hard work wasn't for nothing."

An adventurous attacker by nature, Cordeiro was given a defensive brief by D.C. head coach Tom Soehn, prompting a cautious approach at The Home Depot Center. But the match offered a solid foundation for the left-footer from the Hudson River valley community of Highland Mills, N.Y.

"For his first start, we talked a little bit about defensive positioning and he took it to heart," said Soehn. "I think for his first performance, it was pretty good. You'd like to see him get involved in the attack a little bit more, but that was probably us force-feeding him how to play defensively."

Cordeiro kept Chivas USA dangerman Sacha Kljestan in check for most of the match, but he and his teammates allowed United's hard-earned lead to crumble in the final half hour as the home side poured on the pressure and took advantage of their struggling opponents' nerves with three late goals.

"I learned that you've got to play 100 percent the whole game," said United's third-round 2008 SuperDraft pick. "If you take plays off, goals happen. Mistakes are magnified out there -- it's a lot different than reserve games and practice. Guys are out there fighting for their jobs so everybody's playing really hard, and you've got to match them and step it up a notch."

Fred's hamstring injury, combined with United's return to a 4-4-2 formation, helped hand Cordeiro his opportunity but Soehn was quick to hail Cordeiro's work on the training ground and in reserve team action.

"At the end of the game, after they scored it went into disarray and Kljestan got in behind him a couple times, but it wasn't just him, it was the whole team that collapsed. But for his first performance it wasn't bad," noted the D.C. boss. "He's just been working hard in training. We reward guys who train well and he's been doing a good job of competing."

Cordeiro got plenty of veteran support as he worked through his pregame jitters.

"It's just normal that you're going to be nervous your first game," said Santino Quaranta, who manned the opposite wing on Saturday. "I just told him, you've got to try to enjoy it as much as you can, because you don't get that back to play it over again, the [first] game. So you've got to embrace it as much as you can. I thought he did OK for his first time on the big stage."

Circumstances may force Cordeiro to wait for his next turn in the first XI. After United's Monday training session, Soehn confirmed that Fred will make the trip to Canada for Wednesday night's showdown with Toronto FC and if the Brazilian's hamstring is ready, he'll certainly step right back into the left wing spot. Cordeiro is serene about the situation.

"No, I think I should get the starting spot," he deadpanned on Monday. "Nah, I'm just kidding. I know that's a possibility. I'm sure Fred will jump back into the starting spot and I've got to be there ready to back him up, if need be. I'm fine with that. It's my job."


Hargreaves: Destiny In Our Hands
Juve step up Amauri interest
Thorrington shines as Fire rebound
D.C. United unable to find spark against Rapids

Rain, wind, Fire can't slow Dynamo

HOUSTON -- What a difference a week makes. And that's not even considering about how well the Houston Dynamo played last Saturday in what was yet another "most important game of the year."

One week after beating the Colorado Rapids 2-1 on a beautiful night in Houston, the Dynamo flew north to Chicago and did the same thing to the Chicago Fire.

Only this time, instead of playing in a nice breeze following a gorgeous afternoon, the Dynamo won a match in a cold and driving rain.

"That's soccer in America for you," said Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear. "Sometimes you play on turf or you have to deal with altitude. You have to play in all kinds of weather, especially early in the season. But to be honest, I thought the surface tonight was perfect."

Perfect? That is quite the compliment for the Toyota Park grounds crew, who did a marvelous job getting the field ready for battle on a night filled with rain showers, wind and cool air.

To the casual observer, Chicago was no place to be for a professional sporting event. But Kinnear said conditions were just right for his team and its style of play.

"I like the rain because it makes the ball move quicker," Kinnear added. "The guys passed the ball quicker in those conditions. We were trying to get the ball in behind (defender Gonzalo) Segares and it was skipping a little bit."

Skipping might have been an understatement at times, but the Dynamo scored the first goal of the game when Dwayne De Rosario deflected a shot by Ricardo Clark into the net in the 17th minute.

The rain intensified in the second half, and the Fire tied the game.

But Bobby Boswell and his tall frame was in the right place at the right time in the closing minutes. A perfect deadball cross by Richard Mulrooney was headed into the net in the 82nd minute and Houston's second win of the year was all but complete.

"I wasn't planning that at all, just a spur of the moment kind of thing," Boswell said after practice Tuesday. "It was just a really big goal and the field was wet so I did it."

Maybe the rain helped the Dynamo get the bounce they needed against a Fire team that, coming into the game, had outscored the opposition 13-3. Either way, Clark said, the team's confidence is building ahead of the team's first match in San Jose since the club left that northern California city before the 2006 season.

"The past couple of games, we've been playing really well," said Clark. "A couple of games this year, we've played well and haven't gotten the result. I think our good play is starting to pay off. The bounces are starting to go our way -- literally.

"We never get too high or too low," Clark continued. "I feel that if we're playing well, that's the most important thing. The results are going to come eventually and the goals are going to come eventually. Our confidence is good right now. Hopefully that'll carry us through the next couple of games."


GOYDOS FALLS SHORT AT SAWGRASS
Dynamo pressure results in victory
Fire fall into lull in defeat to Dynamo

Yallop encouraged despite struggles

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- It's tough to find a silver lining after your team loses its fourth game in five contests, but San Jose Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop pointed to his side's second half effort in its 2-0 loss to New England on Saturday night.

"At least we didn't roll over and die at the end," Yallop said. "That was important. I said to everyone at halftime that it's about character. We're not going to win every game. We don't have a full squad. Nick Garcia being out was a challenge for us."

If the game was a challenge without Garcia and against the defending Eastern Conference champions, that challenge grew inside the first six minutes after the Quakes shoddily defended a quick free kick and Kheli Dube tapped home at the far post.

"We didn't do ourselves any favors by coming out so flat," Quakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon said. "One of the problems with this team is that we're a little bit too reactionary with our actions. We wait for something to happen before we do something about it."

But there were no positive actions to come for the remainder of that first half as the Quakes looked disjointed and failed to grab hold of possession in the middle of the park as New England moved the ball around with impunity.

Things turned from bad to worse after Cannon and James Riley crossed signals and Riley nodded into his own net after 23 minutes.

"I don't really know [it happened]," Cannon said. "He finished it pretty well. Give him credit. I was off my line a little bit and he put a lot of power on it. Unfortunately, he put it into our net. At that point, it was kind of the exclamation point of the half."

As the team trudged into the break, Yallop said he tried to lift the team's spirits with a pair of second-half substitutions.

"(Ryan) Johnson and (Shea) Salinas did a good job," Yallop said. "There were some bright spots from our subs, but New England was cruising at that point. They weren't too worried that we were going to get back in the game at that point."

A Ramiro Corrales blast off the crossbar in the dying minutes was the closest San Jose came to a goal or a shot on frame, but the performance improved markedly from the first half.

Yallop said his team will need to further improve in order to get points at home against Houston next week.

"That's probably the worst we've played since the LA game," Yallop said. "We're disappointed. We need to pull up our socks and be ready to go."


Zlatan eyes English challenge
Quakes hope experience pays off

Despite easy win, Nicol not pleased

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- On a night where his team couldn't have looked more comfortable if each starter had a recliner to rest on during the game, New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol wasn't pleased after his team's 2-0 victory against the San Jose Earthquakes.

"I thought in the second half, as good as we were the first half, I thought we were as bad the second half," Nicol said.

Of course, his team had done just about everything that it needed to do in the first half. Kheli Dube scored his first MLS goal in his first MLS start and former Revolution defender James Riley headed past Cannon to give the Revs a 2-0 lead at halftime.

"Shalrie didn't get a good touch on the ball, so it just happened that it just came to me," Dube said of his inaugural marker. "I had to make sure to finish it."

The Revs were dominant in the first half, spraying balls around the field and pinning San Jose back inside its own half. But the team wanted a third goal to try to seal the contest.

"We were talking about it at halftime," Parkhurst said. "That third goal is extremely important; if they got it, we would have gone down 2-1, and it's a whole new game. We were really trying to get that third goal in. We weren't sitting back and we wanted to score some goals for our fans and continue to play well."

Nicol didn't think his side came out as well in the second half as San Jose tried to push forward in search of a goal to get back into the game. Yet the Revolution defense didn't yield any shots on goal, even though Ramiro Corrales rang the crossbar just before the match headed into stoppage time.

Parkhurst said the midfield did a good job of closing down the Quakes midfielders, breaking down attacks before they reached the Revolution penalty area.

"The guys in front of us did a good job of protecting us and cutting down passes and really dominating the midfield and making our life a lot easier in the back," Parkhurst said.

Even though the team didn't get the goal it wanted in the second half, Dube said the team can take some momentum from the easy win.

"The good thing was that everybody kept on working hard," Dube said. "Even if things weren't coming our way, we kept on working hard and didn't concede a goal which is good for the team. It's just going to help us go into the next game with our heads high."


Jiménez Pleased With Victory
Jose wants big club or nothing
New formation comes easy to Revs
Dreary night for Revolution

Buddle adds dimension to Galaxy

FRISCO, Texas -- After a tough 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls at The Home Depot Center last Saturday, the Los Angeles Galaxy went back to work. Sunday afternoon, all that work paid off as LA had four-goal edge by the 39-minute mark and strolled to a 5-1 victory against FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park.

Edson Buddle led the visitors with a hat trick while L.A.'s other goals came from Chris Klein and an own goal from FCD defender Duilio Davino, who deflected a Landon Donovan cross past goalkeeper Dario Sala.

"I think that the team played excellent," Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit said. "The gameplan worked. The key for us was David (Beckham) going outside and we also got Alvaro (Pires) back, which was important. Putting them in the right positions made it very difficult for them to play their game. We could play our game and I think the first half was excellent. It boosted our confidence."

With Alan Gordon out with a hamstring injury, Buddle got the chance to return to the lineup and it was an opportunity that he took advantage of. Coming into the game, while the Galaxy led the league with 14 goals scored, just three players had contributed to that total: Donovan (eight), Beckham and Alan Gordon (three each)

"Edson did really well for us today and it was great for us," Gullit said. "Many people think that only David and Landon can score for us. But last week, it was Gordon and today it was Edson. That means that we have various players now who can score goals and that's good."

Gullit rolled out a modified formation that looked more like a 4-5-1, a free-flowing setup that gave Beckham and Donovan a great deal of freedom. The tactical switch gave the Hoops a great deal of trouble all day.

"He (Beckham) had a lot of freedom and played more on top," Gullit said. "I think that worked very well because they didn't know what to do with him. He did a lot of sneaking in behind the fullbacks. That creates problems for the opposition, so we tried to do things that would make his game better than before. We worked hard on that in training and I think today was a good exhibition of that."

In the 75th minute, Beckham was tackled hard by FCD defender Adrian Serioux, who was summarily sent off by referee Baldomero Toledo. After the infraction, Beckham rose to his feet and gave Serioux a shove.

"No, (it wasn't an overreaction on my part) because it was a terrible tackle," Beckham said. "I could've broken my leg. I think that was a bad tackle personally. He told me, 'Welcome baby, welcome.' These tackles happen in soccer and we don't want them in soccer but this is a man's game. You have to get up, play on and get on with the game. We did after that."

After starting his first two games of the season, Buddle started for a third consecutive week in the 2-2 draw against Real Salt Lake. But a hamstring injury forced him off the field after just 12 minutes, which kept him out of last weekend's loss to New York. He returned to the team with a vengeance.

"Today, we were able to find each other early and move the ball well," he said. "We played a little bit differently today as far as our formation. We used that very well today and want to continue that on the road, which is tough. They just wanted me to stay busy, active and in motion. If I did that, they told me that the ball would always seem to find me."

Gullit was also pleased with how well his team defended as a whole. Coming into the week's matches, the Galaxy had allowed 15 goals, tied with Chivas USA for the most in the league through seven weeks.

"You start defending up front," he said. "If you make mistakes up front and don't track back, then you will give up goals. I think it was a better overall performance from the team to defend and was a compliment to the team. They worked very hard but it all starts up front. We forced them to make mistakes and when we had the ball, we had the composure."

With the win, the Galaxy now move into second place in the Western Conference with 11 points, just one behind first-place Colorado. The loss dropped FC Dallas from second to fourth place in the table with nine points, one behind the Houston Dynamo.

"I think it was an important game for us, especially after we lost the last one at home," Beckham said. "We came into this game refreshed and ready for it. We organized all week and prepared all week for this game because we knew how good they were and how they played.

"I think we started off well. In the first half especially, we played some good football and kept the ball well. The two saves from Steve Cronin just before we scored our goal were very important because we've had games where we've played well but haven't been able to get a goal. So, it was important that we kept a clean sheet and then we broke away for the goal. Overall, it was a good game for us."


Bundesliga: top for goals
Top game
Galaxy looking for scoring balance

Fire fall into lull in defeat to Dynamo

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Effort, more than anything, was credited for the Chicago Fire's 5-1-1 start this season. Likewise, the team's lack of effort proved to be the difference in their 2-1 loss to Houston Saturday night.

Playing from a defensive stance almost the entire second half, the Fire finally gave up the goal that broke the 1-1 halftime tie on a header by Bobby Boswell off a free kick by Richard Mulrooney in the 82nd minute.

The Fire had given up only three goals going into Saturday's contest and had not been scored on twice in any contest. But a goal in the 17th minute by Houston's Dwayne De Rosario put the Dynamo on top and put the Fire on their heels, and even Calen Carr's 28th-minute goal couldn't push the Fire past the two-time defending MLS champions.

The Dynamo had five shots on goal in the second half to just one for the Fire, belying the belief that the road team plays for the tie and the home team plays for the win.

"At home, when you don't come away with points, it is a missed opportunity," Carr said. "I have a lot of respect for that team. They are an honest, hardworking team. We knew we were in for a rough game and they gave it to us."

"We were defending the whole second half," said goalkeeper Jon Busch.

The Fire started the game ablaze, and had two shots on goal in the first eight minutes, and four shots total in the first 12. The fact the Dynamo did not let any of those become goals set the tone for the match.

"We started really well the first 10 minutes," Soumare said. "We had two great chances. Sometimes you score those and sometimes you don't."

In the game's first two minutes, the Fire had two scoring opportunities on similar crosses. The first one was Chad Barrett picking out Gonzalo Segares, who was charging hard from his defensive position, and the second was Justin Mapp streaking down the left side, but his cross glanced off a defender.

It took only four minutes for the Fire to get their first corner kick, and Blanco's offering bounced off the crowd in front. Blanco followed with a left foot shot that went directly to Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad.

The Fire had another shot on goal at the seven-minute mark from dead center by Mapp, but Onstad made a strong save going to his left.

The Fire gave up the game's first goal when Clark stood well outside of the penalty area directly in front of Busch and let go with a long-distance drive. It hit a defender, then hit off De Rosario before going into the right corner. Playing in a constant and sometimes driving rain, Busch slipped taking off to recover the ball.

"It took a double deflection," Busch said. "I got a little bit of a slip on my first step. If I make a good stride maybe I get there and get a touch on it. But that's the conditions. You deal with it. When he hit it, it was going to my right, it hit somebody, hits another person and goes back to my left. It is part of the game."

The Fire tied the score in the 28th minute when Carr, playing at forward while Chris Rolfe dropped into the midfield for the injured John Thorrington, scored off a free kick from Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

"It was a play 'Temo' and I worked on yesterday," Carr said. "When he got fouled, he let me know to run to the spot and loop around. He put the ball perfectly."

At halftime, the Fire had the 1-1 score and had reason to believe the home field would work in their favor. Instead, the Dynamo played like the home team.

"We stopped playing," Busch said. "Credit to them, they are a good team and showed why they are defending champions. But the second half, we stopped playing and did a lot of defending. If you don't take care of the ball when you have it good teams are going to punish you."

"They were coming at us more and more and eventually they scored," Soumare said.

The winning goal came from a quick restart, and came as Busch was trying to get the Fire defense pushed out farther, so he would have a better look at what was coming in.

"We lost our concentration," Busch said. "They put the ball down quick. The guys on the ball need to slow the ball down a little bit, stay on top and make the referee move them back. We weren't tight in the box. Guys were still trying to find their guys. There were two or three guys who could have headed it seven or eight yards out."

The Fire's only second-half shot on goal came in the final seconds of stoppage time, as Blanco lined up a long shot and let it fly, only to have Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad make the game's last save.

Fire coach Denis Hamlett made three substitutions Saturday, sending in midfielder Wilman Conde, forward Andy Herron and forward Tomasz Frankowski for Chris Rolfe, Chad Barrett and Justin Mapp, respectively.


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Dynamo pressure results in victory
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Dynamo pressure results in victory

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- There is a reason the Houston Dynamo have won back-to-back MLS championships. They don't play for the draw when a win is a possibility.

Bobby Boswell scored on a free kick sent in by Richard Mulrooney in the 82nd minute Saturday, leading the Dynamo to a 2-1 win against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park. Dwayne De Rosario scored in the 17th minute to give the Dynamo a surprise 1-0 lead.

The Dynamo recorded their second consecutive win after going 0-2-4 in the first six games.

Playing in a constant, sometimes driving rain, against a Fire team that was enjoying its best season start ever, the Dynamo would not have been blamed for playing for the draw. But coach Dominic Kinnear's team had the run of play in the second half and put five shots on goal to just one for the Fire in the second 45 minutes.

"This is a team where we are capable of winning every game we step on the field," Boswell said. "We don't come in here to destroy the game and play for a draw. We want to win. We have our goals, to score goals and not give them up."

"(The winning streak) is a reward for how the team is working," Kinnear said. "Before that, we had some games we were playing well, playing on top of teams, and we just didn't get the result. The results are going our way now."

Mulrooney's free kick from 35 yards out on the right side went into the penalty area and Boswell's clean header went into the upper right corner of the box, over the head of Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch.

Despite an intense flurry of attacking activity by the Fire at the start of the game, the Dynamo scored first, in the 17th minute, on their first shot of the game. With the rain falling, midfielder Ricardo Clark fired a shot from about 25 yards out that deflected off a defender directly in front of him. It took a second bounce off of De Rosario and snuck past Busch, who had slipped on his first step toward the ball.

It was De Rosario's second goal of the season, both coming in the two victories, and only the fourth goal given up by the Fire in their first eight games.

The Fire got the goal back in the 28th minute off a free kick by Mexican superstar Cuauhtemoc Blanco from the right side. Blanco lifted the ball into the middle of the box, and forward Calen Carr headed it down off the turf, bouncing in front of and eventually past goalkeeper Pat Onstad. It was Carr's first goal of the season.

The rain, which had dissipated late in the first half, came back with a vengeance at the start of the second half and it rained on and off the rest of the game.

"I actually like the rain because the ball moves a little bit quicker, and we pass the ball better on those conditions," Kinnear said.

The Dynamo put a series of shots on goal in the second half, four of them in the first 11 minutes. De Rosario had a tremendous scoring chance in the 58th minute when he charged the goal from the right side and Busch made a strong punch save on the direct shot.

The winning goal came on a quick restart, and took place while Busch was still in the process of trying to get the defense organized.

"We watched some video this week and we knew they weren't really sharp on quick restarts," Boswell said. "I saw Richard, and he was giving a look like he was ready to do it quick. I was coming up made the run and the ball came right to me and I just put it away."

With the way the second half was played, it was not a surprise that the Dynamo took the late lead. The decision sort of evened the team's record out, although the Dynamo did have four draws in their first six games.

"I think we have just been unlucky with our results early in the year," Boswell said. "The breaks just weren't going our way. Or we were making one mistake here or there. But things are going to even out over a matter of time."

"We go to games and try to win them," Onstad said. "We don't ever play for a draw or sneak out games. At times that cost us games, but tonight we played a pretty good game of soccer."


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Fire fall into lull in defeat to Dynamo

Galaxy attack explodes in rout of FCD

FRISCO, Texas -- Edson Buddle scored two goals in a four-goal burst in 15 minutes in the first half, then completed his hat trick with a late finale as the Los Angeles Galaxy routed FC Dallas 5-1 at Pizza Hut Park on Sunday afternoon.

Buddle scored in the 31st and 39th minutes, each goal following a Chris Klein and an own goal respectively, as the visiting Galaxy opened up a dominant lead before the opening 45 minutes was complete. Dominic Oduro headed one home to pull a goal back for FCD, but Buddle completed his hat trick just minutes after Adrian Serioux was sent off.

Almost from the kickoff, it was the visitors who dominated play. In the fifth minute, L.A. midfielder David Beckham dribbled up the right flank and spotted an open Buddle on the opposite side of the field. Beckham then sent a great cross toward his teammate and Buddle got a shot off only to see it go wide left.

Still, it was FC Dallas that appeared to have taken the lead in the sixth minute. Forward Abe Thompson battled his way to goal before beating Steve Cronin, however the referee's assistant ruled he had fouled an L.A. defender to break free and the goal was disallowed.

Then in the 19th minute, FCD striker Kenny Cooper, who had four shots in the opening frame, took a chance from about 45 yards out. Seeing Cronin somewhat out of position, the Dallas native launched a long bomb but the L.A. 'keeper leapt high to his left to get a hand on the ball and knock it over the crossbar.

In the 25th minute all the Galaxy's hard work paid off as they took the lead. Brandon McDonald had a ton of room to operate in the middle of the field, long enough to spot Klein streaking up the right flank, and the right back finished past Sala for the opening goal.

After a free kick by Beckham in the 27th was headed wide right by Buddle, the Galaxy forward made good on his next chance. He muscled his way through three FCD players to launch one from the top of the restraining arc that beat Sala inside the near post for a 2-0 edge after 31 minutes.

Just two minutes later, the L.A. onslaught continued. Donovan had loads of room on the left flank and was able to send a cross in toward the FCD goal with little resistance. Unfortunately, the ball went off the side of Duilio Davino's right foot and into the back of the net.

In the 39th, Buddle further added to the home side's misery when he put one home from close range. After a corner kick taken by Donovan from the left flag found Alvaro Pires just in front of the goal, he lobbed one over his head that landed just inches from the far post. Buddle ran in and pushed it the final bit over the line.

For FCD, the start was eerily similar to the SuperLiga game played between the two sides on July 31, 2007. In that match, L.A. had a 4-0 lead after just 18 minutes after a pair of goals from Alan Gordon, another from Klein and the final tally of the sequence from Kevin Harmse, a game that eventually ended 6-5 for the Galaxy.

Hoops head coach Steve Morrow rolled out a 3-4-3 formation that featured Arturo Alvarez, Cooper and Thompson up top. The back line of Moor, Davino and Adrian Serioux remained intact while the midfield had a few changes. Anthony Wallace took over on the left with Juan Toja moving inside to replace Marcelo Saragosa.

After the break, Morrow made a pair of changes, bringing on speedy Dominic Oduro for Thompson and taking Wallace off for veteran Bobby Rhine. L.A. head coach Ruud Gullit also made a change at the half, taking off midfielder Joe Franchino for Josh Tudela.

Morrow's changes had the desired effect when the Hoops got a goal back in the 55th minute. Cooper did some nice footwork to the left of the Galaxy goal to work himself free from L.A. defender Abel Xavier, then sent a nice cross into the middle of the box where Oduro was waiting. The Ghanaian striker headed the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the year.

Just four minutes later, Buddle made a bid for the hat trick. A pinpoint Beckham cross from the right flank found him in the middle of the FCD penalty area and he put his powerful header on goal, but right at Sala who made the save.

FCD again went close in the 60th minute. Andre Rocha and Cooper hooked up again with Cooper driving toward the far post, but his shot hit the crossbar and sailed out of play.

Then in the 63rd, Toja found himself staring at an empty net after Cronin came off his line in an attempt to close down the threat. With the net open, Toja cut the ball back inside instead of shooting straight for the goal and his right-footed blast at the still-empty net sailed high.

In the 75th minute, the match took an ugly turn. Just in front of the FCD bench, Serioux tackled Beckham hard, which led referee Baldomero Toledo to reach into his back pocket and show the Canadian international a straight red card. As Serioux marched toward the tunnel, Beckham followed for a stretch and then blew him a kiss before he left the field.

Buddle finally completed his triple after another spectacular cross from Beckham. The English international spotted his teammate open on the far side of the field, sent him a great ball and Buddle headed it into the back of the net for his third hat trick, his first since hitting for the trifecta for the MetroStars in a win against Real Salt Lake on Aug. 26, 2006. Buddle once scored four goals in a game for Columbus, Sept. 18, 2004 against the MetroStars.

Both sides will be at home next Saturday. The Galaxy will play host to Kansas City in a 7:30 p.m. PT match at The Home Depot Center that will be televised by HDNet. FCD will play host to Real Salt Lake at 7:30 p.m. CT.


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Five-a-side: What's hot around the league

MLS Five-a-side:The skinny on five things that matter this week in Major League Soccer:

1. It's good to be in first place ... most of the time: There is a price for leading the way in MLS.

The surprising Columbus Crew currently top all MLS sides in points. Sigi Schmid's men have achieved results at home and on the road. They have scored early and then protected the margin, and last week they overcome a deficit on the road, a particularly worthwhile moment.

Now comes the price for individual and team accomplishment: Three important figures from the Crew lineup made Bob Bradley's pool of 33 as the U.S. manager begins final prep for important, upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Eddie Gaven, Frankie Hejduk and Robbie Rogers are under consideration for three upcoming national team biggies, friendly matches against England, Spain and Argentina. The final U.S. roster for each match will probably land at around 22 players. First up is England on May 28 at historic Wembley, with Bradley probably setting the final roster for that one early next week.

The timing is less than perfect for Columbus. After playing once a week through Major League Soccer's first eight rounds, the Crew suddenly accelerate into busier times. The same week Bradley's boys visit England, Columbus has a midweek U.S. Open Cup match sandwiched between Saturday MLS dates.

What does this mean for the Crew? The team hasn't received any official promises, but all three Crew starters aren't likely to be included for all three U.S. matches. Bradley is ever cognizant of domestic schedules. Plus, everybody sees the writing on the wall with Rogers, who is increasingly likely to be a U.S. Olympic team selection, which means he'll miss ample MLS matches later this year.

Still, since the Crew's trio represents a high among MLS clubs, Schmid's bunch stands to be impacted more than others over the next three weeks.

Five MLS clubs don't have a player among the 33-man U.S. pool. Only Chivas USA and Houston (in addition to Columbus, of course), have more than one selection.

Thus begins the summer of international duty and jarring absences. Of course, a few other teams will be affected by duty to countries beyond the United States. None will land with the impact of David Beckham's temporary departure for the Galaxy; he was named for Fabio Capello's 31-man squad for May 28 clash at Wembley.

2. Dispatches from the front in the content wars: More clubs are diving into the deep end of video blogging, expanding on the concept that FC Dallas introduced to MLS a couple of years back. What began as PR brainchild at Pizza Hut Park has been adopted by other club innovators, who have taken the concept to another level -- sometimes with pretty nifty results.

FC Dallas was the first to add behind-the-scenes video clips and inside info to the team website. It was a great way to do what camera crews and reporters from local TV channels once did -- but with more control and at a greater availability of content for fans. FC Dallas could bring video directly to supporters, who wanted more sights and sound of practices, game previews, postgame comments, etc. And there were ample opportunities for special features, like talking to Michael Johnson and showing clips of team visits to the Olympic gold medal winner's performance center.

Plenty of MLS teams now have some form of it, splicing postgame audio from players with video highlights and such. But some clubs are getting more creative. At RFK, fans get a particularly insightful look at their club on Access United, now a regular staff production. One of the real treats of Access United is field-level video shots. You wouldn't want to watch an entire match that way, but it's a nice change of pace when all the high-level shots are out there, easy to find on the internet.

But perhaps the best of the bunch comes from Toronto, where TFC TV is setting the current standard for MLS in-house production.

TFC TV is a well-executed, weekly news show devoted to the BMO gang. The production is slick. The content is useful, inventive and even a little cheeky, with lots of player interaction and participation, well beyond the usual highlights and comments. For instance, this week's episode features a look at the new TFC Street Soccer program. Later, equipment man Malcolm Phillips walks you through some of his pregame routine and tells fans about Danny Dichio's sock peculiarities. And then we hear young Julius James respond to teammate Andrea Lombardo's assertion that the rookie is the worst-dressed man around BMO. ("He cannot comprehend my style. I think he's jealous." Well done, young man.)

The weekly production runs about 15 minutes.

3. Lots of intrigue for on-fire Fire: The Chicago Fire schedule gets awful delicious over the next couple of weeks, and not just because Denis Hamlett's men will be protecting the league's second-best record.

Houston visits Toyota Park this weekend. The two-time defending champs are guided ably by manager Dominic Kinnear. But don't forget that Kinnear's trusted assistant, John Spencer, very nearly became the Windy City boss. Spencer and Fire management engaged in serious talks during the offseason (as the Fire sought to replace Juan Carlos Osorio), but could never meet on contractual terms.

The Orange, with just seven points from seven matches this year and struggling mightily to score goals, have plenty of motivation without the tasty sidebars. Still, you have to think that Spencer wants this one a little more -- and the Dynamo players probably want it for him. Spencer has been around MLS since 2001, striking 37 times in four seasons for Colorado, and his time in the managerial seat will probably arrive sooner or later.

Eight days later, Chicago visits Giants Stadium, where former Fire manager Osorio now presides. That's sure to ramp up the intensity in both teams. And since both are built similarly, relying on hard-nosed defense to scoop up the points, we can all look for that one to be a particular prize among MLS May selections.

4. Improvement in strange places: On the other hand, when things are good, they are real good. Confidence is so high around Toyota Park right now, even Cuauhtemoc Blanco's pitching is improving.

Yep. His pitching. A few of the Fire men visited historic Wrigley Field to be featured guests at the Padres-Cubs game. Blanco threw out the first pitch. And it wasn't terrible. If that sounds like faint praise, consider the history:

Blanco's performance was, uh, something less than Johan Santana-esque when he tossed out the first pitch last month before a White Sox-Orioles game at U.S. Cellular Field. So, Blanco worked on his tossing a little with teammate Chad Barrett the day before his Wrigley Field outing. And it apparently paid off.

The toss still didn't quite make it to home plate, but all reports said it had improved significantly in zip and accuracy.

Barrett and Chris Rolfe sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," a tradition for guests at Wrigley. Having done his part, Blanco abstained from the singing.

5. Road woes at RSL: In Utah, Jason Kreis desperately wants his Real Salt Lake outfit to forget about the past, to forge bravely forward with a new mentality, especially when it comes to life on the road.

It's a fine idea -- but it won't be that easy. There is a high price to pay for three years of futility away from Rice-Eccles, and a change won't happen overnight -- especially when some of the players are the same.

RSL came into the season with a 6-31-10 record on the road and a minus-48 goal difference. That's not just ugly, it's coyote ugly.

So Kreis wanted to leave it all behind, to tamp down any talk about the road blues and just push forward into a new day. Insiders say that wasn't just a media message, that the manager preferred that nobody even bring up the old ways on the road.

The problem is that so many of the memory markers remain. The functions of life on the road don't change: the players get on the bus to head for the airport; they wait at the same terminal at Salt Lake City International Airport; they probably visit the same Starbucks there; they walk through the same tunnel at the opposing stadiums, etc.

So it's hard to truly be confident when you've done these things before, when you retrace familiar steps, the same you've taken en route to so little success previously.

Real Salt Lake looked pretty good at times Thursday, for a team on the road against a rival. The end result, however, looked pretty familiar: a 2-0 loss.

Similarly, RSL has done pretty well at times in every stop on the road this year, except for perhaps the 4-1 loss at D.C. United, a match that clearly got away from Kreis' men. But the bottom line doesn't fib: RSL has four losses in four games away from Rice-Eccles in 2008. In the Western Conference that might get just three playoff spots, a team will probably have to win two or three on the road to qualify for the postseason.


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United hopes to shake road woes

WASHINGTON -- D.C. United's weekend road trip to take on Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center on Saturday represents something of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object -- statistically speaking, at least.

United have never lost to the Red-and-White in the club's four years of existence, and have enjoyed plenty of success at the stadium where they captured their fourth MLS Cup in 2004, having gone undefeated in their last seven league visits to southern California.

But lately the Black-and-Red have been woeful away from home, and must go back to September of last year to recall their most recent road win.

"I don't know," said midfielder Clyde Simms. "For some reason we haven't brought the energy. I think that's the difference in the home games compared to the away games. I don't know why we haven't been able to bring that same energy on the road, but we have to treat those games the same, obviously."

D.C. have surrendered a whopping 11 goals through five away games in all competitions in 2008, adding up to an ugly 0-4-1 road record.

"That's something that we need to correct, the mentality to go out and fight and scrap for points on the road," said general manager Dave Kasper. "It's now about collectively doing all the little things necessary on the field, fighting for each other...Those are all things that can easily be fixed, with the right mentality of the players. So we're all aware of it and we're working to correct that."

Goalkeeper Zach Wells is particularly eager to stop the rot and with center back Gonzalo Peralta's availability in doubt due to his wife's advanced pregnancy, he might need to produce a strong performance on his return to the area where he grew up.

"I think it's just a subconscious thing, maybe a mentality thing," said Wells of his team's poor road form. "We come out and have a good week of practice and then we don't show the results on the field. It's kind of bizarre -- we're out here hacking each other and getting after each other (at practice), then we get on the field and it's not really the same bite. It's a little frustrating. I think we're getting the right information, we just need to execute now."

Talk out of the United camp suggests that the squad may return to the 4-4-2 formation to bolster the back line, and even with the team stuck in a 190-minute-plus scoreless streak, striker Jaime Moreno suggests that defensive rigidity will take first priority at this point.

"Definitely we've got to improve, and like Tommy said, we've got to keep the zero in the back," said D.C.'s veteran captain. "That's our main goal right now, to keep the zero in our net and we're going to be working and also going forward and trying to create some chances."

Chivas USA won the Western Conference last year and challenged United for the Supporters' Shield right up until the final weeks of the campaign. But the Red-and-White have hit hard times of their own this season, and are presently one of only two MLS teams with fewer points than D.C. It would seem to set the stage for a desperate encounter on Saturday night.

"We're fighting for your lives, especially with this type of record that we have so far. We just have to battle for one another and make sure that another teammate knows that I've got his back and he's got mine," said United defender Bryan Namoff. "You see frustration beginning to build a little bit throughout teammates and the coaching staff. That's why I think we're really concentrating on going back to the basics, and in order to do that we need to concentrate on just working hard for one another."

Chivas' starting lineup has been hammered by injuries -- United's attack will surely look to test Bobby Burling and Eric Ebert, the two youngsters likely to start on the Chivas defensive flanks -- but one clear threat remains in the form of Sacha Kljestan, an attack-minded midfielder capable of popping up in dangerous spots all over the field. D.C. will be eyeing him closely, while looking for ways to exploit his aggression at the other end of the field, though with United's own struggles, Namoff readily admits that this week's preparations have been more inwardly focused.

"[Kljestan's] got the type of freedom to roam around in search of the ball and if we can win balls in good areas, especially in their own half of the field, I think we can try to play to that area where he might be out of position," said the veteran right back. "There's several ways to counter this team but right now we're almost throwing [those] type of different tactics out the window, instead just trying to outcompete and outplay them."

United head coach Tom Soehn cuts short any detailed discussion of Chivas as well.

"Whatever. I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about us, making sure that we're in the right frame of mind to win ball games," he said.


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Fire confident, but know season is long

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- It's a lesson taught early in SportsSpeak 101. Don't holler too loudly when things are going well for your team.

The Chicago Fire are enjoying their best start ever, going 5-1-1 through the first seven games of the 2008 season. They have allowed just three goals, and one of those was an own goal. They have had seven different players score for them. Their reserve team is undefeated.

To put it mildly, things are going well. But you don't crow too much when the season is not yet one-third over.

But it is also difficult not to admit that these are good times right now for a club that has had a history of good times in the past.

"We have a good team and we are playing well together right now," said forward Chris Rolfe. "We don't have any stars or egos to deal with, especially Temo (Cuauhtemoc Blanco). He wants to be one of the guys and fits in well with us. It is something that should keep going. I don't see any reason for it to stop. We are getting great production from every guy out there."

Added midfielder Logan Pause: "We are back to being a cohesive unit and it is really exciting right now."

The Fire take their three-game winning streak into a game Saturday night against the two-time defending champion Houston Dynamo at Toyota Park. It is their last MLS home game until June 7.

One pleasant aspect to the Fire's hot start is the health of the team. While veteran defender C.J. Brown has been out from the start with a hip injury, coach Denis Hamlett has had little trouble with players missing time.

When Rolfe was out early in the season with an ankle injury, Hamlett called on oft-injured veteran John Thorrington to play Rolfe's midfielder position. Thorrington rewarded Hamlett with three goals in two games.

When Rolfe returned to health, Hamlett put him in a forward spot, where he is most comfortable, and kept Thorrington in the lineup. Polish star Tomasz Frankowski suffered a minor ankle injury that made that transition easy, and Rolfe has stayed up top when Frankowski returned.

Thorrington removed himself from practice Thursday with a lower back problem. Should he be unavailable to play Saturday, Hamlett could move Rolfe back to the midfield spot and play either Frankowski or forward Calen Carr up top with regular starting forward Chad Barrett. Hamlett could also keep the forward starters the same (Rolfe and Barrett) and give rookie Stephen King his second start.

Brown practiced all week with the Fire, but is not expected to be available for selection for another couple of weeks, at least. Hamlett also is waiting on Paraguayan defender Lider Marmol to be available once his work visa problems clear up.

The Fire are playing a Houston team that finally won last week against Colorado, lifting its record to 1-2-4. But Hamlett pointed out that last year's champion had a similar slow start in 2007.

"They are still a good team," Hamlett said. "They went through the same stretch last yaer, they got a win and they ran off 11 in a row or something like that. We know they are a good team. You can't take them lightly."

Based on early results, it would be surprising if the Fire do not come out with another great effort against the Dynamo.

"This is a team that is trying to establish a tradition, an identity, a character and I think we are on the right track," defender Diego Gutierrez said.

"We are only just beginning this season," Blanco said after the Fire beat D.C. United 2-0 last week. "We have to keep working and getting better each day."


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Cochrane recovering from grisly collision

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- When San Jose Earthquakes defender Ryan Cochrane thinks back to the head injury he sustained two weeks ago during a U.S. Open Cup match, it qualifies as something of an out-of-body experience. His only memories of the incident are from watching it on video and the eyewitness accounts of others.

Given the horrific nature of his collision with teammate Jay Ayres, that probably qualifies as a blessing. Just 11 minutes into the Open Cup play-in game against Real Salt Lake, Ayres headed a ball straight up in the air, and when both players attacked the ball to complete the clearance, a head-to-head collision ensued. Manager Frank Yallop shakes his head and remembers "it was an awful sound. It shook our guys up, to be honest."

Ayres got the worst of it by far, suffering multiple fractures to his left cheekbone. He underwent successful surgery for late last week, and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.

Not that Cochrane got off easy either. In addition to being knocked unconscious, he received a cut that took 21 stitches to close. Yet unlike his teammate, the Santa Clara University product now looks set to return to the field.

To make sure Cochrane is fully recovered, the Quakes medical staff has made him undergo numerous mental acuity tests that measure memory and speed of reaction. Raising the stakes was the fact that Cochrane suffered a concussion last year as well, when he clashed heads with Chicago defender Bakary Soumare. It's a regimen that Cochrane isn't that fond of.

"It's a lot of stupid stuff," said Cochrane with a chuckle. "But Bruce [Morgan, the Quakes' trainer], he's going to make me do it."

While watching from the sidelines, Cochrane has been like a caged animal, unable to sit still as the rest of his teammates were put through their paces in practice. But he also admits that it took a while for the fog to lift, making the decision to rest him a prudent one.

"The first couple of days I had some headaches," said Cochrane. "But besides that, I feel good. I just want to get a little bit more fit this week before [Saturday's] game comes up."

Cochrane made enough of a recovery last week to make the substitutes' bench for San Jose's 3-2 loss to Columbus. It gave him a close-up view of a match that the Quakes appeared set to win, before a late meltdown saw them get torched for three goals.

"I think mainly in the second half, we sat back too much, and I think we stopped playing our game and stopped attacking [Columbus]," said Cochrane. "It opened up some spaces for them to go forward."

But now Cochrane feels ready to retake the field this Saturday against New England, and help his team eliminate some of the peaks and valleys that were so evident against the Crew.

"We've got to find some consistency," said Cochrane. "I think we played well against Dallas and didn't come out with a result. I think we could have gotten a result last game, and we didn't. It's just kind of been up and down. And we just need to be more confident. I think that's one thing that is lacking: Can we close out leads, or can we close out games? I think those are things that will develop over time."

If the Quakes can make progress on that front against the Revs, you can bet it will stick in Cochrane's memory.


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Hamlett faces welcome dilemma

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- There is no way to sugarcoat the most visible responsibility of a soccer coach. Making up a game lineup is a difficult -- and sometimes painful -- task.

"There is a lot that goes into it," said Chicago Fire coach Denis Hamlett.

For Hamlett, the Fire's first-year coach, the task is uniquely straining because he has so many quality choices for each of his three lines of players.

The depth of talent the Fire have gathered for the 2008 season is one of the reasons the team is 5-1-1 in the early stages of the campaign.

Here is a look at the candidates Hamlett has at each position and the choices he has made so far this season:

DEFENSE

Gonzalo Segares and Bakary Soumare have started all seven games, while Diego Gutierrez and Brandon Prideaux, the pickup from Colorado, have started six. That means Hamlett has had to sit former starter Dasan Robinson and Colombian Wilman Conde, who have each had one start.

Veteran C.J. Brown, who has been injured all season, is expected to be available to play in late May, and the Fire also have Paraguayan Lider Marmol set to go once his visa and work orders get sorted out. Hamlett has also used rookie Daniel Woolard as a substitute three times, including the last two wins.

MIDFIELD

This part of Hamlett's lineup seems set, now that John Thorrington has offered his help (three goals, solid defense). He joins Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Logan Pause and Justin Mapp as a starter, while rookie Stephen King has been used as a substitute six times in seven games.

FORWARD

This is another complicated situation for Hamlett, who has used Chad Barrett as a starter in all seven games. Chris Rolfe, who played midfield in the early games before getting injured, got back to a forward role in the last two games, while Polish national star Tomasz Frankowski has sat out with an ankle injury.

That still leaves Fire returnee Andy Herron and speedster Calen Carr as backups, looking for playing time. Carr has seen playing time in five games and Herron in four.

Hamlett said the science of making up a lineup requires a look at the entire field, not just one line at a time.

"It's a combination," Hamlett said. "You see how guys train throughout the week, you watch videos of the other team and you try to see how you can put our guys in a situation that will limit the other team but at the same time give us a chance to win. There is a lot that is involved."

The difficult process does not end when he comes up with his starting 11, either.

"Picking 11 is hard, picking 18 is even harder," Hamlett said, referring to selecting his available substitutes for each game. "One guy always gets left out of it for technical reasons. But you let those guys know that they have to keep working, they are doing well and their moment is going to come.

"When you have a competitive team it adds more to it, because you have guys who are itching to get on the field and you want to make the right decisions," he said. "You look at the strength of your team and what you are trying to get accomplished and you try to put players in position to get that accomplished."


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RSL lets shot at first place slip away

COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Real Salt Lake let a prime opportunity slip away Thursday night. Whether it was the excitement of the rivalry with the Colorado Rapids, the pressure of playing with a chance to earn first place for the first time in club history, or simply an inability to play away from home in the second half, Real Salt Lake fell 2-0 in the first Rocky Mountain Cup match of the year.

While a win would have put them in first place in the Western Conference, the loss keeps them in third place, four points behind the Rapids, who climbed to the top of the table.

"It's disappointing for sure, especially against Colorado, our rival," said Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando. "There was opportunity there and everyone in this locker room knew it. We didn't step up to play and we played one of the worst games of our season."

Real Salt Lake played the Rapids to a stalemate in the first half, but seemed unable to match the energy Colorado showed in the second half. Both of the Rapids goals came in the second half, which seemed to be played mostly in and around Real's penalty area.

"I'm a little bit disappointed that we didn't come out in the second half with a better mentality," said RSL coach Jason Kreis. "Typically we've seen the team this year in Salt Lake that responds well to halftime and picks up their play and tonight that wasn't the case at all."

Striker Kenny Deucher agreed with his coach's assessment of the team's second-half woes.

"I thought we felt good at halftime and that the game was there for the taking," said Deucher. "We knew they would come at us at the start of the second half because it is obviously their home, but they got a few dangerous balls into the box and they did a good job of finishing."

Still, some in the RSL locker room felt that the team did enough to win but just was missing the ability to take a chance and convert it to a goal.

"What was missing was a goal," said defender Chris Wingert. "That was it to be honest with you. We had chances, with the ball in front of the box, but we couldn't put it in the back of the net. That's been the difference between our home games and our away games this year. In our home games we jump on the other team and score early and in the away games we haven't scored."

Deucher agreed with his teammate, adding that quality crosses from the wings was what really separated the teams on the night.

"I don't think we got the ball in the box enough," said Deucher. "It was going side to side, but we weren't able to put the ball in the box. We had a few chances but couldn't put it away and they punished us for it. They put a lot of crosses into the box and were rewarded for that."

Part of Salt Lake's success in the first half was containing Christian Gomez. Shadowed for much of the game by Kenny Cutler, he was quiet, but he eventually broke free (especially after Cutler was taken off for a attacking substitute), scoring the Rapids' second goal after starting the play that led to the first.

"When you have a player like Christian you have to have an idea of where he is at all times," said Kreis. "[Cutler] was charged with the responsibility when we were attacking to always have an idea of where Christian was and I think he did a pretty good job there."

Cutler agreed with his coach, but felt that his vigilance cost the team on the offensive side of the ball. "I wasn't trying to man-mark Gomez but he's a very dangerous player," said Cutler. "We talked about needing to have eyes on him at all times and I made it my personal battle to keep an eye on him. But on the opposite end I didn't do enough to help the team keep the ball and then we couldn't move forward and move them around and get them tired."

There is a strong consensus within Real that they will have success at home, but that the key to the season will be learning to play on the road.

"We just need to keep working hard," said Deucher. "At home we have been creating lots of chances. On the road we are not the same team. We need to address that and play away from home the same way we do at home. No one fancies playing us in Salt Lake City, but it is a different story on the road."

Borchers echoed his teammate's comment, believing that the entire team needs to step up their play when they travel.

"I don't think we've done a very good job on the road of defending and creating chances," said Borchers. "I don't think we came out sharp enough, I don't think we connected on enough of our passes, and I don't think we got forward enough. We were in our own half basically the whole second half. Obviously we're not going to score goals that way."

Real have now lost all four of their road games, and have allowed 10 goals away from Rice-Eccles Stadium, while scoring only two.

"I think there was real casual play in the back," said Rimando. "On the road we can't get beat to the ball and we can't give up penalty kicks. We've been doing that on the road too much and it has to stop. We are the away team. We have to dig in and match their intensity and be sharp, especially in the back. Sharp is exactly what we weren't today."

Although the team missed their chance to move into first place, Kreis hopes that his side will learn from this and seize their chance when next it comes.

"To be completely honest I don't think we deserve to be the best team in this conference; we're not ready for that yet," he said. "That's my opinion after looking at the game tonight: we're not ready. Hopefully that opportunity will come again. I told the guys that you get limited opportunities in life and certainly in your career in professional sports so it is disappointing that we let this one slip by. Hopefully we will be ready for the next one."


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First XI: E-mail lessons

I've never written a "mailbag" column because I just feel it would be the same old, same old kind of "mailbag" column and because, well, most of the e-mails I receive are not questions (unless people questioning my intelligence counts) but comments. Anyway, this week, I'd like to give you a First XI of things I've learned from my e-mail during more than eight years of writing this column for MLSnet.com. Here we go:

11. I'm the luckiest man on earth.
I cannot tell you how many times since I opened up my e-mail account to receive thoughts and opinions from MLS fans that I've won various lotteries and/or found out I'm entitled to millions upon millions of dollars that are being held in banks around the world. I guess I'm just a lucky guy, and I'll guess it's tied to being a loyal MLS fan.

10. I'm anti every team but one.
I like one MLS team, Chivas USA, and that's because I've known Jesse Marsch since before he started shaving and because Claudio Suarez was the best man in my wedding (OK, that's a lie). Anyway, I have an incredible bias against every team in the league that doesn't wear vertical red and white stripes. In fact, when I wrote a First XI about the New England-New York "rivalry" a few weeks back, it was nothing more than a chance to slam two teams. Go back and read between the lines. I do not like either team, it's clear.

9. People like to call soccer "football."
This goes back to a little column I wrote a few weeks ago, when I learned that the Seattle team would be called the Seattle Sounders FC. I wondered aloud why we don't call our clubs "SC" since, ya know, most Americans call soccer ... "soccer." Well, I learned from a lot of folks, probably more than have ever filled my e-mail box (not counting heiresses to African money and accountants from the Irish lottery), that we should all be calling soccer "football." I mean, we should all be calling football "football." And we should not be calling football "football" either. Got it?

8. I'm an idiot.
This is kind of tied to the item above. Basically, I'm nothing more than a forgetful, anti-New York/New England/Chicago/Colorado/Columbus/D.C./Dallas/Houston/Kansas City/Los Angeles (Galaxy)/Salt Lake/San Jose/Toronto/Seattle/Philly loser. Really, every time I do a list, I leave out the most obvious things. Now, granted, leaving Jose Burciaga Jr. off a First XI of best left-footed players in the league when he was scoring one bomb after another was pretty bad, but trust me when I tell you, I'm an idiot on a weekly basis. And, it's not only the fans who think that ... it's the GMs, coaches and players.

7. I've been around a long time.
A few weeks ago, the mention of the name Darren Sawatzky led to many e-mails from fans who'd never heard of Darren Sawatzky. This made me think, at first, "are you kidding me? You've never heard of Darren Sawatzky." Then later, "well, Darren Sawatzky hasn't played in MLS since the '90s and, it's 2008, and there are a lot of MLS fans who may have never seen Sawatzky's blond mane flowing in the New England breeze." And that made me wonder if Sawatzky, like Fabio, kept his signature look.

6. I get answers.
Wanna bet I get an e-mail this week from someone who either: a) works with Darren Sawatzky; b) hangs with Darren Sawatzky; c) plays in an "adult league" with Darren Sawatzky; or d) is married to Darren Sawatzky. Seriously, all I have to do in First XI is type, for example, "Shawn Medved," and my Blackberry begins to buzz. Very cool.

5. Toronto has the best fans in the league.
Do not say anything negative about the soccer -- err, football -- fans in Toronto. They take it personally, even from a columnist who's clearly anti-Toronto. These fans of TFC (sorry about the Topeka Fried Chicken joke, really) are without a doubt the best fans in MLS, bar none, well, except for those vastly underrated fans (should I be calling them "supporters?" Because that seems to get me in hot water, too) in Kansas City and Colorado, who have accused me in years past of unfair treatment. By the way, did you know that the Colorado Rapids won the MLS Western Conference title in 1997?

4. At least one player reads First XI.
I won't mention any names here, but there's a guy out there who's scored a bunch of MLS goals who was disappointed in where I placed him and his assist-man on my all-time list of tandems. Oh yeah, and he didn't have much nice to say about a certain MLS newcomer who's married to a former pop star. But I'll keep it at that. I will, however, mention that Diego Gutierrez set me straight last year when I left him off my list of all-time best Colombian players in MLS history. It's good to be kept honest.

3. People go straight to the list.
I write this cute little thing at the top of this column that I like to call an "intro." As much as I like the "intro" it seems a lot of readers just skip to the numbered things. How else to explain, for example, when I wrote a list of the best players in MLS who played 10 or more years in the league, I get inundated with e-mails from people who wonder how I could be so stupid as to leave Carlos Valderrama, Peter Nowak and Marco Etcheverry off the list. Oh well, I'll chalk it up to the raw excitement readers (and players, coaches and GMs) must feel when it comes to reading First XI, and wanting to get right.

3. Soccer fans are sensitive.
Well, except for those thick-skinned football supporters up in Toronto, the rest of you Major League Football fans are really sensitive to jokes pertaining to your clubs. Really, you all should learn from the supporters of Chivas USA, the only team in MLS that I do not loathe with every ounce of my being. Lighten up.

2. Columbus fans lead the league.
In the eight-plus years I've been writing a column for MLSnet.com, the leader, hands-down, in e-mails sent to First XI are the fans of the Columbus Crew. Perhaps I should amend that. There's one fan from the Crew who, I believe, has e-mailed me every week for eight-plus seasons. ... But I'm going to assume this guy's a team player and wants club credit.

1. I'm the luckiest man on earth.
And this has nothing to do with all the cash that's being held for me, but simply because when I'm sitting in front of the TV on a Saturday night, or clicking around on MLSnet.com on Monday morning, watching all the goals and highlights and my wife asks me to take out the garbage, I can say, "Honey, I'm working!"


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Champions League format unveiled

While the UEFA Champions League final is still a week away, Major League Soccer fans can begin daydreaming about their own team's Champions League glory, as CONCACAF unveiled on Wednesday the qualification format for the inaugural 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League.

The CONCACAF Champions League will be comprised of 24 teams from each of the governing body's regions. Four Major League Soccer teams, four from Mexico, two from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama and one each from Canada, Belize and Nicaragua will join three Caribbean teams in the draw, which will be announced June 11.

Major League Soccer's representatives are based on last year's results. As MLS Cup champions, the Houston Dynamo are the top United States qualifier. Next is the MLS regular season champions, which was D.C. United, followed by the MLS Cup runner-up -- the New England Revolution -- as well as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion.

Since the Revs captured the U.S. Open Cup last year, the first title in club history, and already qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League as MLS Cup runners-up, the team with the second highest regular-season point total, Chivas USA, is the fourth qualifier.

There could still be a fifth MLS team in the tournament proper -- Toronto FC. The Reds will take on Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps -- both USL First Division (second tier) teams -- in a round-robin qualifying tournament beginning later this month.

Houston and D.C. most recently competed in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, both teams losing in the semifinals. Those two MLS teams, along with six others, will be seeded directly in the Group Stage, while the remaining 16 will be paired in home-and-away match-ups in the Preliminary Stage beginning August 26-28 and concluding Sept. 2-4.

The Group Stage will feature four groups of four teams each that will compete in a round-robin system during six match dates from September 16 to October 30. The top two clubs from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, with home and away legs played in February 2009.

The aggregate winners will meet in the semifinals, with home-and-away matches to be played in March and April. The CONCACAF Champions League final will also be a home-and-away aggregate series, which will be played in late April 2009.

The CONCACAF Champions League winner will represent the region in the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.

2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League field • USA (4 teams): Houston Dynamo (2007 Major League Soccer champion); D.C. United (2007 Major League Soccer regular-season winner); New England Revolution (2007 MLS Cup runner-up); Chivas USA (2007 MLS regular season runner-up)
• MEXICO (4 teams): Atlante FC (2007 Torneo Apertura champion); Pumas UNAM (2007 Torneo Apertura Runner-up); 2 teams to be determined (2008 Torneo Clausura champion and runner-up)
• COSTA RICA (2 teams): Deportivo Saprissa (Torneo Invierno winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Verano winner, or second place team in Torneo Verano if same champion for both Invierno and Verano)
• EL SALVADOR (2 teams): CD Luis Angel Firpo (Liga Mayor Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)
• GUATEMALA (2 teams): Deportivo Jalapa (Torneo Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)
• HONDURAS (2 teams): CD Marathon (Torneo Apertura 2007 winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)
• PANAMA (2 teams): San Francisco FC (ANAPROF Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)
• BELIZE (1 team): Hankook Verdes (2007-08 BPFL/RFG Insurance Cup Champions)
• NICARAGUA (1 team): to be determined; winner of playoff between Apertura winner (Real Estelí FC) and winner of Clausura.
• CANADA (1 team): Winner of three-way qualifying series between Toronto FC, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps.
• CARIBBEAN (3 teams): Harbour View FC (Jamaica); Joe Public FC (Trinidad & Tobago); winner of playoff between Puerto Rico Islanders and San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad & Tobago)


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Hoops struggling to regain form

SALT LAKE CITY -- Opening the season with a four-game unbeaten streak was enough to thrust FC Dallas to the top of the Western Conference. However, since that fantastic start, the Hoops have gone without a win in their last three after dropping a 2-1 result on the road to Real Salt on Saturday.

Before making the trip to the Wasatch Front, Dallas had been held scoreless in their last two outings, losing 1-0 to the New England Revolution at home and then tying the Earthquakes 0-0 in San Jose.

It was apparent that the lack of goals was on head coach Steve Morrow's mind as he lined his team up with three forwards, a tactic not used since Dallas played Chivas three games ago. That was the last time the Hoops were able gain a win and it was also the last time they were able to score.

The problems for FCD started in the 28th minute when goalkeeper Dario Sala sent an attempted clearance off of two of his defenders, Andre Rocha and Drew Moor, before it fell at the feet of Salt Lake's Javier Morales. The RSL midfielder only needed to push the ball between the confused FCD defenders to give Salt Lake the lead.

"It's a difficult place to come and play but we got ourselves back into the game after not playing too well in the first half," said Morrow. "We were 1-0 down, on a very scrappy and unlucky goal that could have been prevented, and we got ourselves back into the game."

Dallas might not have been able to get the win against Salt Lake, but they were able to break their scoreless stretch. In the 56th minute Kenny Cooper ran on to a bouncing ball sent into space by Andre Rocha. Just before reaching the end line Cooper sent an impossible blast from hardly an angle that knocked off the underside of the crossbar. It was the lone bright spot on an otherwise disappointing night.

When asked about his goal, Cooper instantly deflected all praise to Rocha for providing him the service.

"Andre Rocha played me a great ball through, it's the second time he's done it this year," said Cooper. "(The other) against Houston he played me a great through ball. I've been real fortunate so far this year, I've been getting some great service."

Although Cooper's equalizer energized his team Morrow felt that they didn't seize the opportunity to take the game to RSL from that point. Missing that opportunity to really turn the game around is what Morrow feels cost FCD the game.

"We should have pushed forward from there and didn't," said Morrow. "We still had our chances to tie the game towards the end and didn't. It's a frustrating loss -- a disappointing one. But, the team will pick themselves up and get ready for the next one."

Cooper echoed the sentiments of his coach. Although they have experienced a series of unfortunate results, all they can do is prepare for the next game.

"Obviously it's not the result that we wanted," said Cooper. "Credit to them, defensively we've been great all year. Dario (Sala)'s been excellent, and the back three. I feel like we were a little unlucky on the first goal. But, we'll stay positive and we have a big game coming up next week against the Galaxy."

FC Dallas captain Duilio Davino says that his team is not satisfied, and there is only one way to get out of the rut that they are current stuck in -- work hard.

"We let too many points get away from us, and we really need to work hard for next weekend's game," said Davino. "Working is how you get the team back after a game like this; working is the only way to do it. We have a long week and it's not necessary that we speak a lot, it's that we work a lot for it."


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MLS Philly makes hires as it grows

CHESTER, Pa. -- Keystone Sports and Entertainment, LLC, just became a whole lot stronger. And more experienced.

The ownership group for Major League Soccer Philadelphia 2010 announced the hiring of two more key executives on Monday -- Rob Smith as director of operations and Dave Debusschere as chief financial officer. Both executives will officially begin their assignments on June 2.

Smith is currently the president of FC Delco and the varsity women's soccer coach at Downingtown (Pa.) High School. FC Delco, which was ranked as the No. 1 soccer club in the United States in 2004 by SoccerAmerica, has produced seven USYSA national championship teams and six runner-up appearances since '91.

A Coatesville resident, Smith calls himself a "passionate" soccer fan who has also provided marketing development support to Nike's Soccer Sports Marketing Group over the years.

In his new role, Smith will oversee team and stadium operations, customer relations and assist in the development of the community relations effort. He'll do that by working to build strong foundations within the community as well as establishing and maintaining relationships with local, national and international organizations.

Smith is a graduate of Geneva College who initially worked as a corporate controller for IREX Corp. He then joined Nike in '90 as Regional Sales Operations Manager. Since then, Smith has been CFO at the United States Training Center and managing partner at ITK Marketing, LLC.

"Our goal is to field a competitive team that is fun to watch, hard working, committed, passionate -- a team that understands the underlying philosophy and respect for the game," Smith said. "We want the fans to be engaged and at the same time, we will be learning from the fans. This is a tremendous opportunity and I'm looking forward to giving the community a quality product."

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Nick Sakiewicz, CEO and operating partner of Keystone Sports and Entertainment, said that the addition of Smith is huge for the organization.

"Rob is already deeply connected to the community through his work with area youth soccer programs such as FC Delco," Sakiewicz said. "His long-standing relationship with Nike proves he also knows how to build relationships with large national and international companies. His combination of enthusiasm and experience makes Rob the ideal Director of Operations for MLS Philadelphia."

Joining Smith is Debusschere, a certified public accountant with more than 10 years of financial experience. He has worked as an auditor and business advisor at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and most recently, as an assistant vice president at Philadelphia Insurance Companies where he had a variety of responsibilities in the areas of finance, treasury and accounting. A native of Saskatchewan, Canada, Debusschere received his MBA from Saint Joseph's University and his Bachelor's degree from Colgate University, which he attended on an ice hockey scholarship and received Academic All-American honors.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Debusschere said. "To help build this team and stadium from the ground up, and to have the opportunity to make a positive economic impact on the surrounding community is exciting. This initiative will not only result in the creation of jobs but will drive the type of overall business development which will benefit the region for years to come."

"Dave has extensive experience in fast paced, successful companies and he understands what drives profitability," said Sakiewicz. "He is a hard worker with a competitive attitude, which is exactly the kind of mentality you need to have to be a part of the MLS Philadelphia 2010 team -- whether as a manager or as a player."

In addition to Sakiewicz, Keystone Sports and Entertainment, LLC is comprised of chairman and chief executive officer of iStar Financial, Jay Sugarman, Swarthmore Group chairman James Nevels, Philadelphia attorney William Doran, and Christopher and Robert Buccini and David Pollin, founding partners of The Buccini/Pollin Group, which is leading the development of the waterfront project.

Since officially being awarded the 16th MLS team on February 28, more than 4,000 season ticket deposits have been purchased. Groundbreaking on the 18,500-seat soccer-specific stadium is scheduled for the fall.


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Dynamo earn first victory of 2008

HOUSTON -- Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Ching scored their first goals of the season Saturday night, and the Houston Dynamo are finally in the win column after a 2-1 victory against the Colorado Rapids Saturday night at Robertson Stadium.

Ching gave Houston a 1-0 lead late in the first half, and after Omar Cummings pulled the Rapids level midway through the second, De Rosario converted from the penalty spot in the 87th minute, giving the defending champions their first victory in seven matches on the season.

De Rosario's decisive goal, the 45th of his career, came after referee Tim Weyland ruled Colorado defender Ugo Ihemelu played the ball with his arm in the penalty area. A throw-in came in from the left and bounced in the area, and Ihemelu raised his arm in an apparent attempt to chest the ball down.

After a brief pause, Weyland pointed the spot, also showing Ihemelu a yellow card for the intentional handball. With a longing crowd behind him, De Rosario buried the shot just inside the near post and delivered the victory for the Dynamo.

Pat Onstad made five saves in goal for the Dynamo, who nevertheless remained unbeaten at home and are now part of an amazing statistic that proved true once again Saturday night. MLS teams are now 34-0-7 when scoring the first goal of the game.

The Rapids have now lost three of four games overall after winning two of their first three matches to start the season.

The Dynamo had their share of good chances early on, but failed to test Rapids goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul. Ching had good opportunities in both the 18th and 27th minutes when he found some room, but both times his shots were too high.

On the latter chance, he was sent in alone on goal, but as Coundoul came flying out to close down the angle, Ching scuffed his chip shot just over the crossbar.

Colorado had a good look in the 28th minute when Cummings got through the Houston defense, but center back Bobby Boswell recovered nicely for the Dynamo and forced Cummings to the outside.

Six minutes later, Cummings had another good look from about 25 yards out, but his shot stayed low and Onstad dove to his left to make the easy save.

But the Dynamo got the break they were looking for in the 43rd minute when Stuart Holden again sent Ching in all alone behind the Colorado defense. This time Coundoul was first to reach the ball -- but it slipped past him as he tried to clear it away.

Ching raced past Coundoul and had only to roll the ball into the unguarded net for his first goal on the year, ending the team's scoreless streak at 234 minutes. Only Kansas City had a longer streak without scoring a goal this season when they went 255 scoreless minutes.

After the halftime break, Cummings had a great look in the 67th minute, but Boswell hustled and caught up with the Colorado striker just outside the goal area and forced a weak shot.

But the Rapids had their revenge a minute later when Cummings, who had chance after chance all night, finally got through the Houston defense and blistered a rolling shot into the far corner of the net for the tying goal.

Eddie Robinson, playing his first match after serving a three-game suspension, was the victim this time. He could not contain Cummings, who took a perfect pass from Christian Gomez outside his right foot and beat Onstad with a great shot for his second goal of the season.

After De Rosario gave the Dynamo the late lead, the Rapids nearly pulled out a miraculous tie. Colin Clark had the best chance to even the match in stoppage time when he fired a shot from just inside the box. But Onstad saw it all the way, making the save and preserving the win for the hosts.


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Dynamo settle for draw with Chivas

Real avoid nightmare finish

SALT LAKE CITY -- For a few tense moments, Real Salt Lake looked like it might relive its stoppage time nightmares against FC Dallas.

It was Dallas who came into Rice-Eccles Stadium a year ago and forced a 2-2 tie after scoring a goal in the 92nd minute. On Saturday night, the setting seemed eerily similar. RSL clung to a 2-1 lead and spent most of the time added on facing down a barrage of Hoops players in the box trying to punch in one last goal.

"Dallas came at us," midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "They brought everything at us. They pushed numbers and they were coming for the draw."

History did not repeat itself in 2008. RSL held onto its lead and took away a 2-1 victory, claiming three points for only the second time this season.

Beckerman produced the go-ahead goal in the 73rd minute. He corralled a lob from fellow midfielder Andy Williams and poked the ball past FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala. Once Beckerman started his run through the center of the FCD defense, he knew Williams would be able to find him for the easy goal.

"Andy, that's what he does," Beckerman said. "He can put in that final pass for anybody. That's what he does and I knew it was coming. So I made the run and he put it on a plate for me and luckily I put it in."

RSL struck first in the 25th minute after cashing in on a defensive lapse by Dallas. Following a long pass downfield, Sala tried to clear the ball out, but his attempt instead ricocheted off Andre Rocha and then Drew Moor in rapid succession.

Javier Morales had no trouble corralling the bouncing ball when it fell to him and he threaded it between Moor and Rocha into the empty goal for a 1-0 RSL lead.

But Kenny Cooper answered for the Hoops in the 56th minute. Andre Rocha lofted the ball down along the right sideline and Cooper beat Borchers in a footrace to the ball.

In one swift motion, Cooper turned and fired. With Rimando stationed at the near post, the ball sailed over him, off the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the back of the net.

Aside from that one spectacular goal, however, Cooper could not find his rhythm against RSL.

"We made the players aware of who the dangerous players for Dallas were and I thought they did a pretty good job of being aware of those guys," RSL coach Jason Kreis said.

RSL opened the game with an atypical 3-5-2 formation, sliding Beltran and Chris Wingert from the backline to wide midfield roles. Kreis said the team did it as a way to prepare for a similar formation they expected to see from Dallas.

When Dallas threw a different look at RSL, going with a 3-4-3, the club made adjustments on the fly, subbing in veteran midfielders Andy Williams and Kenny Cutler to better match the personnel the Hoops put on the field.

Even with a victory, Kreis felt far from satisfied. He considered it to be a lesser effort for the RSL side in a lot of ways because they did not manage the tempo or control possession for long stretches.

"Honestly, I think that's probably one of the worst games we've played this season in my opinion," Kreis said. "In some ways, maybe that's a good thing because maybe we need to learn how to win ugly. I would say tonight was case in point for that. We won ugly."

RSL will take ugly wins, especially when Dallas seemed so close to conjuring up another tie in added time like it did so effectively in 2007.

Ricardinho, who came on as a 77th-minute substitute, somehow found acres of space in front of the RSL goal and fired a shot, which looked to be a gateway to another tie. But Nat Borchers blocked his shot attempt and the ball bounced harmlessly out of bounds.

It was not the only shot Dallas tried to force in during those last desperate minutes but, fortunately, no others got any closer.

"They were pumping some balls in the box and they happened to fall to guys," Wingert said. "We got to do a little better job of staying with our man. But, at the same time, we did a good job of blocking shots and clearing balls.


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Real hold off FCD in see-saw affair

Deja vu in loss to Revolution

CARSON, Calif. -- Chivas USA's season is quickly becoming a broken record. A makeshift lineup concedes an early goal and Chivas USA chases the match, but comes away with a loss.

Sunday's tune was played out by the New England Revolution as Chivas USA dropped a 2-1 result at The Home Depot Center.

The match was the fifth time Chivas USA has allowed the first goal in a match this season, and the club is 0-4-1 in those games.

"Lately we give up the first goal all the time and our history has proven that we're not good at getting ourselves back in the game," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said.

Overall, Chivas USA slumped to 1-4-2 and will try to correct things on Saturday against D.C. United at The Home Depot Center.

The trick for the Red-and-White is to keep plugging along despite the negative results, Chivas USA coach Preki said.

"It's one of those times where the ball is not rolling your way," he said. "On the other side, you can't feel sorry for yourself. You've got to pick yourself up and get ready for the next game and be sure you're ready."

Chivas USA was forced to make do without starting defenders Lawson Vaughn and Jonathan Bornstein. Vaughn broke his nose in last week's match in Houston while Bornstein sprained his knee in training on Thursday. Each player will miss more than one month and possibly up to two. A third was missing as Claudio Suarez was suspended after being sent off last weekend in Houston.

Bobby Burling and Eric Ebert started on the left and right sides of the defense respectively.

"We scrambled to put the backline together but I thought we did a decent job," Preki said. "We didn't give too many things away but once again we had a couple of breakdowns and we paid for them. At the moment, it looks like at the moment we make a mistake, we get punished."

With yet another makeshift lineup, the club allowed the first goal of the match. This time it was Kenny Mansally who did the damage, as he sprinted down the middle of the field and slotted home a left-footed shot in the 18th minute.

New England, though, yielded a bulk of the possession in the first quarter hour.

"Up until the first goal I felt like things were going okay," Marsch said. "I feel like it's a little bit of a broken record because in some ways we do OK but either us playing in ways to get the upper hand or us getting a couple of breaks here or there, right now it's not working."

The club pieced together some possession in New England's third of the field but could not put a dangerous opportunity on the Revolution goal. Preki said the goal was a bit of punishment for lack of finishing in the first quarter-hour. "It was a very, very strange game especially in the first half," Preki said. "We had two or three really good chances and we don't put the ball into the net. Next thing you know, one ball over the top and we are 1-0 down. After that, I think that kind of took the wind out of us and we had a tough time for the next 25 minutes."

In the second half, New England's Taylor Twellman scored his first goal of the season in his first game of the season. The goal also came against the run of play as the Revs opened the second half in a defensive posture.

"Once again, they make one play going forward and we're 2-0 down," Preki said. "In a lot of ways I feel it was a little bit of a lopsided score but ... sometimes that's the way the games go. Fortunately enough we're still only four points out of first place."

Chivas USA cut the Revs lead in half when Galindo found Justin Braun in front of the goal in second-half stoppage time. However, the goal came too late to make a difference in the result.

For now, the club will lick its wounds and try to find the formula for success in training this week. Players remain optimistic in the club's chances this season.

"Right now we're a little frustrated," Marsch said. "I still think it's a good group and we're going to stick together and figure this thing out. There is no answer right now but we all just have to believe in each other, trust each other and keep moving forward."


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Victory at LA will resonate for Bulls

CARSON, Calif. -- Walking away from The Home Depot Center on Saturday with three points in hand was significant, but for the New York Red Bulls the way in which the victory came about will resonate for some time to come.

Juan Pablo Angel's 78th-minute goal canceled out Alan Gordon's tally barely a minute earlier as New York walked away from the match with a 2-1 victory.

The Red Bulls improved to 3-1-2 and notched their first road victory of the season.

"(The three points) are massive," Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. "It's three games in a row we haven't lost and I think it shows with a different formation we can get results away from home."

Equally as important was Angel's play. The club's leading scorer from last season showed good form throughout the match but the Galaxy's defense contained the Colombian striker for most of the first 77 minutes of the game.

But after the Red Bulls conceded the equalizer, Angel responded. Dane Richards raced past Brandon McDonald and slipped the ball to the top of the penalty area. Angel skirted past Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin and buried a shot in an empty net.

"I think the most important thing was the way we reacted right after they tied the game. It was a great play on a counterattack and a perfect pass by Dane Richards," Angel said. "We were upset for having given up a goal, but I think the way we reacted leaves us all feeling good. They could have easily taken control of the game but we did not let them and that's the most satisfactory thing from the game."

Angel, who tore apart MLS with 19 goals a year ago, tallied his first strike of 2008. Battling through hamstring problems, Angel has missed time this season.

The goal and his overall 90-minute effort were positive steps forward, Angel said.

"It's been quite a difficult start for me in terms of the injury I've been having," Angel said. "I'm still not feeling 100 percent but I've been trying to get myself in good shape and the only way that you're going to do it is ... to play games and that's what I'm trying to do. Little by little, I'm getting there."

With Angel regaining his health, the club might now face upcoming matches with more confidence. The win was the Red Bulls' first in three tries away from Giants Stadium.

"We didn't have a road win yet and we're improving, from Dallas to Toronto to here, and you see it in the results," Red Bulls midfielder Dave van den Bergh said. "I thought we played better in Toronto but we'll take the three points. It's always a tough road game here."

Throughout the match, van den Bergh was matched up with David Beckham -- though his task was a relatively straightforward plan. "I thought it was a good battle. Everybody knows exactly what he's good so it was important for me to take away the crosses," van den Bergh said. "He had a couple in -- you can't prevent him from crossing the ball, that's impossible especially in a big field like this."

Van den Bergh was also on the receiving end of a Beckham challenge. In the 67th minute, Beckham flattened van den Bergh on the near the left touchline. As van den Bergh lay on the field, Beckham was booked for the first time this season.

"He fouled me and got a yellow. That's it," van den Bergh said. "He gave me an earful but that's all right."

Overall, though, van den Bergh said he walked away feeling good about the clash with Beckham.

"I thought it was a good battle. He forces people to rise to the occasion and I love that," he said. "Those are the games you want to play."

Red Bulls rookie Danleigh Borman also had a memorable match. Borman's 21st-minute strike was his first goal in a Red Bulls uniform. The play gave the visitors the lead as Borman collected a rebound after Jozy Altidore was turned away by Galaxy 'keeper Steve Cronin.

"It just was reaction," Borman said. "I saw the ball bounce toward me. I saw the goal open and I took the shot right straight in the corner."

Afterward, Borman ran toward the left corner and did a backflip that appeared to break down midway through the landing, though the rookie said it was "intended."

Nonetheless, he said his first tally was "unbelievable. It was a relief to get my first goal in MLS, in professional soccer."


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Quakes' offense awakens in loss

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- In the run-up to Saturday's match against the Columbus Crew, the question being posed was "Can the San Jose Earthquakes score?" And while the Quakes were twice able to answer that query in the affirmative, holding a late lead proved beyond their collective reach, as the visitors bagged three late goals in a 10-minute span to claim a 3-2 victory.

It was a result that left the Earthquakes shaking their collective heads, especially given how sound defensively the team had been in the season's opening weeks. Manager Frank Yallop characterized the effort as "disappointing," although the words of Quakes defender James Riley were a better reflection of the San Jose's mood afterwards.

"Unbelievably frustrating," said Riley. "We definitely let it get away. We scored two goals at home, and we pride ourselves on our defense. That's why we're kicking ourselves in the face right now."

While the Crew did plenty to test the Quakes defense throughout the match, the home side had looked composed enough through the game's first 70 minutes to think that they would make Ramiro Corrales' first-half goal stand up.

But it was then that the Crew's attack kicked into overdrive. The introduction of Nigerian under-23 international Emmanuel Ekpo gave the Crew some fresh legs, and all of a sudden Columbus was slicing through the San Jose defense with ease.

The warning signs were evident in the 71st minute when both Ezra Hendrickson and Brad Evans went close, only to be denied by Quakes 'keeper Joe Cannon. But rather than clinch a San Jose victory, the saves were rendered to footnote status as Robbie Rogers scored twice in an eight-minute span beginning in the 73rd minute, both times on solo breakaways. Brad Evans than scored what proved to be a priceless insurance tally on a similar play in the 83rd minute, as Ryan Johnson's goal four minutes later pulled the Quakes back within a goal.

Such breakdowns late in a match might lead one to think that fatigue was the root cause of the Quakes' demise. But defender Nick Garcia said the problems had more to do with their heads than with their legs.

"I think we fell asleep," said Garcia. "I think we were a little inattentive in relationship to where the ball was and where our men were. They jumped on the opportunity, but I think it was our shortcoming of not anticipating the second balls."

That lack of anticipation gave the Crew increased time and space in the middle of the park, and when those commodities are given to the likes of Guillermo Barros Schelotto, there can be only one outcome.

Of course, it wasn't just the defense that was hanging their heads. In the 63rd minute, midfielder Ronnie O'Brien had a glorious chance to pad the Quakes' lead when Kei Kamara's flick-on put the Irishman clean through on goal. But O'Brien's attempted chip went just wide.

"I should have made it 2-0 and I didn't," lamented O'Brien. "Then the ball breaks in midfield, one quick pass, they're in behind us and we're 2-1 down. But you just can't give up goals like that. I think we gave up three soft goals. You can't win games doing that."

San Jose now has the task of trying to get well on the road next week against New England. Given their struggles at home, getting a result seems unlikely, although the Quakes' lone win this season did come on the road against Colorado. Despite the enormity of the challenge, and perhaps in an effort to dull the pain of Saturday's defeat, San Jose already has their sights set on the Revs.

"We're not going to sit back in our rocking chairs and say, 'We should have done better, we're going to sulk for the week, and hope we do well against New England,'" said Garcia. "We're thinking about New England right now and that's the way we have to approach it."


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Twellman, Revs trump Chivas USA

CARSON, Calif. -- Taylor Twellman made a successful return to the field, scoring a goal in the New England Revolution's 2-1 victory against Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center on Sunday afternoon.

Twellman's second-half goal was his first of the year after missing all of the Revs' first seven games of the season while recovering from knee surgery before the season started.

Kenny Mansally scored the go-ahead goal for the Revs in the first half. Both goals were setup by Steve Ralston, who made his second consecutive appearance after missing five matches through injury.

Chivas USA added a late consolation goal through Justin Braun, his first professional goal. But it wasn't enough to keep the home side from seeing their winless streak extended to five games on the season.

Chivas USA had the game's first threat on goal in the 10th minute. Ante Razov sent a pass into the Revs penalty area that Jesse Marsch hit first-time. His shot, though, was just wide left of the goal.

Later, Mansally nearly capitalized on a dreadful back pass by Chivas USA defender Eric Ebert. Ebert had the ball on the left side of the field when he sent a soft pass back towards his own penalty area. Mansally immediately broke towards the ball but was met just outside the penalty area by a sliding Brad Guzan, who arrived in time to clear the ball out of play.

Mansally, however, made no mistake in the 18th minute. Jeff Larentowicz sent a long pass over the Chivas USA defense and into space for Mansally. The Gambian international collected the pass, dribbled into the Chivas USA penalty area and coolly slotted the ball past Brad Guzan and into the left side of the goal to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage. The strike gave Mansally two goals on the season.

The Revs nearly doubled their lead a minute from halftime. This time, it was Mansally on the giving end, threading a pass through two Chivas USA defenders that was controlled by Mauricio Castro. Castro took a touch before ripping a shot from outside the penalty area. Guzan, however, was able to make an impressive save, swatting the ball over the goalpost to keep Chivas USA within a goal heading into the locker room for the intermission.

Taylor Twellman entered the match to begin the second half, coming on in place of Mansally. It was the first action the forward has seen all season after undergoing knee surgery to repair a meniscus tear in early April.

Maykel Galindo missed a chance to equalize for Chivas USA in the 52nd minute when he put a sliding attempt wide right of the Revs goal from close range.

Revs coach Steve Nicol went to his bench again in the 55th minute, bringing in Kheli Dube in place of Castro.

Twellman had his first look at the goal in the 57th minute. He showed some signs of rust, however, as he weakly hit a one-time shot from eight yards out that Guzan easily scooped up.

As it happened, it only took Twellman one poor attempt to shake off any lingering rust.

Just two minutes later, Ralston hit another looping pass into space that Twellman controlled some 35 yards out from goal. Twellman raced towards the penalty area with a defender at his heels before hitting a shot past Guzan for his long-awaited first goal of the season.

Twellman and the Revs were given a scare five minutes later when he went down near midfield clutching his leg. Twellman was tended to by the team's trainer before hobbling off the field. He was able to gingerly walk off the knock on the sideline though, before returning to the field.

He had another chance to put the game on ice and completely seal his return in the 86th minute, but fired wide left of the goal from nine yards out.

Chivas USA finally broke through in stoppage time. Galindo sent a pass across the area to Braun, who fired past two Revs defenders. But the goal proved to be too little too late for Chivas as the match ended moments after the restart, the home side seeing their winless streak extended to five games.


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Real hold off FCD in see-saw affair

SALT LAKE CITY -- Real Salt Lake continued to show they have what it takes to win on their home field, a late Kyle Beckerman goal giving them a 2-1 victory against FC Dallas on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Javier Morales took advantage of an FC Dallas mixup to score in the first half, but Kenny Cooper scored the first goal for FCD in three matches to bring the match level.

Beckerman answered shortly thereafter, poking a lob from Andy Williams past FCD 'keeper Dario Sala for the game-winner. It was the second victory for RSL this season -- both coming at home -- and extended the Hoops' winless streak to three games.

FC Dallas came out on the attack in the very first minute when Juan Toja launched a quick shot that sailed high.

Toja went to work again in the fourth minute when he sent the ball wide to Arturo Alvarez. Alvarez spun and released the ball, but his would-be shot did not go far, as RSL defender Nat Borchers slid across the turf to deflect away the ball.

RSL attacked on the other end but came away empty-handed as well. Beckerman's shot in the sixth minute turned into an easy save for Sala.

Chris Wingert crossed to Fabian Espindola in the 11th minute. But Espindola's subsequent header could not get past an airborne Sala.

Things devolved into a real comedy of errors for the Hoops and RSL about midway through the first half.

It all began with a free kick by Dema Kovalenko in the 25th minute. Kovalenko sent a powerful drive that sailed past the left side of the FCD wall, only to see his shot clank off the near post and the ball ricochet back to Duilio Davino.

Inexplicably, Davino sent the ball back toward his own net. The potential own goal never developed though, as Kenny Deuchar made a "save." Deuchar had dove to try and head the rebound in, and instead found himself in the path of the oncoming ball and it ended up striking him in the back.

Things got wackier when RSL finally got on the board in the 28th minute. From a long pass downfield, Sala tried to clear the ball out, but his attempt instead ricocheted off Andre Rocha and Drew Moor in succession.

The ball fell to Morales and he had no trouble corralling the bouncing ball and threading it between Moor and Rocha into the empty goal for a 1-0 RSL lead.

RSL did not get another shot the rest of the half, but good defense and some lucky bounces made the lead stand going into halftime.

Cooper wound up and uncoiled a booming drive from 35 yards out in the 33rd minute. His shot looked on target when it was released, but just skimmed past the outside of the far post.

It was a tough half for Cooper, who also had an earlier scoring opportunity in the 17th minute also fizzle away. He had two shots at the goal. The first one ended up being deflected away on a header by Tony Beltran. Cooper latched onto the ball again a few seconds later, but his second shot went high over the top of the net.

Dallas seemingly had another solid chance in the 36th minute when Abe Thompson drove along the near sideline and had only to beat Kovalenko one-on-one to score. Thompson arched a shot over Kovalenko's head, but the ball landed flush in the hands of RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

The Hoops finally evened things up in the 56th minute when Rocha lofted the ball down along the right sideline and Cooper beat Borchers in a footrace to the ball. In one swift motion, Cooper turned and fired. With Rimando stationed at the near post, the ball sailed over him, off the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the back of the net.

RSL worked quickly to answer. Kovalenko tried to create something on a drive in the 60th minute. Sala met him in the box and Kovalenko fired a shot under him, only to see Davino clear away the ball before it could reach the net.

Beckerman first tried for the go-ahead goal in the 72nd minute when he settled the ball after it had been passed back-and-forth around the top of the area like a hot potato. Sala swiftly grabbed his shot out of the air.

But Beckerman wasn't denied a minute later. A deft chip from Williams sailed over the pulled-up FCD backline and Beckerman slipped in all alone on goal, poking the ball between Sala's legs as he came off his line.

Dallas nearly punched in a goal a couple of times during stoppage time at the end of the second half, but an alert save by Rimando preserved the victory.


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Red Bulls' quick answer dooms LA

CARSON, Calif. -- There's a cardinal rule in soccer: The most dangerous times in a game for a team to concede a goal are the first five minutes of the half, the last five minutes of the half, and five minutes after a goal is scored. The Los Angeles Galaxy fell victim to that rule Saturday night, giving up the game-winning goal to the New York Red Bulls just seconds after they had pulled level.

The Galaxy went into the locker room down a goal after Danleigh Borman cleaned up a rebound in the box in the 21st minute. They fought their way back into the game and clearly dominated the offensive pressure, but couldn't make the final breakdown of the Red Bulls defense.

Then, in the 77th minute, Alan Gordon knotted the game at 1-1. Yet with the crowd still celebrating, Dane Richards and Juan Pablo Angel combined for what proved to be the game-winning goal immediately off the restart.

It's been an ominous theme for Los Angeles in the early part of the season. Toronto FC's Jeff Cunningham scored in the waning moments a few weeks back to steal a win for the Canadian side. Against Chivas USA, the Galaxy gave away a game-tying goal just three minutes after taking the lead. The Galaxy eventually went on to win that game, but a pattern was starting to develop.

Saturday 2-1 defeat at The Home Depot Center was the third time this season that Los Angeles has lost concentration, and perhaps a lesson will be learned.

"When you finally break through to get that goal and gain the momentum, to give one up so quickly shows that we're a bit naïve," said Chris Klein. "We know what's in this locker room and when you don't see that come together, especially in the sport of soccer, (giving up goals) can happen. When it starts to happen one, two, three times, you start to see a trend. We don't want that to happen."

The frustration was clearly demonstrated on the face of Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit after the game. Gullit was one of the greatest players of his generation, so he could see the play develop that resulted in the game-losing goal, but couldn't do much to stop it.

"If you get the goal then you must talk with each other and say 'Don't take that risk, stay tight, make the team a little closer to each other,'" said Gullit. "I'm on the sidelines saying use your head, and it doesn't happen. That is very frustrating and it's a pity because you fought so well and used a lot of energy (to get back into the game)."

Los Angeles has lacked that mental awareness for a full 90 minutes all season long. Los Angeles had a number of young players in the lineup, which can attribute to some of the lax play. The Galaxy have grown accustomed to their star players bailing them out of difficult situations, and that has come back to bite the team, especially against New York.

"Sometimes in a game, I don't know what it is, we switch off. We think we can win only on talent and that's not true," said Gullit. "We have to work hard every week. We have to stick to our game plan."

Another troubling sign is the Galaxy's inability to maintain their home-field advantage. So far, the Galaxy have played five home games and are 2-2-1 in those matches. In MLS, it has been proven vital to pick up as many points as possible at home in order to be successful over the course of a full season.

"We know that any team that has done well in this league has played well at home," said Klein. "We have to establish ourselves as one of those teams."

As is the case all over the world in soccer, one mental breakdown can often times spell the difference between success and failure. Saturday night, one short lapse of concentration in a moment of celebration cost the Galaxy a critical point -- and for the Galaxy the hope is that those mental errors can be corrected quickly.


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Crew storm past San Jose in second half

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- For nearly 75 minutes, it seemed the Columbus Crew would see their winning streak and stint atop the Eastern Conference come to an end.

But then in a span of 11 minutes, the Crew exposed the San Jose Earthquakes with three defense-splitting goals before holding on for a 3-2 come-from-behind victory Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium.

A Ramiro Corrales header put the home side ahead just three minutes before halftime, but Robbie Rogers scored twice and substitute Brad Evans added a third to put Columbus in the driver's seat. Ryan Johnson pulled a goal back for San Jose to make for a tension-filled final few minutes, but the Crew hung on for a priceless road victory.

The result sees the Quakes remain rooted to the foot of the Western Conference table. Columbus extended their wining streak to five games, and moved back into first place in the East, two points ahead of Chicago. The comeback over the final 17 minutes also marked the first time in MLS this season that the team which scored first went on to lose.

The opening exchanges were played out entirely in midfield, but it was the Crew who first took control. Their sizable height advantage in defense blunted San Jose's direct approach, while in attack, Rogers found space down the left wing.

One such foray in the 12th minute almost saw the Crew break on top. Rogers' hard work won a corner kick, and Schelotto's subsequent delivery was headed against the bar by Ezra Hendrickson.

Columbus kept the pressure on, winning several more corner kicks. The last of these forced a weak punch from Cannon, but when the ball fell to Stefani Miglioranzi in the box, the Crew midfielder could only shoot over.

San Jose countered by finding some space on the wings, with Ronnie O'Brien seeing plenty of the ball. His feed in the 19th minute found Kei Kamara with some room near the top of the box, but his shot was deflected wide by the Crew defense.

The Quakes then had a glorious chance to break on top in the 28th minute, when Eric Denton's pass gave Ivan Guerrero a clear look at goal, but the Honduran failed to put enough bend on the ball, and his shot went inches wide of the far post.

The Crew received a blow in the 31st minute, when Miglioranzi was stretchered off the field with what was diagnosed as a left quadriceps stain, forcing him to make way for Evans.

The Quakes continued to find space out wide, and just missed connecting on a series of crosses. But the home side's persistence paid off just three minutes before halftime, when Denton's attempted cross was knocked over the end line. Ronnie O'Brien swung in the resulting corner, and Corrales' diving header gave Hesmer no chance in the Crew goal.

San Jose nearly doubled their advantage just five minutes after the break, when O'Brien's curling effort was snared by Hesmer.

Columbus responded with several attacks going through Frankie Hejduk. The most dangerous of these came in the 56th minute, when his delicate chip from a half-cleared corner kick was touched over the bar by Cannon.

The Quakes 'keeper nearly gifted the Crew an equalizer in the 61st minute when he slipped trying to clear a ball in his own penalty area, allowing Alejandro Moreno to steal the ball. But Cannon was able to force the Venezuelan into a poor shooting angle and Moreno could only put his shot across the face of goal.

San Jose manager Frank Yallop brought on Shea Salinas and Ryan Johnson in effort to settle the match, but Columbus, with Emmanuel Ekpo entering the game for Eddie Gaven, cranked up the pressure, and soon took over the game.

Cannon was forced into two sprawling saves just seconds apart in the 71st minute, one at the feet of Hendrickson, and a second from an Evans header.

It proved to be the briefest of respites. Ekpo's pass from midfield released Rogers on a clear breakaway on the left, and he coolly slotted home the equalizer between Cannon's legs before wheeling away to celebrate the present for his 21st birthday, which comes in just two days' time.

Ten minutes later, Rogers added his second on a pass from Moreno, this time rounding Cannon to score into an empty net. The remarkable sequence was completed by Evans, who with the Quakes' backline exposed, was put through by Schelotto and hit his shot into the roof of the net.

The Quakes weren't done, as Johnson nodded home Ned Grabavoy's corner with just three minutes remaining, but it wasn't enough, as San Jose remained winless at home, while Columbus continued their hot start.


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Serie A round-up
Crew top Wizards, remain in first
Quakes set to christen Buck Shaw Stadium
Quakes hope experience pays off

Galaxy renew rivalry with Red Bulls

CARSON, Calif. -- The last time the Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls faced off, they battled to a 5-4 contest at Giants Stadium in what was arguably one of the best games in MLS history. In that game, David Beckham picked up two assists, while Juan Pablo Angel and Jozy Altidore each scored a pair for New York en route to a dramatic victory.

On Saturday, the Galaxy welcome New York to The Home Depot Center, and slowing down the Red Bulls offense is going to be a point of focus this time around.

"We need to eliminate space and don't let Altidore get running at us," said defender Greg Vanney. "You always have to know where Angel is in the box, because he can get on the end of things and is a great finisher."

As always, it will be interesting to see how New York will line up. Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio is a noted tactician, choosing each lineup and formation specifically to suit the upcoming opponent -- a task not helped by the fact that his team is banged up, with both Angel and Altidore limited in training this week.

Depending on who's healthy will go a long way towards determining the formation the Galaxy will be facing. That uncertainty has Los Angeles preparing for anything.

"Last week (New York) played three up front and they played Altidore more as a winger, and Angel up front. If they do that, we're going to essentially match up with our four in the back and have some cover in the middle," said Vanney. "If they play two up front, our center backs will have to match up and the outside guys will have to give cover."

While New York is short of a few healthy bodies, one thing the Galaxy team isn't short on is confidence. The club is riding a three-game unbeaten streak and is only one point out of first place in the Western Conference.

"They've got some really big names. It's going to be a really, really tight game. We're not too worried about them though," said Mike Randolph. "We're more focused on ourselves. If we play our game, I don't think there are too many teams that can beat us right now. That's the way our team is feeling right now."

The Galaxy's game lately can be summarized in one word; offense. The strategy seems to be score early, and score often. The defensive side of the ball has been shaky all season long, and the offense has been carrying the load. With the weapons that New York has at their disposal, the game could turn into another shootout.

With Landon Donovan and David Beckham both playing as well as anyone in the league right now, there are very few teams that can keep up with the Galaxy offensively. Still, one of those teams that can is New York, so the defense is likely going to have to step it up Saturday night if the Galaxy are to bring home the full complement of points.

"Every team has their fair share of good players. On any given day anybody can beat anybody," said Randloph. "We're watching out for key players, but in reality, we're really just trying to focus on our defense."


RYDER BOOST FOR McDOWELL
Voro Aims To Clear First Hurdle
WEEKLEY AT CAREER HIGH
Galaxy defense looks to step up
Red Bulls rally for road draw with TFC
Late foul proves costly for Quakes

Wizards have bye week to regroup

KANSAS CITY -- After a productive four-game homestand where they dropped only one decision, followed by a 1-0 triumph at Chicago, and then consecutive losses on the road, the Kansas City Wizards have a bye week to recoup.

One would think four days of training and a weekend off would be welcomed. Well, yes ... and no.

"Yes, because it gives us time off to get three of our starters back to health -- [Davy] Arnaud, [Sasha] Victorine and [Carlos] Marinelli," said Kansas City head coach Curt Onalfo. "No, because anytime you have a loss, you want to get back out there as quickly as possible -- you have two weeks until you can redeem yourself."

Added midfielder Jack Jewsbury: "We wouldn't mind getting out there this weekend and get another "W" to get [last Saturday's 2-1 loss at league-leading Columbus] off our minds for sure."

The attitude towards losing is not a new one, certainly, yet the attitude does imply a slightly different focus for the 2008 Wizards. In his first season at the helm in 2007, Onalfo repeatedly preached performance, not results, when discussing the team's progress. Seven games into year two, a more results-oriented Onalfo is emerging.

"I'm still focused on the performance of the group and getting better; if you're constantly getting better with your performance, the results are going to come. [But] we are a little bit more focused on results this year; our expectations are higher this year," he said. "But we're probably the only team in MLS that is playing as many young players as we're playing."

The increased focus on results and then playing younger players is seemingly a paradox. And even though the situation is a tribute to the talents of defenders Tyson Wahl, Michael Harrington and rookie Chance Myers and midfielders Kurt Morsink and rookie Roger Espinoza, the situation is also a necessity.

"The reason why we have a lot of younger players playing is partly our philosophy of developing players. But more so that we have three starters that aren't currently playing, which gives us [time to those guys]," said Onalfo. "It's a real positive ... you're developing depth."

Even when a match like the one in Columbus transpires in which some "youthful errors" were made, positives can occur.

Just four minutes in, the Wizards went down a goal as Crew midfielder Adam Moffat leapt over goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and Jewsbury in the box to nod the ball into the net off a set piece. Thirty minutes later, the Crew went up two when Hartman and Myers failed to sweep away a ball between them as Robbie Rogers of the Crew got a decisive foot in. The downward spiral continued two minutes later when rookie Roger Espinoza was ejected for putting an elbow toward Frankie Hejduk.

"When you have a youthful team, you're going to have youthful errors," said Onalfo. "We made some youthful errors against Columbus. Having said that, we responded extremely well from the adversity, and I was very pleased with how we finished the game."

"From that point on, it's a real character check on this team," said Jewsbury of being two goals and a man down. "We won the second half with 10 guys. You have to be happy with the way everyone reacted to the situation."

The introduction of Argentinean playmaker Marinelli, still hobbled by a groin strain, helped the Wizards gain possession and attacking thrust as they closed in on the Crew with a 79th-minute penalty kick goal converted by Lopez.

"Carlos started the season very, very well. He has passes in him that change the outcome of the game, and when he's on the field, Lopez plays a bit further up the field for us. We're just a better team going forward," said Onalfo. "When you lose a guy of that caliber [to a lingering injury], you lose some of those final passes."

Other chances created by the resurgent Wizards attack went wanting, but Kansas City had rediscovered their game.

Further recovery in technique and tactics will come in training -- and in a return to health for Marinelli, Victorine (groin strain) and Arnaud (hamstring strain), who will be hopefully fit enough to be reserves against New York in a week's time.


Clemente Unhappy With Draw
STENSON HAS MAJOR TARGET
VfB put on strong performance
Despite bruises, Wizards set for Fire
Wizards douse Fire, move into first
Crew top Wizards, remain in first

Yallop not ready to make changes

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- If the San Jose Earthquakes attack had a theme song, Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue" would probably suffice, given their paltry production of two goals in five games.

Yet as the Quakes prepare to play host the Columbus Crew this Saturday, manager Frank Yallop is also following Dylan's lead. Rather than make wholesale changes, his plans are to "keep on keepin' on," both in terms of his lineup and tactics.

While this might strike some as counterintuitive, kick-starting an offense is more of a delicate operation than one might suspect. When goals are scarce, the impulse is to play amateur mechanic and start tinkering with all manner of team matters. But doing so risks killing the confidence of the players affected. It means that sometimes, showing continued faith is the best medicine.

And given the way San Jose played last week against FC Dallas, Yallop has his reasons for keeping things consistent, at least tactically. The Quakes created plenty of chances, both in the run of play as well as from dead ball situations. As a result, Yallop feels that the only thing needed is some fine tuning.

"We're just lacking that little bit of guile in the box, that little bit of belief," said Yallop. "But we've worked on it all week, and hopefully it will come Saturday."

One change Yallop will make is to give newly acquired forward Peguero Jean Philippe his first start of the season. Gavin Glinton, who had started the previous four games, is scheduled to fly to Germany next week for sports hernia surgery, and while he will be available as a substitute, his pending absence means that Jean Philippe will have the chance to show off his abilities over 90 minutes.

"[Jean Philippe] is a little unpredictable, that's a good part of his game," said Yallop. "He needs to do the work between the boxes that's simple and clean, but then in the box we want him to be inventive and dangerous."

Although defender Ryan Cochrane will likely sit out his second consecutive match as he recovers from a concussion, most everything else will remain constant, an approach that defender James Riley feels is the right path to take, especially as it relates to the team's attack.

"We just need to keep things on an even keel," said Riley. "Obviously it's a team chemistry thing, knowing how our forwards like the ball, how our midfielders like to be set up. But if we keep putting the ball into good spots, eventually it will come."

Putting the ball into good spots -- and converting -- is something the Crew has been doing since the start of the season. Attackers Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno have been particularly effective, ably supported by young midfielders Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers, although second-year midfielder Adam Moffat is out after undergoing surgery on his right knee his week.

While Schelotto provides most of the creative spark, it has been the hard work of ex-Quakes striker Moreno who has helped turn tight games into victories.

"[Moreno] is a guy in the final third who just runs hard every play," said Quakes midfielder Ned Grabavoy, who will be facing his former team on Saturday. "He's going to find those extra couple of chances that some forwards might not because he's not going to give up."

Stopping the Crew's multi-pronged attack means employing a game plan similar to the one that worked so well against Dallas -- one that relied on high pressure to limit the space of FCD's more creative elements. That will be especially important against Schelotto, who is Columbus' designated drifter in the attacking part of the field.

If San Jose can limit the Argentinean's influence, and find that missing final touch in front of goal, their chances of victory certainly go up. But after getting only one point out of two well-played home games, the Quakes are clearly valuing substance over style.

"We just want a win," said Grabavoy. "One goal, three goals, it doesn't matter. That's what we're playing for."


Steady progress being made by Quakes
Late foul proves costly for Quakes
Quakes still waiting on offense

Vaughn bides time before return

CARSON, Calif. -- After battling to overcome lingering ankle and hamstring injuries, Chivas USA defender Lawson Vaughn said he thought he had done well to overcome his health issues before Saturday's game in Houston.

Now, Vaughn is facing up to six weeks on the sidelines, and he has his defensive mentality and Dwayne De Rosario to thank for that.

In the ninth minute of Saturday's match at Houston, Vaughn went up to try and clear a cross out of the penalty area. Instead, he met De Rosario's boot as the Dynamo's star midfielder slammed Vaughn's face with vicious force.

De Rosario broke Vaughn's nose -- "completely shattered" it, said Vaughn -- and the third-year right back has had two surgeries to correct the nose since and has been ruled out for 4-6 weeks.

"I really felt like I was starting to turn the corner leading up to the Houston game and I started to feel really good," Vaughn said. "Now I'm kind of bummed because I got another setback with this broken nose."

Unlike teammate Claudio Suarez, who broke his own nose on April 11, Vaughn did not have the option to postpone surgery and play with a broken nose. Initially, doctors told Vaughn that more tests would need to be done upon his return to Los Angeles. Once he saw a doctor, Vaughn was operated upon fairly quickly.

In fact, the injury will probably remain in his doctor's mind.

"He told me ... that there was not one piece of bone up there so it was completely shattered," Vaughn said. "What he told my girlfriend was that the impact was pretty intense. One of the worst ones he could remember was that of a man being kicked by a horse in the face. He said it was along that kind of impact."

On Thursday, he was operated for the second time after follow-up exams revealed the necessity for a second procedure.

Still, despite the initial shock of having broken his nose and the subsequent operations and being ruled out for at least a month, Vaughn is not exactly second-guessing his decision to clear the ball.

"For me as a defender, it's kind of like what do you do? Do you shy away and let them have a free look at goal and possibly a goal with a bike or do you put your head in there and just stop the play right away? I just wanted to stop the play right away. I didn't want to give him the chance to score," Vaughn said.

It's a defensive philosophy he said he picked up from playing with a pair of experienced central defenders.

"I've played with ... Claudio (Suarez) and Carlos Llamosa, who was another great defender, the past couple of years," Vaughn said. "The way they play is just do whatever you have to, use any part of your body to stop the other team from scoring. That's rubbed off on me for sure."

If any positives came from the incident, it's that Vaughn did not suffer a concussion. Vaughn said he remembers the play with vivid detail.

"It was coming down our left side and they had a cross in the box. I knew De Rosario was there. I don't know if he knew I was there," he recalled. "The ball was six feet in the air so I'm going up for a header to clear it, not expecting to meet a cleat six feet in the air."

De Rosario, who was booked for the play, landed a violent blow on Vaughn's nose. Not only did De Rosario shatter Vaughn's nose, he also tore open a gash that required 32 stitches to close.

Vaughn tried to keep his composure after the initial impact.

"I remember going up for the header. I remember hitting the ground and rolling over. I never blacked out at all," Vaughn said. "I remember looking down at my hand and seeing it was all red and going 'I broke my nose. I broke my nose.'"

With blood streaming down his face, Vaughn left the field and was immediately replaced by Chris Pozniak. Despite the severity of the injury, Vaughn said he was not in a lot of anguish.

"Surprisingly there wasn't much pain," he said. "It was just very uncomfortable because I couldn't breathe through my nose and I was freaking out about that. I was more freaked out than I had broken my nose than I was about the pain."

Typically, a broken nose might be treated by straightening the bone or cartilage in the nose. A doctor attempted that with Vaughn once in the locker room.

"It was kind of funny because he was telling me 'It's going to hurt for like three seconds after.' He reset it three times because I kept moving it. There wasn't really that much pain actually," Vaughn said.

Once Vaughn recovers from his nasal fracture, only time will reveal how long-lasting the injury is. Mentally, though, Vaughn figures he might have a small obstacle he said he would readily overcome. After all, he said he is not about to change his style of play.

"Psychologically I may want to wear a mask the first couple of games just to make sure but I don't think I'm going to be too scared to go for challenges, for headers or what not," Vaughn said. "I think I may wear a mask initially just for protection but I don't think I'm going to wear it for a long period of time, if it's up to me."


Mark van Bommel with broken nose
Suarez eyes imminent return to field
Dynamo settle for draw with Chivas

Hoops hoping to reignite attack

FRISCO, Texas -- It's no great surprise around MLS that FC Dallas has greatly improved defensively. In their first six games, the Western Conference co-leaders have allowed just five goals, the third-least on the circuit. But while the Hoops have been solid in the back, in their last two games, their attack has sputtered as they have failed to find the back of the net.

But head coach Steve Morrow isn't worried as his side heads to the Wasatch Front to face Real Salt Lake at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday night.

"It's no real concern," Morrow said. "I think all teams will go through that at some point during the season. We scored quite a few goals at the beginning of the season, so we've got enough of an offensive core in the team to start scoring again. We have worked a lot on that in practice this week -- our play in the final third of the field, getting more shots on goal and crosses into the box."

If the Hoops are ripe for an offensive explosion, it could very well come at the expense of RSL, who has allowed 11 goals so far, the third-highest total in MLS.

"I think going in there, we have to be ready to attack them, test their back four and test them defensively as a team," Morrow said. "We certainly want to get at them and get on the scoring sheet again."

Last week, FCD traveled to San Jose and left the Bay Area with one point thanks to a scoreless draw with the Earthquakes. But forward Kenny Cooper, who leads the Hoops with four goals, knows he and his teammates must be more dangerous in the final third.

"We know that you have to score goals to win games," he said. "Defensively, we've been excellent and have only given up one goal in the last four games. Dario (Sala) has been incredible and the entire backline has been great. Hopefully we can continue with that and score some goals this weekend."

With regular starting defender Adrian Serioux unable to go last week because of a dead leg, Morrow inserted 19-year-old Anthony Wallace in his place on the left of the back three and the Generation adidas player performed well. But Serioux was able to make it through training on Thursday and Friday and should be able to return to the starting 11 this weekend.

History also dictates that the Hoops should do well this weekend. All-time, FCD is 8-2-1 against RSL. Their only two losses in the series came in Salt Lake with the most recent one coming on Sept. 16, 2006, when they fell 3-2.

Saturday's match could be FCD's last on the artificial surface at Rice-Eccles as RSL's new stadium in neighboring Sandy should be open by the time the Hoops return on Oct. 18.

"We're really disappointed that we won't be able to play there again," Morrow joked. "Hopefully, their stadium opens up later in the year and is ready for when we go back there."

Defender Drew Moor agreed.

"I like going to Salt Lake City because it's a great city but I hate playing on that turf," he said. "I don't like that stuff because it's not good for bodies and stuff. But it's the same for both teams. You've just got to stay focused for 90 minutes and not worry about the turf too much. We've gone there and had success in the past. We're going to go in, look to get three points and then come home for a few weeks."

RSL also comes off a disappointing result a week ago. Goals by Fabian Espindola and Kenny Deuchar in the opening 18 minutes gave them a 2-0 lead against the LA Galaxy before David Beckham drew the match level on his own with goals in the 36th and 40th minute as the sides finished in a 2-2 deadlock.

Despite that result, Morrow knows that RSL has plenty of options going forward.

"(Kyle) Beckerman playing on the left and cutting inside has been quite dangerous," he said. "That's something that we've got to be aware of. (Kenny) Deuchar is a threat up top who is decent in the air and (Fabian) Espindola has scored some goals as well. They certainly have a few players that we need to keep an eye on but I think it's more important for us to focus on what we need to do."

Moor is also well aware of what Beckerman, Deuchar and Espindola have meant to RSL so far this season. This trio has accounted for six of their eight goals this year.

"They have plenty of players who can create chances and put the ball in the back of the net," Moor said. "Beckerman is picking out passes and when he has time and space, Espindola is scoring goals. They're definitely a dangerous team and there is some physicality up front with Deuchar, who is a big kid. We've just got to keep an eye on them and lock it down."

While Cooper has four goals for the Hoops and strike partner Arturo Alvarez has a pair of tallies and one assist, the production of 2007 all-star midfielder Juan Toja (one goal, one assist) has been somewhat disappointing and a bit perplexing.

The Colombian international had a goal in FCD's season-opening tie with Chivas USA on March 30 and an assist the following week in another draw at Houston but hasn't been heard from since.

"I don't think he's played his best so far and I think he'll be the first one to tell you that," Morrow said. "I think that he's not quite reached 100 percent fitness. We're trying to get him 90 minutes but have no concerns with him. I know he'll come back to his best soon, start to produce again and show the good form that he had last season."


Hoops look to regroup after first loss
Hoops finish the job this time
Hoops look for fast starts to continue
New lineup adds bite to RSL attack
Revs hand FCD first loss of season

Ralston hasn't missed a beat

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Revolution captain Steve Ralston crumpled on the turf and held his shoulder during the second half of the season opener.

Ralston knew he was injured and knew he would be out for the next game. But he didn't know anything aside from the fact that he had dislocated his shoulder.

"I didn't know what to expect," Nicol said. "I didn't know how long this process takes. They were telling me anywhere between a minimum of three weeks and six months. There was a pretty big range there. Once we got the MRI results back, we were looking at about this time frame."

Ralston spent the better part of a month on the sidelines after jarring his shoulder out of place, but didn't appear to feel any ill effects when he returned to the training field last week. Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said Ralston didn't seem to miss a beat.

"His fitness is good," Nicol said. "He's one of those guys who is naturally fit. The way he plays the game, he's smart about it. It's his first week back."

Ralston said that he wasn't sure how he fit he actually was because training does not reflect game demands.

"There's only one way to find out and that's by playing in a real game," Ralston said. "You can run around the field before and after practice as much as you want, but there's no substitute for getting out there and actually playing. That being said, I feel pretty good getting out there, working and training."

Even if Ralston is fit, that isn't the only consideration.

"Obviously, the only concern we have is him getting rattled on the shoulder," Nicol said. "That's pretty obvious. We'll see how that goes."

Ralston said he had to assess the potential repercussions before taking the field.

"If it's a pain thing, I can deal with that and I can play," Ralston said. "But if I come back too early and it's a little weaker and it has a chance of coming out again, I have to be careful of that."

Sometimes circumstances dictate a player's return. Down two goals after 52 minutes, Nicol sent Ralston on for the final 36 minutes of Saturday night's 3-0 loss to the Fire.

"I'm not 100 percent, but I felt good," Ralston said. "It was nice to be back and be part of it and play, but it's disappointing and it's not the result we were looking for because playing at home and losing 3-0 is not acceptable."

While Ralston had to rush back a bit sooner than expected because of match circumstances, he said that the increased depth has given him the luxury of knowing that he could rehab and the team would still get results.

"We would have been in trouble if this had happened a couple of years ago. Who knows. Maybe guys would have gotten the chance and shined," he said. "All I know is that this team is deeper than any team I've been a part of since I've been here."


Revs embrace return to normalcy
Revs’ Smith seeking to take next step
New formation comes easy to Revs
Suarez eyes imminent return to field
Reis pushed to maintain top form

Thorrington enjoying career revival

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- John Thorrington thought about calling it quits. But for a while, Thorrington didn't have much of a soccer career to quit from. He spent much of his first three seasons with the Chicago Fire injured, rehabbing from injury, testing his health and getting injured again.

But he held on through the injuries, getting cut by the Fire, trying to hook on with the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, coming back to the Fire, battling for playing time and finally getting another chance to show what he could do when given the chance.

He has shown it enough in the last two weeks to become a regular in coach Denis Hamlett's lineup on a team that is 5-1-1 through the first seven games of the season.

Thorrington scored twice in a game against Colorado April 26, leading the Fire to a 2-1 win. He then scored his third goal in two games in a 3-0 win at New England that cemented the Fire's place as one of the better teams in the league this season.

All of this for a guy who was giving thought to pursuing a business career less than one year ago.

"Injuries, in addition to the physical toll it takes, it all weighed on me mentally," Thorrington said. "There were times when I questioned whether this was the right occupation for me. I know when I am healthy I can help the team, but it was very frustrating and incapacitating the first two years, not being able to contribute the way I would have liked."

Thorrington joined the Fire initially in 2005 after an eight-year run with Manchester United, Bayer Leverkusen, Huddersfield and Grimsby Town. He was an attractive signing for a Fire team looking to make a splash in recruiting talent from the European leagues, and Thorrington was happy to be back in his native country.

But he played only eight games for the Fire in 2005, with only four starts and one goal scored. He managed only two games in 2006 as injuries continued to plague him, and he had only two more games in 2007.

But his name surfaced again late in the 2007 season when he scored a stoppage-time goal in the final game of the regular season to beat the Los Angeles Galaxy, helping the Fire solidify its playoff position.

"That was very satisfying for me, having been out months with injuries and coming back and being able to repay the organization for the faith they had in me," Thorrington said.

Unfortunately, Thorrington was out of contract at the end of 2007, and he talked with both the Galaxy and Chivas USA in hopes of moving back to his native California. Instead, he re-signed with the Fire, then immediately suffered another injury that took him out of the battle for playing time early in the season.

Hamlett was trying to find a way to use all of his best talent at that point, and had moved U.S. national team pool player Chris Rolfe from forward into a wide midfielder position to allow Polish talent Tomasz Frankowski the chance to start alongside Chad Barrett. When Rolfe went down with a foot injury early in the season, Hamlett found Thorrington healthy enough to take that midfield spot, and it was from there that he scored the two goals against Colorado that finally returned him to the Fire spotlight.

"I know Rolfy had been playing that position, but I think it was more he was playing out of position there," Thorrington said. "He is an unbelievable talent and can play both positions, but it is a more natural position for me, and me playing there frees Rolfy to do what he does so well up near the goal. My role is to bring energy and play both ways."

The plan worked brilliantly when Rolfe returned to action against New England and he also scored in his return.

"I think John brings a lot of energy, and he is comfortable in tight spots with the ball," Hamlett said. "He can come out of the midfield and make deep runs. He defends well and when he played in the midfield he got forward. He gets in the attacking part of the field and tries to make plays."

Despite almost a decade in Europe and now four seasons in the States, Thorrington is still only 29 years old. He signed his first professional contract with Manchester United at the age of 17, becoming the youngest U.S. player to sign with an English Premiership team, although he spent all of his time with the reserve squad.

He is finally showing U.S. audiences what prompted Manchester United to sign him in the first place, and it appears only his body can stop him.

"It is so gratifying for me to be healthy," Thorrington said. "I defensively went through some very low times and I did think of stopping. But the support of my family has been a constant throughout and they are with me every game.

"I am just grateful, having been through the hard times, and there is no day when I take this for granted. I don't take being healthy for granted. I don't take this job for granted. I have a very positive attitude as a result of the low times I have been through."


Thorrington shines as Fire rebound
Chicago Fire off to blazing start

Steady Onstad doesn't mind inactivity

HOUSTON -- Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad never once looked bored in the team's scoreless draw last weekend against Chivas USA. And that was a feat all in itself.

Often credited as being one of the league's best 'keepers, Onstad made two good saves -- one in each half -- and made his job look easy as his teammates created one scoring chance after another at the other end of the field.

But as the Dynamo prepare to play host to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening at Robertson Stadium, Onstad doesn't mind the inactivity.

He's ready when he has to be, and said he has been quite impressed with the way the defense has improved substantially since a 3-0 loss at New England in Week 1.

"I think we are really defending a lot better as a team right now," Onstad said. "Guys are really taking responsibility on their set pieces and where they are supposed to be on the field.

"And in the course of the game, in the flow of the match, guys are really chasing down the balls they need to get to. Defensively we have tightened things up, but offensively, we are just not finding the net."

Richard Mulrooney is part of the team's improvement on the defensive side of the ball, as he has moved into the right back spot for the last four matches, which has included a pair of shutouts. He and the overall health of his teammates since the start of the season have the Dynamo playing, at least defensively, the way everyone predicted they would.

Now the focus shifts to getting win No. 1. Experts, fans and the team itself never dreamed April and half of May would come and go without the Dynamo getting their first three-pointer.

But, Mulrooney said, it's just a matter of time before the goals, wins and living up to expectations all start coming together on the field.

And Saturday, against a Rapids team that Houston has never lost to at Robertson Stadium (3-0-1, including a Western Conference Championship win) is the perfect time to start a different kind of streak.

"We just need to keep working to get that one goal, because once we get it that really opens teams up," Mulrooney said. "One goal for us became three and four last year, and it's just a matter of using a team effort and working the ball and getting that one opportunity underneath and burying it."

Midfielder Corey Ashe, arguably, had the best scoring chance of the game last weekend against Chivas USA. He was denied late by man-of-the-match Brad Guzan in the Chivas USA goal and said his floundered chance was just one example of many in a season-long frustration for his team.

But the season is still early, he said. His sentiments echoed Mulrooney's in that he thinks it is just a matter of time before the floodgates open.

"It's still early in the season," said Ashe. "Once we get a goal, I think things are really going to be OK. We need to just get a lead, keep it and I think this team is really going to get on a roll."


Dynamo settle for draw with Chivas
Dynamo thrilled to have Onstad back
Dynamo on unlucky side of draw
Donovan continues to shine brighter
Holden continues ascent in Houston

Galaxy looking for scoring balance

CARSON, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Galaxy are in an enviable position. Their two star players, David Beckham and Landon Donovan, are as hot as anyone in MLS right now. The duo has nabbed four consecutive MLS Player of the Week awards, combining for 11 goals and seven assists on the season.

When one of the two has been shut down -- as Donovan was last weekend at Real Salt Lake, a week after scoring a hat trick and setting up a fourth against Chivas USA -- the other has stepped up, as Beckham did with his two goals against RSL.

"It shows you his quality," said Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit about Beckham's first goal over the weekend. "Before it was Landon, now it's David. It's not only what they do with the ball, it's what they do without the ball that's helping the team."

The Galaxy currently are in a situation where they feel as though they can keep up with anyone on the scoreboard, and rightly so. They have the best offensive numbers in the league and haven't been kept off the scoreboard since their season-opening debacle in Colorado.

"I feel like we have the ability to [outscore anybody]. Every game is different," said Mike Randolph. "Sometimes things don't go your way, or you have a bad game. But I think we really do have the ability to put some high scoring games on the table like the Chivas game. I think we have the ability to do some amazing things."

Still, if Los Angeles isn't careful, they might become too reliant on Beckham and Donovan. Only one other player has scored this season for Los Angeles (Alan Gordon, with both goals coming against Chivas), and the pair has also been credited with more than half of the team's assists. While the early season results have been favorable, the rest of the squad knows that they are going to have to step it up.

"It's great to have those guys, but we can't rely on them to bail us out game in and game out," said Greg Vanney. "That goes back to the defensive effort. If we play solid defensively and let those guys do their thing, we're going to get points. When we get down 2-0 (like we did in Salt Lake), and we have to rely on those guys to get us back into games, then that's a dangerous way to play."

The good news is that offseason acquisition Carlos Ruiz is nearing full strength, and should return to the field soon. Gordon has also been making more and more of a contribution as the season progresses.

LA will need plenty more of that production though, as Donovan, Beckham, and even Ruiz are likely to miss several games while on international duty.

"What we should be doing is taking a little pressure off of Landon and David, and try to get some other people into the mix," said Randolph, who has gotten more into the attack since being moved into the left of midfield. "We don't want to be the team that only has two players and when their shut down we're kind of hopeless."


Chivas try to slow dynamic LA duo
Donovan continues to shine brighter
Donovan, Gordon fuel Galaxy rout
Tale of two halves Saturday in LA

Galaxy defense looks to step up

CARSON, Calif. -- A look at the MLS standings reveals the Los Angeles Galaxy are sitting in third place in the Western Conference with two wins, two losses and two ties on the season.

Take a closer look, and you'll see the 13 goals the Galaxy have scored this year are the most of the 14 clubs in the league.

Unfortunately, the 13 goals they've given up is also the most in the league thus far, which goes far in explaining why the Galaxy have only a .500 record for the season.

Coming into the season, most everyone expected the Galaxy to be potent on offense. Backstopped by a first-year starter in goal in Steve Cronin, the defense was questioned. While Cronin's goals-against-average might not reflect it, there have been very few goals he's given up this year where one could say the goalkeeper should have done better. Breakdowns in the back and sloppy clearances have led to several of the Galaxy's conceded goals.

"I think a lot of our goals haven't directly come from set pieces, but shortly after. It has to do with us not clearing the balls that are played into the box," said Cronin. "We're worried about passing the ball out of the back in those instances instead of just kicking it up to our forwards or another end of the field and working out from there. It just comes back to being as safe as possible in the defensive third."

Part of the problem is the fact that Los Angeles is playing such an aggressive style of offense. The back four often tries to facilitate the attack by passing out of the final third, sometimes leading to careless turnovers in dangerous areas.

Add to that the fact that the Galaxy likes to get numbers forward offensively and the defense can get a bit stretched. Finding that balance, and staying compact and defending as a unit, will be the key to LA keeping the ball out of its own net.

"I don't think we have a very aggressive attack mentality, but that doesn't matter. You still have to be able to withstand pressure. You still have to be able to prevent goals and not give up easy goals," said Greg Vanney. "Back four plus a couple defensive midfielders should be able to hold most teams off and get you plenty of shutouts. Defending is a group effort. Right now we're having too many moments where we're defending as individuals."

The defense certainly isn't going to be getting any breaks this week, as the Galaxy welcomes Juan Pablo Angel, Jozy Altidore and New York Red Bulls to The Home Depot Center this week. New York has gotten off to a sluggish start this season, but will no doubt test LA's defense.

"We give up goals when we get divided up and get separated, we're not able to cover each other and we're not in good positions," Vanney said. "That's sort of what happened this weekend (in a 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake). We allowed midfielders to find space, and defensively we're just not a cohesive unit right now. Part of that is the mixing and matching of guys and injuries. Part of it is just training and getting ourselves on the same page."


Tale of two halves Saturday in LA
Rookie impresses amid Galaxy stars
Cunningham boots TFC to first victory

Chicago Fire off to blazing start

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- It has been a long time since the Chicago Fire have started off as well as they have started the 2008 Major League Soccer season.

One has to go back to the 1999 season, when the Fire went 5-1-0 in their first six games, to top the current 4-1-1 start the Fire are on going into Thursday's game against D.C. United at RFK Stadium.

The Fire extended their current hot streak with a 3-0 win against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium. It was their third shutout of the season and their second decisive win against their Eastern Conference rivals in exactly one month's time.

The Fire are still two points behind Columbus (5-1-0, 15 points) in the Eastern Conference standings, but the two teams have not yet met in the 2008 campaign.

With a defense that has given up just three goals in six games (and one of those was an own goal) there is talk that the Fire have gathered the right combination of talent up and down the field to begin thinking they might have a championship-caliber roster.

"Absolutely," Fire defender Diego Gutierrez said. "And I'm not just speaking about the 11 guys on the field. We know we have a good roster up and down the list. We know we are getting good results this early in the season, we are where we want to be, we are adding talent, so hopefully down the stretch we will continue to play the same way."

Fire coach Denis Hamlett has played defenders Gonzalo Segares and Bakary Soumare in all six games, with Gutierrez and Brandon Prideaux getting five starts each. Talented defenders like Dasan Robinson and Wilman Conde cannot break into the group of four that has kept opposing offenses from getting in.

"But defense doesn't just constitute the four guys and the goalkeeper," Gutierrez said. "As a unit we are developing a very good mentality, especially on the road, to remain organized and remain optimistic that the guys up front are going to do their jobs and the guys in back will do their jobs back there. It is not just the guys in the back. It is team defense. It starts with the forward, and you will see guys make good defensive plays all over the field."

It is telling that goalkeeper Jon Busch, who the league best 0.50 goals per game average, still leads the league in shots against at 37, an average of just over six shots per game.

The depth of talent the Fire have accumulated keeps showing itself.

For the second New England game, forward Tomasz Frankowski was not fully healthy, having rolled an ankle in the previous game, but Hamlett had Chris Rolfe dying to play after himself suffering a foot injury that kept him out of action for four weeks.

Having had his position swallowed up by teammate John Thorrington, who had two goals in the previous game against Colorado, Hamlett still put Rolfe into a wide right midfield role and tucked Thorrington in alongside Logan Pause, and Rolfe responded with a goal and an assist.

Thorrington followed with a goal of his own and rookie midfielder Stephen King, subbing for the fourth time in the first six games, got his first goal of the season to close out the scoring.

Frankowski is healthy again, meaning Hamlett once has a tough decision to make, as Chad Barrett has started all six games at forward.

Hamlett also has been lucky to have a nearly healthy roster all season long. Veteran defender C.J. Brown remains out with an adductor muscle pull, and midfielder Brian Plotkin has been hampered by a hip strain. Conde missed two days of practice with a stomach virus but practiced Tuesday.

The Fire would seem to be overwhelming favorites heading into a game against D.C. United, which has struggled to a 2-4-0 record in the early going. But Hamlett warned against any form of relaxing, especially with the game being played on United's home field.

"I know them very well, from their head coach (Tom Soehn) and his days here," Hamlett said, referring to the former Fire assistant who is in his second season with United. "I know the players they have. We know what they are about at their place. They are a hard team to play in their building. Their fans get behind them and they come at you."


Thorrington shines as Fire rebound
Fire expect Revs to target revenge
Soumare fueling strong Fire back line
Fire sign Paraguayan defender Marmol

Rocha's versatility benefiting FCD

FRISCO, Texas -- FC Dallas coach Steve Morrow was faced with a dilemma Saturday night in San Jose. With Dax McCarty bothered by a sports hernia and Bobby Rhine not quite ready to come back after missing time with a hip flexor injury, Morrow needed someone to fill the role wide on the right of midfield.

In FCD's first five games, Andre Rocha had the freedom to roam from his spot in central midfield. But for Saturday's eventual scoreless draw against the Earthquakes, Morrow moved Rocha to the right wingback role.

"I think it (him playing on the right) is definitely something he can do for us," Morrow said last week. "He's still finding his feet. I think we've seen glimpses of what he can do. But we know he can do better and expect more from him through the course of the season. That will eventually come as he gets more comfortable in his own game and the league.

"If we have to move him out right, I think he will give us a lot from that position," Morrow continued. "His assists have come from that area of the field. I think he can give us good deliveries from there and good energy up and down the field if we need it. It's a good option for us."

Signed just before the season from Brazilian partner Clube Atletico Paranaense, the 22-year-old Rocha has started all six games and currently has two assists, which ties him for the team lead with Arturo Alvarez.

Rocha's first assist came in the 35th minute of a 3-3 draw at Houston on April 6. He delivered a great ball to Kenny Cooper, who converted to tie the match at one goal apiece. His second helper came a week later when he hit a perfect cross for Alvarez to head home just 51 seconds into a match with New York.

Both Alvarez and Cooper know how fortunate they are to have someone as proficient as Rocha providing service for them.

"Andre has been a key addition to the team," Alvarez said. "He's a good player who works hard. He has been providing great service as well and the kind of service we need. We're glad to have him and hope he continues to deliver balls like that."

Said Cooper: "Andre has been great since he got here. He put me through against Houston and assisted on Arturo's goal against New York. He's already shown the quality that he's brought to the team and has already made an impact. He's a great guy with a great personality. We enjoy having him here and he's already made big contributions to the team."

Rocha said he also feels things are going well thus far.

"I feel like I am fitting well with the team and that the team is progressing very well," he said. "You can see that the team is starting to come together and progressing very well. With every practice, I continue to feel better about how I am fitting in and how the team is progressing."

But that doesn't mean that he didn't notice one major difference between soccer in his native land compared to the beautiful game played in the States.

"One thing is the physicality of the league," Rocha said. "In Brazil, when someone touches you, it's a foul. It's not like that here and I like that a lot."

Both Alvarez and Cooper have been equally impressed with how quickly Rocha has adjusted to the league.

"MLS is a really tough league to come into and to adapt to," Alvarez said. "He's a good player and a smart player. I think he's adapted well. In every game, he's gotten better and that's the kind of player that we need, someone who will come in and adapt to the league quickly so that he can help us right away."

"He has transitioned quickly and has made an impact early on in the season," Cooper said. "Hopefully, he will just continue to do that. It was great to get him in at the start of preseason and to have him here for two months. That was good because we got to know him."

Rocha took it one step further, adding that he feels like he knows Alvarez and Cooper well enough to be able to find them at any point during the game.

"The things we do at practice are becoming more automatic in games," Rocha said. "I know Arturo (Alvarez) will make a run this way when I look a certain way and it's the same with Kenny (Cooper) because they're both very intelligent players. We try to do that as much as possible in training so that we can apply that to games."


Hoops finish the job this time
Hoops look to regroup after first loss
Revs hand FCD first loss of season
Hoops look for fast starts to continue
Wheldon steps out of car, onto field

Crew top Wizards, remain in first

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Crew continued their hot start to the 2008 season, getting first-half goals from Adam Moffat and Robbie Rogers on their way to a 2-1 victory against the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday night at Crew Stadium.

The Wizards, who played a man down for the final 54 minutes after Roger Espinoza was sent off in a sort of homecoming for him, got a late goal back when Claudio Lopez converted a penalty.

The Crew, who came into the game in sole possession of first place in Major League Soccer's overall table, continued to build on the team's best start since the 1998 season.

It took just four minutes for the Crew to open a lead. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, always dangerous when taking set pieces for the Black & Gold, lofted a pass to lanky defender Chad Marshall near the back post. Marshall nodded the ball back across the goal into the path of Adam Moffat, who was racing into the goalmouth. Moffat jumped over Alejandro Moreno, who was tangled with Wizards 'keeper Kevin Hartman and a K.C. defender, but got enough of his head to the ball to knock it over the line.

Only minutes later Moreno looked to continue his hot start on the season. Wizards defender Tyson Wahl attempted to head the ball back to Hartman but failed to notice Moreno lurking in the area. Moreno slid in between Wahl and Hartman, getting a foot to the ball, but his one-touch effort just fell on the top of the crossbar.

The first good chance for the Wizards came when forward Ivan Trujillo was brought down only inches outside of the penalty box. Referee Mark Geiger ruled the foul happened outside the area, and the Crew wall deflected Eloy Colombano's subsequent free kick harmlessly out of danger.

The Crew doubled their lead in the 34th minute. Frankie Hejduk picked off a Wizard throw-in near midfield and knocked it forward, where Moreno jumped in the air and flicked a pass over his shoulder toward Rogers on the left wing. The quick winger, who turns 21 next week, outraced rookie fullback Chance Myers and poked the ball past the outreached hands of Hartman as he raced off his line to collect the ball.

Only two minutes later, the Wizards saw their hole deepened. Hejduk fouled Wizards midfielder Roger Espinoza while the two jostled for a loose ball, but after the whistle was blown for the foul, Espinosa struck Hejduk above the shoulders with a raised elbow. Hejduk earned a yellow for his part in the scuffle but Espinosa, who played college soccer at Ohio State University, was shown red by referee Geiger.

The second half opened with both sides displaying good attacking soccer. The Crew looked to push the issue, showing good build-up in the attacking end with a series of nice passes, but Rogers was unable to net an opportunity on the left flank when he misfired from 14 yards.

The Wizards countered soon after when halftime substitute Scott Sealy found forward Claudio Lopez with a through ball, hitting the Argentinean in stride right in front of Crew 'keeper William Hesmer. Hesmer charged out of goal and made his first save of the day.

Emmanuel Ekpo made his MLS when he came on in the 54th minute. His new teammates looked to get him involved when Moreno was holding the ball in the box. He drew two defenders before finding Ekpo striding towards the net, but Ekpo's shot was deflected on its way to goal and Hartman easily snagged it.

Ekpo again looked to get his name on the scoresheet in the 78th minute when he found space at the top of the penalty box. With few options running with him Ekpo opted for the shot and narrowly missed, nicking the crossbar with his left-footed effort.

From the restart, the Kansas City counter-attack caught the Crew napping. Sealy received a ball in front of Crew defender Danny O'Rourke at the top of the penalty area and for the third time this year O'Rourke pulled down an opposing player in the box, conceding the penalty as Sealy tried to turn toward goal. Unlike the previous two occasions, Hesmer was unable to bail out his roommate when Lopez stepped to the spot and drew the Wizards to within a goal.

Kansas City threw all their efforts forward for the remaining minutes in the match but the home side packed the back and continued to keep Crew Stadium as a "fortress", moving to 4-0 at home on the year.


Wizards douse Fire, move into first
Stoic Moreno providing Crew big lift

Guzan takes step in right direction

CARSON, Calif. - In 2007, Brad Guzan needed one game to record a clean sheet.

This season, though, the fourth-year goalkeeper yielded a goal in five consecutive matches and had surrendered 13 total goals before finally picking up his first shutout of the 2008 season last weekend in a goalless draw at Houston.

Having shaken off the early-season cobwebs, Guzan said he felt the game was a step in the right direction.

"All professionals go through a spell where it's not their best moment and when there are times like that it's always going to be followed by good times," Guzan said. "This past weekend, the first shutout of the year, I was able to make some saves and I was able to help the team get a point in a hostile environment and that makes you feel good when you can do that. Hopefully it's a sign of good things to come after a tough spell."

Though the Red-and-White's first five opponents each found the back of the net against the club, Guzan's most trying times came against Columbus and the Galaxy. In each game, Guzan made an error that led directly to the match-winner as Chivas USA dropped each game.

Critics pointed to Guzan's failed move to England as a possible reason for the troubling start. English club Aston Villa was prepared to shell out millions for Guzan but his work permit was denied in the 11th hour.

Guzan, though, has been through much more trying times and came out a better person and player because of them. Guzan was thrown into the fire as a rookie during the Red-and-White's expansion season and, while he posted a 3-16-4 mark, Guzan's first year was a trial-by-fire that he eventually overcame.

"That was one of the positives to definitely take away from that first year. That was a tough year physically, mentally and the whole thing was a tough season to swallow," Guzan said. "Looking back on that and with everyone saying 'Oh, the last two weeks have been tough for him' that was nothing compared to Year One."

Even in those tough times, Guzan said he did not allow himself to sink into any depression. Nor did he let his confidence soar too high a year ago, when Guzan posted 13 shutouts and was named the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.

"I've always used the attitude of 'You can't get too high, you can't get too low,'" Guzan said. "When things are going good, that's great but you can't get too high, you can't get overconfident and you have to make sure you stay focused. When things aren't going too well, you can't get too low, you can't start doubting yourself."

While Chivas USA slumped to a 1-3-1 start, Guzan did not let his confidence dip. Against one of the club's toughest rivals, Guzan responded. Entering Houston's Robertson Stadium, where the Red-and-White held an all-time 0-4-1 mark and had been outscored 10-1 before Saturday, Guzan showed why he was named the league's top goalkeeper a year ago. He made five saves, including a late stop off his face, to earn his first clean sheet of the year and the 21st of his four-year career.

"I was able to keep steady and know that I'm a good goalkeeper, I'm confident in myself and my abilities and the guys are confident in me," Guzan said. "It was just a matter of time before I was able to help the team in a good way and luckily it happened last weekend."

And while his worth could be measured in past accomplishments, Guzan said he prefers to measure himself by how he responds when not everything is going as planned.

"It's how you react in those tough times that makes you a good professional," he said.


Messi: Great Preparation For The Bernabéu
Chivas hope to reverse early trend

Quakes still waiting on offense

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- One month into the San Jose Earthquakes season, the attacking numbers are sobering. Five games have yielded only two goals. Two impressive home performances have yielded only one point in the standings, with the latest disappointment coming in Saturday's 0-0 tie with FC Dallas.

It was a match where the Quakes' high pressure game plan worked to near perfection. San Jose camped out in the opposition half for long stretches, found plenty of space on the flanks and created several clear chances. Yet the final touch remained elusive, and manager Frank Yallop was left trying to ease the pressure on his frontline.

"We did everything right but score," said Yallop. "What I don't want the guys to do is start to get anxious and worry about that. That will come, but it was a great performance by us. If you perform like that, especially at home, we're going to win a lot of games."

Yet even as Yallop tried to instill confidence in his charges, the disappointment was evident on the faces of forwards like Kei Kamara. The Quakes striker did plenty of things right in the game, winning countless head balls, making aggressive runs into the box, as well as linking up well with teammates.

Still, even Kamara knows that goals are how he is measured, and that a greater degree of ruthlessness and composure is needed.

"As a forward, I'm not going to have that many chances, and when I do, I've got to make use of it," said Kamara. "I would have loved to have given the fans one, so they could cheer. I can't call myself unlucky. I've just got to work harder next time to get something from the hard work that I did for 90 minutes."

To the team's credit, the attitude appears to be staying healthy. The more veteran elements of the team seemed upbeat, and like Yallop, remain convinced that it's only a matter of time that the results will go their way.

"It's always frustrating when you don't get the goal, and you don't get the three points," said midfielder Ramiro Corrales. "But we still have a long way to go. It's a long season, so we can't panic or anything like that. It's too early for that. It's a new team, we're getting to know each other. It's a building process and I saw a lot of positives tonight."

Among those positives was a return of the excellent midfield play that has characterized the Quakes' more impressive performances. The backline, with Jason Hernandez filling in admirably for the injured Ryan Cochrane, was solid again, so much so that goalkeeper Joe Cannon had little to do.

There was also the atmosphere created by the sellout crowd. The team's first game at Buck Shaw Stadium revealed a venue where the fans are close to the action, allowing them to create a difficult environment for opponents.

"As a coach, you're not looking around the crowd and listening to it too much," said Yallop. "But it felt really good that the crowd was really behind us and they saw a team that was trying to do all of the right things in the game."

Yet it still resulted in a zero on the scoreboard. And while Yallop was quick to state that there was so much that was right about his team's performance, he did reveal a hint of what is ailing his team in front of goal.

"I just don't think we're anticipating very well what we're doing, especially when the ball gets wide," said Yallop. "I don't think we're getting across people, I don't think we're pulling off people. We're kind of waiting a little bit. But the final touch has been just out of our reach."

San Jose will get a chance to find that touch next week against Columbus. Until then, the questions, and pressure, will continue to mount.


Steady progress being made by Quakes
Late foul proves costly for Quakes
Defenses prevail at Buck Shaw opener
Quakes hope to build off win

Davis: What's gotten into the Crew?

This season's stunning reversal in Columbus would suggest that a wholesale winter storm of makeover raged during the offseason in Ohio. But that's just not the case.

Eight starters from last year's Crew are back in the lineup this year. And, with two notable exceptions, the difference makers are essentially the same.

So why does this year's version seem destined to bust up the playoff pox? Columbus hasn't drank from the cool, refreshing postseason pond since 2004. But Sigi Schmid's side leads the East -- the tougher conference this year, by all appearances -- and the Crew is off to a brilliant start on their march to playoff rediscovery.

How, then, did Schmid orchestrate the revival? It's a confluence of several factors, all of which are supporting the others, the way one wall supports another as a house goes up. Here's why we're no longer talking about the Calamity Crew. Now, folks are just referring to the team in yellow as plain ol' "first-place Columbus."

• Lineup consistency: First it must be said that Columbus has been fortunate, generally, to avoid injury. Outside of left back, the lineup has remained static all season. That kind of familiarity provides huge benefits and creates a grand, collective will.

For instance, Columbus vowed to take a stand in 2008 and make Crew Stadium a house of dread. So far, so good, as the Crew is 4-0 on Black & Gold Boulevard.

• Balance in the roster: No player shows this like Ezra Hendrickson, who is playing for his sixth team in his 12th MLS season. The long-legged wonder was a starter for most of Major League Soccer's early years, and he's been in and out of a starter spot in recent seasons. Now he sits happily in reserve.

And teams need a couple of Ezras, versatile vets who can step into spots without freaking out, worried only about the task at hand and unconcerned about impressing the boss. The key is being satisfied with the role and, therefore, making the locker room a more placid place.

• Robbie Rogers' development: Schmid has known Rogers since the young winger played alongside the manager's son back in under-14 days. So Schmid