Crew ready to exorcise demons

COLUMBUS -- After another second-half, point-producing rally on the road, the Columbus Crew might be ready to exorcise the demons of past failures.

During the past few years while the Crew missed the MLS Cup Playoffs, the team's hallmark had been snatching defeat from the jaws of victory by allowing late goals. Last season, for example, the Crew gave up four winning goals and a tying goal from the 80th minute on. Those lost points were a major factor in missing the postseason by three points.

What a difference a season and an attitude adjustment make. The Crew's latest comeback was Saturday at The Home Depot Center. Los Angeles led 2-0 until the 67th minute when Brad Evans scored and four minutes Guillermo Barros Schelotto knocked in a penalty. The Galaxy regained the advantage in the 83rd minute on a penalty kick call in favor of David Beckham that Landon Donovan converted, but reserve rookie forward Steven Lenhart got the equalizer in the 88th with his first MLS goal.

The second half was reminiscent of the match in San Jose on May 10 when the Crew went from one down to a 3-1 lead in a span of 12 minutes after the break.

"We know we are a good team," veteran defender Frankie Hejduk said. "Last year we didn't believe we were going to survive the game, as a team, so we didn't get it done the last 10 minutes of the game. In the preseason we made it a big issue that we've got to stop taking goals the last 10 minutes. If we do give some up, we've got to score some.

"We've taken that mentality this year. We've had some goals scored on us still in the last minutes this year but we've also scored a couple in the last minutes. We've come back in games, unlike last year. We're buying into each other and believing in each other and have a group of guys willing to work hard for each other and never giving up."

Another difference is the goals given up in the final 10 minutes haven't been as costly as last season with one exception. New England scored in the 89th minute on a rebound after Will Hesmer made a penalty kick save to give the Revolution a 1-0 victory.

It appeared for a while Saturday that another goal from the spot would mean defeat when Donovan beat Hesmer from the spot but Lenhart, who attended nearby Azusa Pacific University and had dozens of family members and friends in attendance, put away a loose ball after a strike by Hejduk.

"It had to feel pretty good for him to come back to his hometown," midfielder Brian Carroll said of Lenhart. "He gave us a spark off the bench. He really helped us. To get a point on the road was really huge. Honestly, even though it's not a win, if you said going into the game we'd be down two-zip in a really tough place to play we'd be happy with that point."

Hejduk, no stranger to discussions about hair length, put the frizzy-haired Lenhart's goal in a unique perspective. "We always make fun of him because he has a big mop of hair on his head," Hejduk said. "That mop head just got a little bit bigger. That's how you want your forwards to be. You want your forwards to be confident."

The Crew had reasons to smile afterward save for the penalty call that went against defender Danny O'Rourke while marking -- or, as the replay seemed to show, not guarding -- Beckham. If O'Rourke did touch the Galaxy superstar it might have been with the big toe of his boot yet Beckham went down hard.

"I don't like talking about referees and PKs in general," Carroll said diplomatically. "I have a feeling that's one where the ref should have let it go."

Hejduk was more succinct, noting the discrepancy in penalty calls this season. Opponents have taken five (not including one in a recent Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match against Chicago that was made in the final moments of overtime that led to the Crew's elimination) while the Crew have been awarded two.

"We've had a lot of calls go against us this year. It's been awful," he said. "We've had maybe seven against us?" Maybe three have been legitimate. It's just a bunch of (garbage) to tell you the truth. The penalty Beckham got (Saturday) epitomized everything. The guys are joking -- we're getting calls against us at home, too."

Somehow, though, maybe the nebulous soccer gods were watching. In the waning moments Beckham had an open shot to win the game from eight yards out and missed it well high.

"Justice was served on that play," Hejduk said. "Nine of 10 times he would have buried it. Someone or somebody, some other power said he deserved that one."

And with that the Crew returns home from a two-game trip with four points after also downing Kansas City 3-0 on June 14. The last match in Crew Stadium on June 7 was a 2-0 loss to San Jose that marked the Crew's fourth consecutive match without a goal. With six in the past two matches, that dubious mark is a distant memory.

"It will be nice to be home again," Carroll said. "We've gained a lot of confidence in how we've played these last two games on the road."


Crew top Wizards, remain in first
No solace for Galaxy in draw
Karlsruher SC: the surprise team
Bundesliga: top for goals

Lenhart's energy key in comeback draw

CARSON, Calif. -- When Steven Lenhart entered Saturday's match for the Columbus Crew against the Los Angeles Galaxy, the match was deadlocked at 2-2.

Soon after, Landon Donovan gave the hosts a 3-2 lead. But Lenhart ultimately showed why he was brought into the match.

Lenhart pounced on a loose ball and slipped the match-tying goal past Galaxy 'keeper Steve Cronin in the 88th minute as Columbus walked away with a pulsating 3-3 draw.

Overall, the Crew overcame a pair of second-half deficits to earn their road point.

"From a character standpoint, we showed a lot," Crew coach Sigi Schmid said. "I don't think this is something we could have done last year."

Lenhart, meanwhile, came on for Nicolas Hernandez in the 76th minute but had just enough time to do damage. His goal, though, was a blur.

"I don't really remember," Lenhart said when asked to describe the sequence. "It was bouncing and you just kick it in when you're in front of it you."

The Crew improved to 7-4-2 and are four points behind Eastern Conference leader New England. It was the second consecutive match -- both on the road -- where they scored three goals.

Schmid said he felt his team had plenty of goals in them entering Saturday's match.

"The thing we've talked about all week was ... that we were going to get chances, we were going to get opportunities to score," Schmid said. "I told them that I was confident we're going to get goals, that there was no doubt in my mind that we were going to score. It's just a question of how much you keep them off the board."

The Crew did not do well to keep the Galaxy off the scoreboard in the opening minutes of either half. In the fourth minute, David Beckham swung a cross in from the right side but Crew 'keeper William Hesmer failed to hold the ball. Donovan turned and fired the ball into an empty net.

Edson Buddle scored the game's second goal as he beat Danny O'Rourke inside the penalty area and slipped a ball past Hesmer in the 47th minute.

But Schmid said his side was unfazed.

"They're going to try and score and they're going to be dangerous but they're going to open up because of that. (Saturday's) game was very typical of the way the Galaxy play. They commit things forward but leave things open in the back sometimes," he said. "Even when we were down 2-0, the message that I gave the players was 'You can get goals. Just get the first one and the second one will come.'"

Ultimately, it was really that simple. Brad Evans got a goal in the 67th minute when he found a fortuitous ball before him. Guillermo Barros Schelotto sailed a cross in from the left side of the field. The ball hit Alvaro Pires in the face and settled to Evans, who easily ripped a shot past Cronin.

Galaxy defender Chris Klein tripped Robbie Rogers inside the box in the 70th minute and Barros Schelotto converted the ensuing spot kick.

Schmid said switching formations helped the Crew come back.

"When it was 2-1, we switched to a 3-5-2 and we ended up getting 2-2 out of it and then we went back to a 4-4-2 after we scored," Schmid said. "(After the Galaxy scored) so now you're thinking what's going to happen. So we pushed again to a 3-5-2 and scored again."

Schmid's only second-half change paid off as well as Lenhart bagged his first goal of the regular season.

"We brought Steven in because he's good in the air," he said. "We felt we were getting a lot of crosses over and getting some opportunities to get headers onto goal. He's shown himself to be scrappy around the box. That's one of the reasons we actually drafted him; we saw that potential in him."

Lenhart said his task was simple entering the match as a late substitute.

"Just to bring a lot of energy," he said. "I don't have the most skill or anything so just mix it up a little bit, win the headers and hold the ball, just try and hold the defenders off and be active in front of goal. I think it paid off."

After Lenhart's goal, the Crew held on for a valuable road point and an uplifting result. Going home to face Colorado, the Crew once again have an offense that has proven its worth, one that Schmid never doubted.

"It's good for us because a lot of people were questioning our ability to score goals but I never questioned our ability to score goals. Even tonight I thought we should have had five or six," Schmid said. "I'm confident in our ability to score goals."


Hargreaves: We Went For The Draw
Crew return home after strong road trip

No solace for Galaxy in draw

CARSON, Calif. -- Early in the second half, the Los Angeles Galaxy went two goals up on the Columbus Crew and looked as though they were on their way to a third consecutive win. Unfortunately for the capacity crowd at The Home Depot Center, Columbus fought back and tied the game with two quick goals.

Los Angeles again took a lead late in the game, but with two minutes left in the game, conceded the lead for the second time and finished with a 3-3 draw and only a share of the points.

Even though the Galaxy extended their unbeaten streak to three games and have managed to stay on top of the Western Conference standings, Saturday's result left a bitter taste in everyone's mouths.

"At the moment it feels like a loss," said David Beckham following the game. "To control the game for so long and go up 2-0. We need to learn how to finish games off."

Failure to finish games off has become a common theme with the Galaxy this season. A few weeks ago, the Galaxy took a 3-0 lead against the Rapids and conceded two second-half goals to make the final outcome a lot more nerve-wracking that it needed to be. Against the Crew, LA wasn't as lucky and paid the price.

"I think it's a pity that we gave two points away," said Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit. "I think we worked very hard to get a good score then in such a short period of time to give it away. I think we had a lot of chances to finish them off."

When Edson Buddle scored barely more than a minute into the second half, Columbus could have wilted in the southern California heat. Instead, they responded and dominated the second half, outshooting the Galaxy 14-5 in the second period. While Los Angeles wasn't looking to make excuses, it was obvious that the team just lost control of the match.

"I seem to say this every week, it's the consistency you know," said Beckham. "We've got a lot of young players in the team. It's all about finishing teams off and holding onto leads. It just takes a bit of calmness. This team will learn from these different experiences. We've got some good young players and players who can play under pressure. At the moment, we've just lost it in a few games."

Just as the Galaxy became a little complacent after going ahead by two goals, they seemed to lose their focus after regaining the lead late in the match. Frankie Hejduk was left unmarked at the top of the 18 on a free kick from the left side of the box, allowing the U.S. international to get a clear shot on goal. While Steve Cronin saved the initial effort, the rebound was put away by rookie Steven Lenhart.

"It's unnecessary, especially the last goal. They have a man standing on the edge of the box and nobody sees him. Everyone is just busy, busy, busy with themselves," said Gullit. "Everyone was just looking around and it was so obvious."

Los Angeles did feel a bit unlucky on the night as the ball didn't seem to be bouncing their way. On Columbus' first goal, the ball took a deflection off Alvaro Pires' face and dropped right to the feet of Brad Evans, who scored from close range. On the Crew's final goal, Abel Xavier was a bit unlucky to get called for a foul on the edge of the box, which led directly to the decisive free kick.

"What was amazing to me was every bounce, every tackle went in their favor," said Gullit. "If you see the goals they scored, the ball bounced in front of their feet and they scored a goal. It was a little unfortunate in this case."

Even with the game tied at 3-3, LA had a chance to win it late. Beckham had a chance one-on-one with Columbus goalkeeper William Hesmer but sailed his effort over the crossbar.

"Sometimes they go in, others they don't. Tonight was one of those nights. Obviously I'm disappointed not to finish the game off there," said Beckham. "Personally I felt as though the grass gave way just as I struck the ball. To hit it over so far from that distance, something must have."

Despite a couple of unfavorable bounces or some close calls, the fact remains that the Galaxy had every opportunity to finish the game off early. They failed to do so and it cost them two points.


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Top from start to finish

Race for All-Star coach down to wire

COLUMBUS -- The coach for the MLS All-Stars for the 2008 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game will be decided this weekend, and there's a bit of fun going on between the potential honorees.

The coach whose team has the most points per game after June 29 will have the honor of coaching the MLS All-Stars against West Ham United, at BMO Field in Toronto on July 24.

Currently leading is Steve Nicol, whose New England Revolution have 27 points from 15 matches. If the Revolution defeat Toronto FC on Saturday at Gillette Stadium, then Nicol will have the honor of leading the MLS team.

However, Columbus Crew coach Sigi Schmid could nab the position if the Crew defeat the Colorado Rapids on Saturday at home, and the Revolution lose or tie with Toronto.

Schmid received a text message early Sunday from Nicol that -- in the sanitized version -- told him to back off because Nicol's wife had already spent the bonus for coaching the MLS All-Stars.

Nicol was joking, of course. Schmid said he wasn't aware of the selection procedure prior to the message but nonetheless sent a reply that the Revolution coach could have the job because the last time Schmid coached in the All-Star Game in 2004 he was fired shortly thereafter by the Galaxy.

Following are the scenarios that will apply to the selection of the MLS All-Star Game coach this weekend. In case of a tie in points per game, the same tiebreakers used to determine playoff participants will be used to determine the head coach:

• If the Revolution defeat Toronto FC, Steve Nicol is the All-Star Game coach.
• If the Revolution tie Toronto FC and Columbus loses or ties, then Steve Nicol is the All-Star Game coach.
• If the Columbus Crew defeat the Colorado Rapids and New England ties or loses, then Sigi Schmid is the All-Star Game coach.
• If Toronto FC defeat New England, and Columbus loses and Los Angeles loses or ties, then John Carver is the All-Star Game coach.
• If Toronto FC defeat New England, the LA Galaxy win and Columbus loses, there is a two-way tie with Carver and Gullit each having 1.714 points per game.
• If Toronto FC defeat New England, the LA Galaxy win and Columbus ties, there is a three-way tie with John Carver, Ruud Gullit and Sigi Schmid each having 1.714 points per game.


Despite easy win, Nicol not pleased
Rollercoaster ride with happy ending
Dreary night for Revolution

RSL still bitter over Wizards draw

SALT LAKE CITY -- As far as Real Salt Lake is concerned, Saturday's rematch with the Kansas City Wizards is a golden opportunity to heal a still fresh wound.

Despite outplaying the Wizards when the two clubs met in Utah three weeks ago, RSL failed to produce anything beyond a scoreless draw. Real coach Jason Kreis said that he and his players feel like they let Kansas City steal two points from them.

RSL is determined to get those points back.

"I'm hoping that's fresh in our players' minds and that we go there, basically, with a mindset that we need to get those points back," Kreis said.

If Real hope to recoup a couple of lost points, they appear to be hitting their stride at just the right time. RSL claimed an important 2-1 victory against league-leader New England last weekend. It extended the club's unbeaten streak to five games. Included in that streak is a 1-0 triumph against Chivas USA, which gave RSL its first road win of the season.

Now RSL is all alone in second place in the Western Conference. And with only two points separating Real from the Los Angeles Galaxy, the club is in a position to finally seize first-place -- an accomplishment it has not yet achieved in its short history.

A second win away from the confines of Rice-Eccles Stadium would bring RSL a step closer to being a conference leader. And it would enhance the credibility the club is slowly building in its turnaround season.

"If we go out there and get three points, I think teams are going to start looking at us as a real threat," goalkeeper Nick Rimando said.

Rimando thought RSL took a major step forward when it took care of business against the Revolution. When New England came to Salt Lake, there was no guarantee that Real would come out on top. RSL had not scored in its last two home matches -- against the last-place teams in each conference -- and the Revolution sported a reputation as one of the league's best road teams.

But RSL prevailed by playing a smarter and cleaner brand of soccer than it has shown at other times earlier in the season.

"We didn't give up any goals at the end of the (second) half," Rimando said. "We didn't let them tie it. We kept the ball and made them run -- which is good because, at the beginning of the season, we weren't doing that."

If RSL can create the kind of chances it did against Kansas City the first time around, making it a six-game unbeaten streak could come down to something as simple as better finishing in the final third. Real dominated the Wizards in shots and shots on goal -- producing 19 overall and getting seven of those on frame.

But success on the road has been tough to come by in the past against the Wizards. RSL snuck away with a 3-3 draw in 2006, but suffered losses at Arrowhead Stadium in 2005 and 2007.

Still, with the club fresh off its recent breakthrough on the road against Chivas, RSL players are feeling like the best is yet to come.

"We're doing what we need to do," midfielder Kyle Beckerman said. "We're playing some good soccer at home and we were able to pick up that win on the road. It just seems like everyone is playing with confidence and we're just getting better as a team."

One area of concern going into Kansas City has to be the health of the front line. Fabian Espindola is still out with a left knee contusion, while Yura Movsisyan is still trying to get back to 100 percent after knee surgery.

Robbie Findley should be back from a concussion that knocked him out versus the Revs. But if he can't go, rookie Tino Nunez, who scored the game-winning goal against New England, could get the call against the Wizards.


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Parma chief ‘bitter’ at drop
Wizards search for consistency
Salt Lake play Kansas City to draw

Wizards look to keep battling

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Win the battles, you win the war. For the Kansas City Wizards -- last place in MLS's Eastern Conference and winless in their last seven -- every match is a fight.

The good news is that the Wizards are coming off an encouraging performance last Saturday amidst the daunting atmosphere that is Toronto FC's BMO Field.

"A game where I was pleased with the fact that every single player won their individual battles," said Kansas City head coach Curt Onalfo of the 0-0 draw. "In MLS, the team that rolls up their sleeves, fights, and wins their battles positions themselves to be successful. Then the soccer can carry over and help you win. ... We won every 50-50 ball; we, more often than not, were first to every second ball. That, over the course of the game, makes a psychological statement to the other team."

The performance was a vast improvement over the Saturday before when the Wizards put in a listless performance in front of a sellout crowd at home (one that drew comparisons to a 7-0 home loss on July 4, 2001 to Chicago in front of nearly 20,000), losing 3-0 to the Columbus Crew. "[The draw at Toronto] positions ourselves ... to walk in confidently knowing that we have to do the exact same thing: we have to fight, win our individual battles, make sure we're putting the other team under pressure, keep sending the numbers forward, create the chances, and this time make sure we put them in the back of the net," Onalfo said.

And the lineup Onalfo will put out will be one that will be focused on attack.

"We may very well put some more attacking players on the field in this game against Real Salt Lake to try and really put them on their heels and have a little bit more of a presence up front," Onalfo said.

Part of the lineup will include a change instituted in Toronto. Ever-versatile Jack Jewsbury, who has played in a variety of spots in the midfield thus far, will take up at right back where his attacking skills can help Kansas City push more numbers up the field and where his understanding with right midfielder Davy Arnaud can flourish. Additionally, Claudio Lopez will likely move away from the front line to attack from the midfield while Scott Sealy and Ivan Trujillo combine up top.

The increase in chances created in Toronto, where the Wizards outshot their opponent 11-7, and the attacking changes will hopefully spur a Wizards offense currently averaging 0.83 goals per game.

"Right now, we're just looking to really break out. We've been consistently good defensively in the last few games," said Jewsbury. "We've created the chances to score a lot of goals; it's just a matter of it coming. Once you get that first one, you get that monkey off your back, hopefully, they'll just start rolling in for us."

Unbeaten in their last five, visiting Real Salt Lake is on a roll and find themselves in second place in the Western Conference. The Wizards are more concerned about a roll of their own though.

"We're not doing as well as we would like, but it's not for the lack of work on the practice field," said Lopez through a translator. "We need to keep working hard and we'll get better. It's essential that we put up a little winning streak. That will give us a boost."

A roll might have to begin without two regular starters, however. Center midfielder Kerry Zavagnin's foot strain will keep him out in favor of Kurt Morsink, and captain Jimmy Conrad is questionable after hurting a foot in training on Wednesday.

"He's struggling a little bit. It's going to be a game-time decision," said Onalfo. "Knowing Jimmy and his mentality, there isn't much that keeps him off the field. The good thing is his foot's not broken."

The Wizards will also be battling to mend their fractured relationship with their fans, using the June 14 letdown as the rallying cry.

"My pregame talk with the team is going to be about redemption and making up. When you have 10,000 fans [a sellout], you have to make sure you go out and perform because we didn't show up the game before," said Onalfo. "A performance you can be proud of is one where you leave everything on the field. ... If you give everything you have, more often than not, we're going to win the game."


Wizards focus on moving forward
Clemente Unhappy With Draw
“We should have made it 2-0″

Hyndman finds positives in loss

FRISCO, Texas -- The record of new FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman stands at 0-1-0 after Saturday night's 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium.

Even though FCD was outshot 12-4 by the Red Bulls and created just one legitimate scoring chance, Hyndman admitted that he found several positives on Monday as his team prepares for a Thursday trip to two-time MLS Cup champion Houston, a team the Hoops have never beaten in the Bayou City.

"I think that (goalkeeper) Dario (Sala) made a couple of great saves," he said. "I thought that our defense stayed in their shape. We lost the midfield battle, which is an issue, but they pressed us high so much and surprisingly, did that the whole game. I think with the field surface, we weren't able to connect the passes like we would have liked. But the players fought all the way to the end and that really showed character. When we got scored on, the heads didn't go down, they just continued."

Yet while Hyndman was concerned with losing the midfield battle, he did have praise for defensive midfielder Pablo Ricchetti for his solid performance.

"One of the players that I singled out was Pablo, who had a really good game against New York," he said. "His intensity was from the start to the end. He's one of those players that when we talk about fitness level, he's there. He's got extremely good work ethics and work rate. I thought he and Marcelo (Saragosa) were two guys that we can kind of look at and say to give the same effort that they do."

However, one thing the new Hoops boss wants to see his side do better is get more numbers forward.

"Yes, we are making subtle changes," he said. "Today, we're talking about instead of playing those square balls, playing more diagonal balls and getting forward. Every coach plans their training session off the past game and says these are the things we need to work on. We've been able to identify some things like getting more numbers in the attack. I thought our defense was good but we didn't get as much attack out of our fullbacks but they were under so much pressure that they probably didn't want to go."

Last week, Hyndman said that he wanted to see his outside backs get forward more. Bobby Rhine, who started at right back and Blake Wagner, the starting left back, did some of that at Giants Stadium but their presence in the attack wasn't a consistent one mainly because of the high pressure that New York put on FCD all night long.

"I think it's smart for a defender not to go forward too much when they see the pressure that is on them and that there is maybe no space," he said. "One of the things was that if the ball went out to Bobby (Rhine), we were pretty predictable. It didn't come back into the middle and go to the other side to Blake (Wagner) because they were shifting defensively and we never really moved the ball with their shift."

He added: "I think Bobby was a little bit better and it's because of the characteristics that he has. He was a forward at one time, a midfielder at one time and has those qualities. Now he's a defender and feels comfortable getting forward. That showed in his training today as well."

Hyndman was also disappointed by how tired his team looked as the match progressed.

"I do (think that fitness is something we need to work on)," he said. "I don't think we're as match-fit as we should be for being in the season. Sometimes, you work awfully hard in your preseason to get match fit but once you get into the season, you don't have any days to work on fitness because you have games. When you put in the fitness, you've got to put in recovery.

"I don't think they're match-fit the way they're capable of being but it's not something that I can impose on them like during preseason. What we're trying to do is take the training sessions and make them more intense by maybe going a little bit longer not in time but making the segments a little bit longer and more intense."

On Monday, defender Adrian Serioux returned to training after missing two weeks while away with the Canadian national team. Drew Moor missed the New York game because he was with the U.S. national team and Hyndman took notice of how much Moor got forward in yesterday's World Cup qualifier at Barbados.

In the past, Moor has played both at right back as well as in the middle. Rhine, who came into MLS as a forward in 1999 but converted to the back in 2005, has played exclusively at right back. But Hyndman feels that both could be part of the FCD attack.

"I think that's going to be a great question to be answered because I think Bobby (Rhine) has done some great things going forward and is going to continue getting forward," he said. "The thing that Drew (Moor) brings is that he's more of a natural defender, a gladiator and a ball winner. Are we going to be able to take Bobby and turn him into a true defender or are we going to be able to help Drew be involved in the attack more?

"I think we can probably help Drew get into the attack more than we can make Bobby into a 50/50, hard-nosed ball winner in the air. He's improved in those areas but I think it's not a natural place for him. I'm anxious to get Drew back but I thought (Aaron Pitchkolan) did a good job dealing with that as a center back."


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Cordoba expects fitness wait

Bornstein rolling with punches

CARSON, Calif. -- When the 2008 MLS season started, there were two things Jonathan Bornstein likely did not count on.

First, he probably thought his lateral collateral ligament would hold up just fine. Secondly, if anyone was going to play left back it was probably going to be him.

As it turned out, Bornstein's knee injury caused him to miss time with Chivas USA and now that he's back, Francisco Mendoza has settled into the left back position.

But Bornstein is not exactly complaining about the situation.

"I kind of expected that sitting on the sidelines," he said. "I saw him doing a really good job back there and same thing with Carey (Talley) on the other side. Why switch it up when it's working? We haven't been giving up very many goals and the back is solid."

Bornstein has still proven his worth in his newfound role. Against Chicago on June 19, Bornstein came on at the start of the second half and helped a 10-man Chivas USA side protect a lead as the Red-and-White won 2-0.

Still, Bornstein's season took a rather unexpected twist during a training session in early May when his knee gave out on him. Subsequent tests revealed damage to his lateral collateral ligament.

Bornstein was ruled out 4-6 weeks and was put in a position he'd not been in before.

"Very strange, something new," Bornstein said when asked how he handled his time away from the playing field. "Since I was in college I've never missed a game. It was kind of something I was always proud about, that I was always ready for games and I kind of pushed through it, maybe through a little bit of injury but I was always ready and fit to go."

A year ago, Bornstein injured his knee late in the preseason but he recovered in time to play in the season opener. This time around, Bornstein missed five games.

Having injured his medial collateral ligament a year ago, Bornstein knew what to expect in terms of rehabilitating the knee. A year ago, he underwent a procedure known as platelet rich plasma, in which blood is drawn, removed of its plasma and injected into his injured knee.

The procedure is effective but can be a bit painful. Bornstein expected both and was right on both counts.

"I went into it thinking there was going to be a lot of pain this time because the first time it was excruciating right when they started pushing in the blood. This time he told me it might not be as painful because it's a different ligament and it's got a little bit more space," he said. "A couple hours after the local anesthetic wore away, it started hurting moreso than the other one."

Had he not had the procedure, perhaps he would not have been able to recover so quickly.

"It kind of sets you back a little bit. For the first three days you are really sore, you lose a little of range of motion and it's almost like you got injured all over again," he said. "But then right after that process is over, I can almost feel it start kicking in, you feel your strength getting back and you feel like you can do exercises that you weren't able to do."


Deja vu in loss to Revolution
Degen injured for final
Chivas try to slow dynamic LA duo

United keep eye toward postseason

WASHINGTON -- For most of the season, D.C. United players and coaches steadfastly declined to discuss other teams or their place in the table, preferring to maintain an inward focus as the squad labored to fix its own shortcomings.

"We don't even look at the standings right now," said head coach Tom Soehn at the beginning of June. "We're worried about ourselves, making sure that we continue in the right direction. When you do that, the results take care of themselves."

Those results have indeed taken care of themselves, in the form of a five-game unbeaten streak, and as their tumultuous spring has faded in the rearview mirror, an improving United have turned a keen eye towards the rest of the league. The postseason might be months away, but there's a growing urgency around RFK Stadium as the team hunts for the points needed to continue climbing up the Eastern Conference ranks.

"We got a long home stretch and we're definitely trying to get maximum points out of this stretch," said midfielder Clyde Simms after Sunday's win against San Jose. "We're down in the standings right now and fortunately we had some results go our way yesterday, and so we're looking to get three [points] to try to move up."

As Simms' words indicate, Soehn has called his squad's attention to the schedule quirk that balances United's current homestand with an array of road matches from August until October.

"We're definitely looking at other results around the league," added Simms. "But the biggest thing is worrying about ourselves and trying to get maximum points, especially being at home for so long. With all these home games, obviously we're going to have away games later on so we try to get maximum points now and then move on from there."

Soehn has continued a tactic used by his predecessor, Peter Nowak, chopping the protracted MLS campaign into smaller segments to help distill his team's concentration, laying out specific goals and priorities during those periods. It's also helped the Black-and-Red turn the page on their awful start to 2008.

"We basically looked at the first third of the season and know we didn't do a good enough job," said Soehn. "We know we can't change that, we can only look forward and make sure that now in the next third we do a much better job and make sure we take care of the games we need to. But again, it's still about our performance on a daily basis: are we doing enough in training to make sure that we're consistently getting better? That's been the focus."

Therein lies much of the dissatisfaction with Sunday's win, which featured plenty of attacking success but also more of the ill-advised mistakes -- particularly in the defensive end -- that could prove fatal in the high-stakes occasions to come.

"As long as we're winning, as long as it's not costing the team, it's always a benefit," said defender Devon McTavish, who's witnessed United's fall meltdowns in the past. "But we still need to get that shutout. We still need to keep them from getting in the back of our net, because when it comes to crunch time you're not going to be able to win 3-2. You're going to have win 1-0, 2-0. We still need to fix that."

This weekend's visit by David Beckham and the free-scoring L.A. Galaxy offers another significant barometer for D.C.'s progress. A win would push United to the .500 mark for the first time since early April, and propel the club into July's SuperLiga competition on a high. Plus, with ABC broadcasting the game to a national network audience as an appetizer for the UEFA European Championships final immediately afterwards, it's difficult to imagine a June league match that could offer more of a "crunch time" situation.

"They're playing well right now and they have some good attacking options," said Simms of the Western Conference leaders. "It's going to be a day game, it's going to hot. I think the key will be to keep the ball ... we do that and it's going to be a tough one -- you waste a lot more energy defending than attacking, so if we keep the ball and make them run around a little bit, make their attacking options a little tired, then I think we can do well next Sunday."


Through competition, unlikely friends
Hargreaves: Destiny In Our Hands

Davis: Keepers crossed-up

A couple of weeks ago, big nights from goalkeepers carried the day for several MLS clubs. Round 13 of MLS matches brought the opposite as a few goalkeepers got seriously crossed up while trying to deal with the crosses.

Columbus' William Hesmer left Landon Donovan with the easiest of finishes at The Home Depot Center when he bobbled David Beckham's sublime centering pass. (It really was a wonderful bit of improvisation from Beckham, who reached high from a spot one step from the touchline, one-timing a sharp ball into the six-yard box. Most players wouldn't even think of attempting such a cross; Beckham actually pulled it off.)

Hesmer got a little tangled up Donovan but still had a good opportunity to hold onto Beckham's cross. Or, if he was unsure to any degree, Hesmer should have elected "punch" over "catch" and eliminated the risk for a costly bobble. A few times this year (like this one) Hesmer has demonstrated that he might need to develop a bit more strength in his hands to move to the next level as a goalkeeper.

As it was, the ball fell, Donovan pounced and L.A. had an early lead at home.

At Giants Stadium, Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala was nowhere to be found as a Red Bulls corner kick dropped right at his back post, where a much-obliged Kevin Goldthwaite had only to redirect it home for the game's only goal.

Sala took two quick steps out of goal, then watched Sinisa Ubiparipovic's crisp corner kick sail over his head. FCD's veteran goaltender was completely out of the play.

It was a bad moment for Sala, who was pretty good otherwise as he kept goal in Schellas Hyndman's professional managerial debut for the Hoops. Moments before the goal Sala had saved spectacularly on Ubiparipovic's sharp volley from inside the penalty area.

But they pay the goalkeepers to perform all the routine functions in addition to making the occasional blinding save. So, Sala will surely have better days.

United's Zach Wells dropped a cross Sunday against San Jose, briefly keeping the West Coast expansion side in the thick of things at RFK. Wells stepped out to meet James Riley's short cross but made a mess of it, bobbling it as he fell forward to the ground. The ball dropped conveniently to John "On the Spot" Cunliffe, who barely sneaked a rebound shot past a gaggle of D.C. defenders.

Wells' continues to mix good performances with occasional lapses in form or concentration, which could haunt a D.C. United side that otherwise has things going in the right direction.

Tom Soehn's men, perfect in three MLS appearances in June, have a high-profile match ahead Sunday on ABC against the Galaxy. And don't you know Wells will be seeing his share of crosses from David Beckham and Chris Klein, among others?

Even the usually reliable Matt Reis wasn't at his best on one particular sequence in the Revs' weekend setback in Utah. The veteran goalkeeper got stranded in what broadcasters love to call "no man's land" as Javier Morales' free kick came swinging in dangerously.

So Reis gave himself little chance to react as Jay Heaps inadvertently deflected the ball past his goalkeeper for an early RSL goal.

Finally, Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin will wince at his own costly bobble, although his wasn't on a centering pass.

The young Galaxy goalkeeper couldn't handle Frankie Hejduk's shot from 20 yards in the late-going in Carson on Saturday. Instead of catching it cleanly (or choosing to punch it safely away) he left it to bounce inside the "six." Crew rookie Steven Lenhart, in just his second professional appearance, made no mistake with his late equalizer, as Sigi Schmid's men collected four points from a two-game road swing to get themselves going in the right direction.

TACTICAL CORNER

How about Steve Ralston? He began Saturday's contest in Salt Lake as an attacking midfielder but later switched to the left side of midfield as Nicol saw something he didn't like happening at Rice-Eccles. Ralston has also played at times this year as a forward (scoring his team's only goal in last week's match against the New York Red Bulls from that spot.) And all this from a guy who made his mark in MLS as one of the league's premier right-sided midfielders.

Try to keep up here:

Columbus was in its usual 4-4-2 (or 4-4-1-1, depending on how you see Guillermo Barros Schelotto's role) to begin Saturday's match in Los Angeles. Down 2-1, manager Sigi Schmid maneuvered his side into a 3-5-2.

Mission accomplished. Tie game. Well done. Schmid settles his team back into the 4-4-2.

But wait! L.A. scores! The Crew is down, 3-2.

No problem. Back to the 3-5-2 for the Crew.

Steven Lenhart, brought in because he's good in the air and expected to supply a lot of energy, manages to knock in the equalizer and ... voila! Tie game.

That's a lot of coaching for one night from Schmid.

As expected, Schellas Hyndman removed the 3-5-2 look preferred by managerial predecessors Steve Morrow and (interim man) Marco Ferruzzi. FC Dallas instead returned to the four-man back line it had used extensively over the last few years.

Expect Dallas to stay with the 4-4-2 now, although Hyndman will surely tinker with personnel as Drew Moor and Adrian Serioux return from international duty.

Robbie Rogers didn't show up on Saturday's scoresheet, but he had another outstanding night for the Crew with a hand in two goals during the 3-3 road draw. Interestingly, he didn't really assert himself until late in the first half as he seemed to probe studiously before that. Once he found the right spots to get the ball, he was able to successfully run at Galaxy defenders Chris Klein and Abel Xavier, giving Los Angeles problems aplenty to solve.

The two best quotes from MLS Round 13, both related to individual tactics:

This from Red Bull manager Juan Carlos Osorio, referring to midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic, who was outstanding Saturday for a second consecutive match: "We have been working a lot on trying to convince him that when he plays effective football, meaning no back-heels, no outside flicks, just play simple football ... he can compete, and he can play at this level."

And this from Columbus Crew rookie Steven Lenhart, who provided his team with the late equalizer in Saturday's exciting 3-3 draw in Los Angeles: "I don't have the most skill or anything, so [he wanted to] just mix it up a little bit, win the headers and hold the ball, just try and hold the defenders off and be active in front of goal. I think it paid off."

You gotta like an honest man.


Stoic Moreno providing Crew big lift
Disastrous stretch dooms Crew
Late blow for Arminia
DAVIS IN FOUR-WAY TIE FOR LEAD

Martinez making presence felt in D.C.

WASHINGTON -- A small, colorful figurine overlooks Gonzalo Martinez's locker at RFK Stadium, tucked away in the corner of an upper shelf. It's an image of Chango, a powerful Orisha deity of West African lore who is linked with thunder and lightning -- he's often depicted wielding a double-headed axe -- and Martinez pays his respects to the icon before every match.

It's an appropriate custom, given that the strapping Colombian has become such an indispensable two-way threat for D.C. United this season. Having established his defensive credentials early on with composed performances in every spot along the United back line, Martinez has grown increasingly comfortable going forward and his enterprise was decisively rewarded with Sunday's thunderous game-winning goal against San Jose.

"He had a great goal for us," said fellow defender Devon McTavish, "putting us on his shoulders a little bit, putting one in the back of the net. He's great going forward for us and he provides a different mentality in terms of outside back and I think we're getting used to playing with him, covering him when he goes on his runs. He's tough to stop when he goes forward -- he's got great feet, he's fast, he's quick."

The athletic Martinez clearly relished his first goal with United, pointing towards his family in the stands before showing off a few dance steps at the corner flag. Its highlight-reel quality earned an MLS Goal of the Week nomination and ensured that from now on, opposing teams will have to be wary of his attacking abilities out of the back.

"Of course -- I'm looking to get some more goals for the good of the club," said the laid-back veteran afterwards. "It's not fun when we're out and we come back with our heads down, so I'm looking to get this institution back on a good track."

Martinez's versatility and professionalism have been revelations throughout what has often been a trying 2008 campaign for the capital club. The well-traveled defender's arrival in D.C. was somewhat overlooked amid United's flood of offseason acquisitions, but he soon proved why big clubs in Italy's Serie A and throughout South America have utilized his services in the past.

A rare blend of speed, skill and savvy helped him adjust quickly to the demands of Major League Soccer while other signings were still finding their feet, and his focused approach has stabilized a new-look D.C. defense that's suffered through more than its share of growing pains.

"It was definitely very hard in the beginning, because we didn't really know each other," said Martinez. "But now that we're starting to get to know each other and how we play, it's all a mental thing. You've got to prepare yourself mentally. I've had a lot of experience and I know that what you really have to do is stay with your mark, stay with your guy, and just keep working on that. Personally, I feel that we need to just keep our concentration and keep our attention on the game."

He's certainly made life a great deal easier for head coach Tom Soehn. The D.C. boss initially used Martinez at center back but soon challenged him with a switch to left back, then played him on the right side in a June 14 match against the New York Red Bulls when Bryan Namoff was suspended. With the exception of an uneven display against Chivas USA last month, Martinez has hardly put a foot wrong.

"He's got pace and he's got experience," said Soehn. "He's a guy that's been through a lot and we utilize his speed well going forward, and in the back. When he needs to make a play, he tends to have that little extra gas to do it. To his credit, we've moved him around a lot and he's adjusted to everywhere we've put him. That's a good quality to have."

It seems that Soehn will be able to depend on Martinez for some time to come. The defender, his wife and their two young children, Santiago Andres and Carol Diana, have settled into life in northern Virginia and despite his strong form this year, he expresses little interest in a return to the international stage, where he represented Colombia on 36 occasions.

"It was an honor to be able to play for my country, obviously. It's a really beautiful thing, and what every player dreams of," said Martinez. "I would not rule anything out but right now I'm at a point in my career where I just want to focus on D.C. I'm going to be 33 soon, so I just really want to focus my career on what I'm doing right now on this team."

Music to a United fan's ears.


Bojan Out Of Catalunya Squad To Face Argentina
Boswell making presence felt with Dynamo
D.C. United unable to find spark against Rapids

Crew return home after strong road trip

COLUMBUS -- It was home sweet home for the Columbus Crew in their first four matches, but it took going on the road to erase the bitter taste of the past two games at Crew Stadium.

After picking up four points in matches at Kansas City and Los Angeles, the Crew return home to face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday for the first time since a 2-0 setback to San Jose on June 7. That followed a 1-0 defeat to visiting New England two weeks earlier. The pair of losses dropped the Crew's home mark to 4-2 after a promising start at protecting its home field.

"It's always harder to get points on the road so it built our confidence," defender Danny O'Rourke said. "We're not really looking back at those home games. We're trying to get back into that mindset that we need three points every home game."

If there was a common theme in the two home defeats -- besides the lack of goals -- it was poor starts.

"Our energy and mindset wasn't right," midfielder Robbie Rogers said. "The first 20 minutes of both of those games at home we didn't come out right so we have to focus and come out with a lot of energy, get a goal the first 20, 30 minutes and set the tone for the rest of the game. We can learn from our mistakes and have to come out with even more energy than we did on the road."

A 3-0 win against the Wizards was highlighted by a third-minute goal from defender Chad Marshall that broke a 371-minute scoreless streak. Last week, the Crew was victimized in the fourth minute by Landon Donovan; trailed 2-0 and 3-2 in the second half but rallied for a point on a late goal by rookie forward Steven Lenhart.

"I was very happy the way we started in K.C.," coach Sigi Schmid said. "Even in L.A., with the exception of the early goal we gave up, I thought the first 15 to 20 minutes we were OK. We had somebody make an individual mistake that caused the goal."

He's well aware that home teams sometimes relax early and are vulnerable as was the case in the games against New England and San Jose.

"We have to make sure we're fresh. That's why (Thursday) with the heat we wanted to keep practice short and sharp and we accomplished that," Schmid said. "A lot of it is our mentality and making sure we go into the game with the right mentality. The first time we started talking about it was on Tuesday and have their mindset on it. Now it's a matter of turning it into action. I can talk about it until I'm blue in the face but they've got to bring the mentality to the field."

The Crew are not only slow off the opening kickoff but it has also struggled after halftime. They have been outscored 4-2 in the first 15 minutes and 2-0 in the opening quarter-hour after the halftime break.

"We figured out that the first 15 minutes of the first half and second half have to change dramatically," midfielder Brad Evans said. "We've been working on that in practice this week. That's something that definitely is going to change Saturday."

Getting the early jump on the Rapids could mean playing hard but smart.

"Sometimes you've got to force the issue but you don't have to force the issue by exposing yourself," Schmid said. "You want to play the game in the opponent's half of the field. Early in the game you don't want to try to play through them when they have a lot of energy and are closing things down. You've got to read a little bit what they're doing. If they push up and are playing with a lot of energy and are tight with people maybe you've got to exploit those spaces behind them and the ball into their end of the field."

That happened against the Galaxy but the Rapids should offer a more cohesive defensive effort. Still, scoring as many times as the Crew did in their past two road matches has done wonders for the psyche.

"We're pretty positive," defender Frankie Hejduk said. "It would have been one thing not to have any goals but the last two games we scored six goals. In both those (home) games against New England and San Jose we had many chances. It wasn't like we weren't creating chances. We weren't putting the ball in the back of the net. We have to try to keep it at zeroes and hopefully our forwards can sneak a couple in."

There is another incentive for the Crew. There is a chance Schmid could be selected as the coach for the MLS All-Stars in the match against West Ham United in Toronto on July 24. The Crew must beat the Rapids to keep Schmid in the running based on a points-per-game formula at the completion of play Sunday.

"Obviously, that's tremendous," Evans said. "It's good for him but it also benefits our team."


Stoic Moreno providing Crew big lift
Hamburg return to winning ways
Disastrous stretch dooms Crew
Champions poor on the road

Galaxy focus on scoring at both ends

CARSON, Calif. -- Few things in life are an absolute certainty. But considering the fact that MLS matches featuring the Los Angeles Galaxy are averaging a little more than 4.2 goals per contest, one can pretty much count on getting their money's worth when the Galaxy take to the field.

The Galaxy have scored 31 goals this season, seven more than their next closest competitor. They feature the top two scorers in the league in Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle. David Beckham and Donovan are tied for second in assists. But as prolific as the Galaxy offense has been, the defense has been equally porous.

The Galaxy have the worst defensive mark in the league, having allowed 24 goals in their 13 games. It's a stat that came back to bite LA this past weekend, as it allowed three second-half goals and squandered two separate leads in allowing Columbus to take a share of the points in a 3-3 thriller at The Home Depot Center.

Because of results like last Saturday's, the Galaxy offense is starting to feel a bit of pressure.

"When you don't put (teams) away you start to wonder if they get one back are they going to get two back and so on," said Beckham. "It's what we've been talking about, not giving anything away. It's not just the defense. Defending starts up front, then the midfield, and obviously the back four."

Despite the disappointment from last weekend, the Galaxy are still riding a three-game unbeaten streak, tying the best mark on the season thus far. While he was frustrated by the draw against Columbus, head coach Ruud Gullit feels as though his team is progressing.

"In the beginning of the season, we lost these games in the last couple of minutes. Therefore, it's at least something positive," said Gullit. "We could have killed the game much earlier and that is unnecessary, so you have the feeling that you threw away two points."

The Galaxy have made some progress in that regard. LA has twice allowed a goal in the final 15 minutes of a game that has led to a one-goal loss, while twice the opposition has scored goals in the final quarter-hour that has directly resulted in draws. Still, there seems to be a lack of urgency defensively as a team, something Los Angeles is still addressing.

"It's a learning process for all the team and all the players," said Beckham. "We'll get better at it." In the meantime, Los Angeles is in a position where they still feel as though they need to outgun their opposition instead of relying on shutting down the opposition. From a fan's perspective it's great to come out and see a goalfest, but from the Galaxy's perspectiveb, they'd rather trade a few style points for points in the standings.


Karlsruher SC: the surprise team
Galaxy looking for scoring balance
Galaxy eye revenge vs. Reds

D.C. beats Quakes with late surge

WASHINGTON -- They certainly made heavy work of the task, but D.C. United was nonetheless able to dispose of the last-place San Jose Earthquakes at warm RFK Stadium on Sunday afternoon, running their unbeaten streak to five with a 3-1 victory.

United were paced by goals from Clyde Simms, Luciano Emilio and a glittering game-winner from Gonzalo Martinez shortly after goalkeeper Zach Wells' mistake had handed San Jose's John Cunliffe an easy equalizer.

United have now won three in a row, helped in large measure by Emilio's torrid goalscoring -- the Brazilian has netted seven goals in the past five games -- and can head into next Sunday's high-profile showdown with the West-leading Los Angeles Galaxy full of confidence.

Santino Quaranta's yellow-card suspension prompted D.C. coach Tom Soehn to plug Marc Burch into the left midfield slot and switch Fred to the right flank, while Bryan Namoff and Marcelo Gallardo returned to their normal spots in the first XI. On the opposite side, Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop ran out the exact same lineup used in the scoreless draw at Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night, starting a four-game road swing.

Both teams started languidly in the mid-afternoon sun, with United enjoying plenty of possession and San Jose sitting fairly deep, though the visitors looked eager to break out when the opportunity presented itself. Six minutes in, Ronnie O'Brien turned upfield near the center circle and gave Wells something to think about with a speculative shot from all of 40 yards out, but the Irishman's effort floated high and a bit wide of the target.

Thanks to the Earthquakes' hard running and lively pressure on the ball, United failed to assert the kind of dominance their fans might have expected in this match, with Ramiro Corrales harrying Gallardo and center backs Ryan Cochrane and Kelly Gray keeping close tabs on striker Luciano Emilio.

But in a flash, the in-form Emilio nearly stole an opening goal for his side in the 16th minute as he slipped behind the 'Quakes defense and met Gallardo's astute through ball deep in the penalty box. The Brazilian clipped a soft left-footed shot past the advancing Joe Cannon, yet could only wince as the ball dinked off the base of the right crossbar and rolled away from goal.

San Jose came much closer 10 minutes later as more good work carved open the United back line, handing Ivan Guerrero an open look at goal -- but Wells came up with a crucial reaction save to deflect the Honduran's near-post blast onto the crossbar and preserve the scoreless draw.

United finally gave San Jose netminder Joe Cannon a meaningful test in the 41st minute, as Gallardo played a slick one-two with Emilio and dribbled into the restraining arc before unleashing a low cutback shot to the left post. The veteran 'keeper got down low and gobbled up the effort cleanly, however, and action quickly switched to the other end where Cunliffe took advantage of Gonzalo Peralta's slip to send a low drive just wide of Wells' near post.

The second half started off a good deal more eventfully than the first, as United attacked forcefully and were soon rewarded.

Barely five minutes in, Simms, a defensive midfielder who entered the season with one career goal, grabbed his second tally in as many games with another long-distance blast that found the net -- albeit with considerable help from the two San Jose defenders whose deflections left Cannon stranded on his backside as the ball dribbled into the net uncontested.

But before the RFK crowd had even finished its celebrations, San Jose were gifted an immediate equalizer thanks to a shocking error by Zach Wells.

Quakes frontrunner Ryan Johnson had done well to break free into space down the right flank, but his chest-high cross looked like easy pickings for Wells -- until the tall netminder bobbled the ball as he fell forward. He remained unable to find the handle as he hit the turf, handing the nearby Cunliffe a close-range finish that the assistant referee judged to have crossed the goal line before Namoff's desperate clearance.

The D.C. 'keeper looked sick at the sudden turn of events, but he was soon bailed out when one of his defenders ranged forward to produce another go-ahead goal for the home side.

Martinez had been quietly effective along the D.C. left side all day, but there was nothing understated about his impressive solo effort after receiving a short pass from Gallardo at the top corner of the Quakes 18-yard box as the Colombian turned O'Brien inside out, pivoting to his right side and lashing a low missile off the inside of the far post for a 2-1 United advantage.

Martinez's goal seemed to spark new life into his teammates, as they finally began to string together meaningful moves and discomfit the visitors' defense. Second-half sub Dominic Mediate's well-timed run and subsequent cross almost led to a volleyed finish by Gallardo, who later came close again with a nimble leaping chip over Cannon that flew just over the crossbar, rippling the outside of the twine.

But the Earthquakes continued to create danger in their forays forward. Substitute Shea Salinas seemed to have found a leveler for his team after slashing through the D.C. defense to touch a through ball past Wells, but he was denied by a game-saving recovery as Devon McTavish raced back to block his shot before it could cross the unguarded goal line.

McTavish found himself playing a central role in the game's next pivotal moment, too, when the United utility man reached a loose ball well before James Riley some eight minutes from full time.

The Quakes defender had already committed himself with a rash slide tackle aimed right for McTavish's ankle, however, upending his rival and drawing a swift decision from referee Alex Prus, who produced a red card and patiently waited for the prone Riley to get off the turf before brandishing it in his direction for the meaty challenge.

The Black-and-Red capitalized a few minutes later, icing the match on a nimble move from Emilio, who took Gallardo's pass deep inside the San Jose box and turned inside Guerrero to hit a sharp left-footer that left Cannon no chance on its way into the net, as the Quakes 'keeper was once again left helpless by a deflection, this time off center back Gray.


Prolific offense powering D.C. up table
Quakes see hope in United turnaround
Hargreaves: Destiny In Our Hands

Real Salt Lake flex home muscles

SALT LAKE CITY -- Tino Nunez helped Real Salt Lake finally grind the rust off of their offense Saturday night to extend the club's unbeaten streak to a team-record five games.

Nunez, a rookie forward out of UC-Santa Barbara, scored his first career MLS goal in the 60th minute to lift RSL to a 2-1 victory against the New England Revolution at Rice-Eccles Stadium. It was the Utah club's first home match win in the month of June following consecutive scoreless draws.

RSL remained unbeaten at home this season, now with four wins and four ties in eight games in Salt Lake City, while the Revolution lost for the first time since May 3 as their seven-game unbeaten streak came to an end.

RSL established a new club record in the first half, extending their shutout streak to 283 minutes before New England got on the board in the eighth minute.

The Revolution went up 1-0 when Adam Cristman nodded the ball past Real 'keeper Nick Rimando. New England goalkeeper Matt Reis sent a long clearance downfield, and as RSL defender Nat Borchers backtracked, he looked toward Rimando who had come off his line as the ball bounced high into the air. Instead, Cristman slipped inside Borchers and headed the ball over Rimando from the top of the area into the goal.

But the Revolution wasted no time giving their newfound advantage away. RSL tied it up in the 11th minute when Jay Heaps deflected the ball backward past Reis. Javier Morales swung a free kick into the center of the area to Robbie Findley. Heaps tried to block Findley as he went for a header, but ended up instead heading it past Reis.

RSL worked hard to add another goal to tally throughout the first half but managed to find a way to come up short each time.

Morales gathered the ball near the upper corner of the penalty area in the 13th minute and tried to slingshot it over Reis' head. Reis initially failed to get his fingers around the ball, but pulled it down on second effort just before another Real player could get to it.

Morales tried to make something happen again in the 21st minute when he swung a free kick to Beckerman along the left side of the area. Beckerman headed the ball backward -- and his shot landed square in Reis' hands.

RSL had another golden opportunity slip away a few minutes later. Beltran fed the ball to Deuchar in the goalmouth in the 26th minute. He and Reis went up for the ball at the same time while it was still airborne. Deuchar had position behind him, but Reis managed to bat the ball to safety outside the six-yard box.

New England saw its best chance before halftime come in the 34th minute when Sainey Nyassi drove toward Rimando from an angle on the right and drilled a hard right-footed volley off a Kheli Dube cross. Rimando made an outstanding save when he dove forward and blocked the line drive shot away.

RSL suffered another blow to its ailing frontline when Findley had to be helped off the field in the 41st minute, to be replaced by Nunez.

Deuchar tried to make up for Findley's absence early in the second half, but struggled with his finishing once again. Beltran crossed to Deuchar from the far end of the box to the left post in the 53rd minute. Deuchar attempted to force a header between Reis and the post, but the Revs 'keeper snatched it out of the air.

Nunez finally broke through for RSL in the 60th minute. Morales collected the ball near the top of the area and tried a shot at goal. The ball took a deflection and fell right to the feet of Nunez, who was kept onside by a New England defender. In alone on Reis as the goalkeeper came off his line, the rookie rifled the ball behind him and into an empty net for his first MLS goal.

With both teams coming off ties at midweek, but the Revolution with a cross-country trip in between while RSL had back-to-back home games, New England tried vainly to come back after the go-ahead goal.

First, in the 68th minute, Albright redirected a corner kick with a header that sent Rimando scrambling before it bounced inches wide of the wrong side of the post. Two minutes later Jeff Larentowicz, who scored on a blast in his last visit to Rice-Eccles Stadium, fired a 25-yard turf-burner that was saved by Rimando.

Then Cristman drove into the Salt Lake penalty area 10 minutes from time and, while battling with Borchers, belted a shot at the near post that was pushed over the end line at the last moment by a diving Rimando.

Matias Cordoba nearly added a third goal for RSL in stoppage time. Morales won the ball with a great tackle just outside the top of the box and then laid the ball off to Cordoba on the right. Cordoba cut the ball back and tried to curve it inside the near post, but it went just wide instead.


Nunez turns heads with game winner
Player Ratings: Barcelona 2-3 Real Mallorca
Trip to Utah too much for Revs
Bundesliga: top for goals

Trip to Utah too much for Revs

SALT LAKE CITY -- Getting results from three games in 10 days can be a tall order for any team. Throw in the fact that each match took place in a different time zone, at a different altitude and on a different surface, and it could be seen as near impossible.

Two games in the New England Revolution looked up to the task, getting a 2-0 win at Houston and then a 1-1 draw at home to the New York Red Bulls.

But their visit to Salt Lake City just three days after the match with New York was a bit too much. The Revolution scored first but allowed a scrappy Real Salt Lake to claw their way back and hand New England a 2-1 loss. It was the Revs' first defeat since the beginning of May.

After such a long stretch of good results for the league's best team, it was hard to put a finger on one single cause for the letdown. Whether it was the long flight across two-thirds of the continent, the merciless Rice-Eccles surface, or playing at altitude in the Wasatch Mountains, the Revolution couldn't get into a rhythm and string together some possession.

"We were second tonight, to everything," said Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston. "We got outplayed tonight, so we can't make any excuses there. I wish it was that easy that we could pinpoint it and make some changes during the game. We couldn't pass the ball. Mentally, we were reacting late to everything."

One player not reacting late for the Revolution was Adam Cristman, who scored the Revolution's lone goal on the night. Cristman shared the same feelings that as a whole it wasn't his team's night, but he also saw some of the few bright spots.

"We had some moments at the end of the first half, where we were able to put Salt Lake under pressure," said Cristman. "That gave us the opportunity to attack them more from half-field rather than starting from the back."

That might have been the case later in the half, but Cristman's goal started from as far back as you can get -- goalkeeper Matt Reis. In the eighth minute Reis sent a long clearance downfield that took a huge artificial turf-induced bounce to reach the Salt Lake penalty area.

Cristman chased after the rocketing ball, racing past defender Nat Borchers and then not pulling up as RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando charged toward him. A moment of indecision between the two RSL defenders allowed Cristman to get up and flick the ball over Rimando and into the open net.

"A lot of guys would have given up on it and he made it," said Ralston. "He was always working and stuck his head in there when it could have gotten whacked but he ended up scoring this goal."

It was an opportunistic finish for Cristman. And as Ralston points out, it came at a valuable time for the Revs.

"It was good because we were getting hammered pretty good," said Ralston. "I don't think we really had any touches in their half and we got that goal. It took a little of the pressure off at the moment so it was good."

But the Revolution lead lasted all of three minutes when Jay Heaps nodded a free kick Reis for an own goal. RSL's second goal came an hour into the match when Tino Nunez gathered a deflection in the penalty area and pounded it past Reis.

New England head coach Steve Nicol noted the game-winner was a goal that came as a product of the cement-like surface at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

"It was a typical game that you get on this field," said Nicol. "I guess the goal that won the game sums it up, the ball hits their man on his backside and he scores. It kind of sums it up."

In addition to the surface, there are plenty of other reasons why Nicol is not bothered his team only has to make one trip to Utah this season.

"It doesn't help when you're at altitude and it's a lot warmer than you're used to ... we won't be sad to see the back of this place," he said.

The loss snapped a seven-game unbeaten streak, dating back to a May 3 Revolution loss at home to Chicago. The stretch of results helped to catapult New England to the top of the MLS overall table, and although the loss doesn't help that cause the Revs know they need to move past an off night and focus on their next outing.

"Being unbeaten for a stretch doesn't mean anything to the team, to the players," said Cristman. "It's good from a results standpoint, but it's not like we care about the stretch. We don't want to be losing games, that's for sure. We keep doing the same things we've been doing -- we've got a lot of games coming up. We've just got to take care of our bodies. We've got a nice long week of training ahead; we haven't had that in two weeks. It will be good to have some normal training, and get to do some of the extra stuff on the side, and go from there."


Russ doubtful for final stretch
Excitement guaranteed on final stretch
Dreary night for Revolution

Nunez turns heads with game winner

SALT LAKE CITY -- Tino Nunez hasn't received the same degree of fanfare as several other players acquired by Real Salt Lake during this past offseason. But the rookie forward is quickly showing he might rival any first-year player on the roster before the season is in the books.

Nunez made a game-turning play in the 60th minute, scoring the go-ahead goal to lift RSL to a 2-1 home victory against the New England Revolution on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

It was the first career MLS goal for the former California-Santa Barbara star and it helped Real extend their unbeaten streak to five games -- tying a club record.

Nunez barely registered as more than a footnote when the season began, buried deep on the roster behind Kenny Deuchar, Robbie Findley, Fabian Espindola and Yura Movsisyan. But injuries to Espindola and Movsisyan opened up a quick path to daylight and valuable playing time.

When Findley went down with a mild concussion shortly before halftime, Nunez knew his chance to shine had arrived. And he was determined to make it count.

"That's my main focus right now," Nunez said. "Any a little chance I get, (I) just try to make the best out of it. Things are going well so far."

Things especially went well in the 60th minute when the rookie forward snapped a 1-1 tie in dramatic fashion.

Javier Morales collected the ball near the top of the area and let fly from long distance. His shot was deflected and the ball fell right to the feet of Nunez. He drove toward Matt Reis alone and, as the goalkeeper came off his line, rifled the ball behind him into an empty net.

Playing such a crucial role in taking down the Revolution is a satisfying moment for Nunez, who has worked hard in training sessions over the past month to earn the right to move up. It is also a big deal to teammates who feel like he has been rewarded for his dedication.

"No one has worked harder than him," fellow rookie Tony Beltran said. "It's great to see him get a winning goal tonight. He deserved it."

Real could argue for being equally deserving of a much-needed home victory against New England after stringing together a series of strong defensive performances in recent weeks.

RSL kept it going again against New England. Real extended their shutout streak to 283 minutes -- a new club record -- before yielding the match's first goal.

"Statistically, they're No. 1 and we've proven that we can play with the best teams in this league," Real goalkeeper Nick Rimando said.

It was a little bit of a scary moment when the Revs did score early. New England went up 1-0 in the eighth minute when Adam Cristman nodded the ball past Rimando.

New England goalkeeper Matt Reis set the goal up when he sent a long clearance downfield. While RSL defender Nat Borchers backtracked, Rimando came off his line as the ball bounced high into the air. Cristman then slipped inside Borchers and headed the ball over Rimando from the top of the area.

The Revolution did not enjoy their lead for very long. RSL tied it up in the 11th minute when Jay Heaps deflected the ball backward past Reis. Javier Morales swung a free kick into the center of the area to Robbie Findley. Heaps tried to block Findley as he went for a header, but ended up instead heading it past Reis.

Once RSL added a goal of its own to the tally, keeping New England in check turned out to be a simple task down the stretch.

"What's most pleasing about the win tonight was the way we handled ourselves when we had the one-goal lead," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "It shows that we're learning and we're improving. We finished that game off the way a good team does."


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Bundesliga: top for goals
Trip to Utah too much for Revs
Salt Lake play Kansas City to draw

Quakes see hope in United turnaround

WASHINGTON -- Though the fortunes of the San Jose Earthquakes and D.C. United this season are perhaps headed in different directions, their circumstances this season have remarkable similarities.

The teams came together Sunday afternoon at RFK Stadium. Both have had issues with chemistry and cohesion, by-products of either a new roster, as is the case with the expansion Quakes, or an unsettling influx of new players, as with United.

Both have had trouble scoring goals, though United have righted the ship and are now ringing the twine with regularity. Both teams are confident and have worked hard to alter their results.

But in the end, United have more talent in most of the critical areas than the Quakes and therein lies the primary difference between the two clubs, which was evident United's 3-1 win against the Quakes.

"We're chugging along and it's a shame really that we don't have more points than we have. We've played well a lot and not gotten anything out of the game so it's tough to take. I think the quality in the end showed with Emilio scoring -- he's a good player -- and a wonder goal by Martinez," said San Jose coach Frank Yallop.

Emilio scored United's second goal off a deflection in the 88th minute to cap the scoring at 3-1. Gonzalo Martinez scored a brilliant goal in the 55th minute to put United ahead for good that was preceded by goals for each side moments apart five minutes earlier.

United's Clyde Simms scored from distance in the 50th minute on a shot that hit two San Jose defenders before slowly rolling into the net behind a helpless Joe Cannon. Just seconds later, United goalkeeper Zach Wells fumbled a cross from the right flank which John Cunliffe stretched out and poked just over the line ahead of Bryan Namoff's clearance from the goalmouth.

"Our general play and all of the things we talk about coaching-wise and being structured is good, but talent-wise I think we are a little short right now. We've got three forwards who aren't even healthy right now which doesn't help," said Yallop.

The on-field issues are correctable and the team has not been short on effort regardless of their often frustrating results.

"We are not playing a solid 90 minutes," said midfielder Ronnie O'Brien. "We are playing 50, 60 minutes and those other 30 minutes in games we are getting punished. We've got 30 minutes (a game) that we need to work on and keep our concentration and I think we will get some more results."

"It's just disappointing, especially when we are playing well, to get the right time to score and I think that's been our problem really. We don't look overly dangerous all the time when we are in front of goal," added Yallop.

The Quakes have scored only 10 goals on the season, six of which have come on the road, and have been shut out seven times. United went through a similar stretch, scoring only one goal during a four-game losing streak before their recent surge.

"We need to be a little bit sharper in the final third and support each other better when we do have the ball," said Quakes forward Ryan Johnson, who was the only constant threat to United the entire match.

"When you watch D.C., when they get the ball, they have three or four guys around the ball at all times," he continued. "With us, we get the ball to one area, or we switch the ball or we play the ball up to the forwards, there is only one guy there to support, maybe only one option sometimes. These defenders are tough, they are not going to let you hold onto the ball more than three seconds -- you definitely have to play quickly."

Two similarities that have never wavered for each team, however, are using excuses to justify their results, as easy as that could have been and questioning their efforts at any point in the season.

"I think if I knew that we could solve the problem straightaway," said O'Brien jokingly. "We're trying. Obviously there is a period of getting to know each other but we are not using the expansion tab as an excuse. We do feel we are a good enough team and we've been in every game. For the most part, we are not getting trounced on. Without two deflected goals today we've done all right.

"I don't think you can ever question the effort," he continued. "Whether we have the quality or not, that's another thing, a different debate, but you can never question the commitment of the players. We went down to Salt Lake with 10 men and gave it all we got and got a result. We came out today and for the most part emptied the tank but didn't get the result in the end."


Güiza: Hard Work Is The Way To Goal
Quakes hope to build off win
Yallop encouraged despite struggles
Hope still alive

Clark experiences highs and lows of soccer

HOUSTON -- Over the past two years, Ricardo Clark has experienced the highs and lows of soccer. The midfielder has had the low of missing the MLS Cup Final in each of the last two years through suspension, missing last year's repeat championship as part of a nine-game suspension levied after he kicked FC Dallas midfielder Carlos Ruiz late in the regular season.

But this year, Clark has felt the high of competing against world powers such as Spain and England in friendlies for the United States national team.

Clark has shown great promise on the Houston Dynamo squad and on the national team, but in order to compete at the highest level, he knows he must improve.

"Just playing at a higher level. When you get to play against good teams like England and Spain, you have to think and react, be at a higher level," Clark said. "Those guys are playing fast-paced every single day, so when you get there, it is like jumping into something new because you have to adapt very quickly. Every aspect of the game is quicker, so that's what I have to add to my game."

Clark said playing against England at Wembley Stadium on May 28 was both challenging and fun, but it was an experience he will learn from.

"Those guys are playing at a high level day in and day out," he said. "They are playing at the highest level you can think of. I think a couple of those guys came off the Champions League finals the week before. That just goes to show you the type of players you are playing against. You just soak in the experience and learn from the game and playing against them."

The experience is one Clark hopes to bring to the biggest stage of all -- the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

"Even though it is far away, I definitely have that in my sights," he said. "Only time will tell, but I have to keep working hard and hopefully get that opportunity."

For now, Clark, who has started and played in 10 games this season and has an assist to his credit, is trying to help fill the void created with midfielder Dwayne De Rosario and forward Brian Ching playing for their respective national teams.

With Ching expected back in the lineup Saturday against Colorado, the void won't be as big, but Clark knows it's there.

"You have to elevate your game to fill the void because those are key players on your team, especially De Rosario," Clark said. "You have to step up your game because he's an engine on this team. We've dealt with it in the past -- missing key players and having the younger players stepping up when their chance comes. That's what it's all about come Saturday."

The international experience he has had this year and in years past has helped him improve with the Dynamo, Clark said. Now, he wants to take his game to the next level.

"It's definitely helped out because you are playing at a higher level when you get to the international team," Clark said. "That helps out your game and every aspect of your game. Then, you get back here, and it's like you are helping your team out even more because you are able to compete better. I am just trying to get more call-ups with the international team. I'm just trying to make the most of my opportunities when I get there."

After a slow start, the Dynamo have turned things around and are competing for the top spot in the Western Conference with Los Angeles. Slow starts are nothing new for Clark, who joined the Dynamo in 2005.

"I guess typical Dynamo year. We started off kind of slow," Clark said. "Ever since San Jose in that first year, we start off kind of slow. We have kind of the same core, so every year we started off slow, but we have picked it up as season goes by."

With the ship appearing to be righted in recent weeks, Clark and the rest of the team have a third consecutive MLS Cup in their sights.

"We have a lot of experience on this team," Clark said. "We have a lot of guys. We have a lot of energy on this team from the younger players. That's what we expect to see. We expect to be top of the league. We just need to keep this going for the rest of the year. Hope to get a repeat."


“I always wanted to win at any price”
Champions poor on the road
Rain, wind, Fire can’t slow Dynamo

Ellinger brings experience to FCD staff

FRISCO, Texas -- When FC Dallas named Schellas Hyndman as their head coach on Tuesday, the Hoops gained a new boss with an impressive pedigree in college soccer. During his introductory press conference, Hyndman confirmed that John Ellinger, head coach for Real Salt Lake from 2005 through 2007, would be his top assistant, suddenly bringing someone with real experience to his backroom staff.

The two have been friends for nearly two decades, so when Hyndman contacted him, Ellinger was very receptive about returning to the MLS coaching ranks. On Wednesday morning, FCD went through their first practice under the new regime.

"We have known each other for probably over 20 years," Hyndman said. "We spent a lot of time together and I always had a lot of respect for him as a coach and a friend. I had him in for a few of my clinics and was really happy when he took the Real Salt Lake job because I thought he needed something that brought something different into his life like coaching professional players and older players."

Hyndman feels that despite not making the MLS Cup Playoffs in his two-plus years with RSL, Ellinger did his best.

"In that situation, I thought he did well and did what he was asked to do but unfortunately, they made a change," he said. "It was kind of a bittersweet situation because I'm sure he felt bad being let go, but the sweet part is that now we have him here with us. I know how much he will be able to help me as a friend, a knowledgeable person and someone who knows the league."

Ellinger, who was 15-37-16 for RSL before being reassigned within the club's organization last May, considers his time as an MLS head coach a great learning experience.

"You learn a lot," he said. "Expansion is tough for anyone, but you make mistakes. If you had opportunities to do it over again, there are some things you would change and some things you would keep the same but might handle differently. You know you made mistakes and will learn from them like anyone else in any other position. That goes from acquisition of players, draft and everything else."

But that doesn't mean that he didn't enjoy his time on the Wasatch Front.

"I totally enjoyed the environment," Ellinger said. "I thought Salt Lake had a great fan base. There was a good, solid base there and that was fun. There were good people in the front office who were very supportive. (RSL chairman) Dave (Checketts) wanted to keep me around (as technical director) and I tried that for a while. But I felt that I needed to move on to other opportunities and hopefully, something would pop up down the road where I could be on the field again."

He is clearly glad to be back on an MLS training field.

"It feels very good," Ellinger said. "My wife and daughter were asking me why I was acting weird yesterday (Tuesday) and I told them because I had to go to a practice. I really missed it but I didn't know how much I missed it until I started coming to games again. I was walking across the parking lot, coming to the games and thought yes, I can do this again.

"The opportunity presented itself and I'm glad that it worked out. I'm happy to be here. Schellas (Hyndman) and I have always had a good working relationship and have a lot of respect for each other. We had a couple of meetings and it worked out. I feel like I can add a lot to this program and am glad to be here."

Since Hyndman isn't yet well-versed in league rules and things like the salary cap, he plans to rely heavily on Ellinger to give him a crash course.

"To understand NCAA rules, you had to take courses to learn what you could do, what you can't do and now, I'm learning a new rulebook and I don't know it," Hyndman said. "So, I'm relying on John not only to give advice on salary caps, players and maybe even new players and knowledge about the opposition.

"He's able to bring a lot of things to me and give me a much greater comfort zone because there's not that much of a learning curve. If I was doing this by myself, I would be very nervous to take this challenge on because everyone would be looking to me for answers and I don't have them. I'll have them in a few months, but today, I don't have them. That's why I'm counting on him."

Because of his background with the U.S. under-17 national team, Ellinger is already very familiar with such FCD players as Eric Avila, Dax McCarty, Blake Wagner and Anthony Wallace. He also knows Michael Dello-Russo and Abe Thompson from a stint with a youth program in Maryland.

"About five of the guys, I had when I was in residency and they came through the program with me," Ellinger said. "I remember (Michael) Dello-Russo from when I was director of coaching for the youth club Soccer Association of Columbia when he was a soccer rat with long, blonde hair. Everything for me has been a learning experience. It's funny how I did some sessions at Schellas' clinic and we would sit and chat about MLS. It's funny how it all turns out sometimes."

Like Hyndman, Ellinger has taken a long look at the current FCD roster and likes what he sees.

"It's an extremely talented team," he said. "The strength of this team has to be its midfield. You've got six or seven guys that could go out on any given day and play in either a four or five-man midfield system. You've also got some solid defenders."

Ellinger also agrees with his new boss that switching from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2 formation might be one alteration that greatly benefits the Hoops.

"For support purposes, that's why you go to a back four, to provide a little more stability in the back," he said. "Certain players seem to play better when they know there is a defender behind them. I think they take more risk offensively because they know they have that support behind them. I've always been a back four guy and so has Schellas. This team has established that they can play in a back three and that's a plus."

He is also impressed with the several options up top, including Thompson, who delivered a game-winner in stoppage time against RSL in June 2006.

"Offensively, if you take the three forwards that I've seen on the first team, Abe, Kenny (Cooper) and Dominic (Oduro), those are three solid and certainly effective forwards," Ellinger said. "They've all had their moments and I'm glad to be sitting on this side of Abe Thompson for the record. As many times as he scored against Salt Lake, I said OK. I gave him the first one but he was getting me angry after that."

Ellinger is also intrigued by how much young talent there currently is at FCD.

"It's actually unbelievable to see," he said. "Looking at a player like Brek (Shea), the physical parts of his game are unbelievable and he's 17 years old. The future looks extremely bright for FC Dallas. You look at what's going on with (FCD youth director) Chris Hayden and the youth program and the facilities, which are the best in the league and it's not just me saying that."


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Hyndman hopes to untap FCD potential

Heaps comfortable on new flank

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When the New England Revolution acquired Chris Albright from the Los Angeles Galaxy in a SuperDraft day trade, Jay Heaps might have been forgiven for having mixed emotions.

On the plus side, the acquisition of an established veteran such as Albright immediately made an already-strong New England backline even more powerful. However, the addition of a player in whose position Heaps also played meant that the incumbent on the Revs' right flank had to be prepared for change.

The switch that followed has seen Heaps move to the left side of the Revolution's back three, a position he admits he had never previously played.

"In the offseason it really jarred me and I knew I had to step it up and enjoy the transition," said Heaps. "It's a change after playing in one position for nine or 10 years, it's new players coming at you so you get to see different games."

Though he embraced it, the transition, admits Heaps, was challenging and was one which took some getting used to.

"It was a shift mentally and I have actually really enjoyed the challenge," he said. "Once you get mentally set you feel comfortable there. We had a couple of bad games early but recently we've been solid and the four of us back there feel confident."

The bad games to which Heaps refers were respective 4-0 and 3-0 defeats at the hands of the Chicago Fire, matches in which New England gave up a variety of different goals. However, aside from those setbacks, the Revolution have conceded just eight goals in 12 games, demonstrating a defensive solidity that has played a major role in the rise of Steve Nicol's side to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

Playing on the left has also seen Heaps develop new playing relationships with teammates. After Khano Smith began the season ahead of him, Mauricio Castro has recently made the left midfield position his own.

"Mauricio has been great," said Heaps. "He works hard and holds the ball well so he is very easy to play with, like (Steve) Ralston. You know that when you are under pressure you can get him the ball. It's been a pretty good transition."

Although complacency was something Heaps was always keen to avoid even after years of playing in his previous position, he admits that he now places more emphasis than ever on preparing for upcoming opponents and breaking down his own performances after matches.

For example, ahead of Wednesday's game against New York, Heaps researched the way the Red Bulls' Dane Richards plays.

"I knew he was going to be pushed high on me so, going into the game, I knew a little of what to expect," Heaps said. "When we have a game coming up, I will look and see what teams are doing."

While defensive solidity is his primary aim, Heaps remains keen to help his team at the offensive end and his role in the Revolution's equalizer against New York showed the value of joining in an attack. With New England struggling to create chances against a well-drilled Red Bulls backline, Heaps' lofted ball into the penalty area found Kheli Dube with space to lay off a pass to Ralston.

The Revs' captain applied the finishing touch to extend New England's unbeaten run to seven games. Meanwhile, Heaps enjoyed collecting his first assist of a season that has seen him reinvent himself for the sake of his team.


Season Over For Arteta
Senna Wonder-Goal Sees Villarreal Clear In Second
Dreary night for Revolution

Crew's Hernandez nearly set to return

COLUMBUS -- Before Nicolas Hernandez can repair his reputation as a goal scorer, he first must mend his body.

After two lengthy injury rehabilitations, the Argentinean forward is close to being back to full capacity in a first season with the Columbus Crew that has seen him make four appearances for just 34 minutes. The last came for the final 60 seconds or so against Kansas City on Saturday after recovering from a left knee bone bruise that sidelined him for nearly three weeks.

He followed that with 73 minutes in a reserve match the next day.

"Last week I started training with the group," he said. "I'm not 100 percent yet. With more minutes on the field I start to feel better. I need more minutes, with the reserve team, maybe friendly matches, to get more fitness."

His objective is to score goals as he did in his initial MLS season with Colorado in 2006 when he had seven -- along with six assists -- in 30 regular-season games to earn the team's MVP award. He slumped to one goal in 17 matches last season and although he was known for his hard work and willingness to play a midfield position, the Rapids shipped him to Columbus in February for Tim Ward and a draft pick.

The Crew are still waiting for the move to pay dividends since Hernandez has yet to take a shot.

"It's tough for me because I come here with a lot of expectations and I get an injury in my foot first then my knee," he said. "I've never been 100 percent with my possibilities to play and now it's starting to come together in practice and I hope to start playing more.

"I'm an offensive player, everybody knows that. I can play forward, on the sides, wherever they need me I can play to show what I can do on the offensive side of the field."

Cracking the starting lineup will be tough. Fellow countryman Guillermo Barros Schelotto was named to the MLS Best XI last year and is not going to be unseated. Forward Alejandro Moreno scored twice against the Wizards and has a team-high six goals. Meanwhile, in the midfield Robbie Rogers has scored five times patrolling the left flank and Emmanuel Ekpo has shown improvement on the opposite side in his first season in the league.

The return of Hernandez was one of many welcomed by the Crew recently, who seem to be getting healthier heading into summer. Defender Ryan Junge, midfielder Duncan Oughton and forward Jason Garey logged minutes last week in both the U.S. Open Cup match against Chicago and the game in Kansas City.

Also, midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi (left quad strain) was running and cutting at practice this week in anticipation of his coming off the injured reserve list next week; forward Guilherme So (back strain) is scrimmaging again and defender Gino Padula (left knee MCL sprain) played the first half of the reserve match vs. K.C. Sunday and is ready to return to the full team. His last MLS appearance was April 26.

"I know I'm not 100 percent because I've been out for awhile," Padula said. "I'm happy. I tested it in the reserve game and it felt good."

The Crew will also be bolstered for Saturday's match at Los Angeles by the return of midfielder Brad Evans from a one-game red card suspension and defender Frankie Hejduk after a stint with the U.S. national team.

"We've got a lot of guys coming back now. Hopefully, they'll be able to contribute," Moreno said.

However, it's not all sunshine beaming over the Crew camp. Midfielder Adam Moffat had season-ending knee surgery June 10 and defender Ezra Hendrickson will miss his second consecutive match due to a groin strain. Still, even the bad news has been tempered. When midfielder Eddie Gaven suffered a left ankle sprain during the Open Cup loss to Chicago it was feared he would be out 6-8 weeks. He said Wednesday that estimate has been halved.

A relatively healthy squad comes at a good after a tough schedule. The Crew bussed eight hours to and from its Open Cup match June 10 against the Fire in Peoria, Ill., and was at K.C. last Saturday. The upcoming match vs. the Galaxy at The Home Depot Center marks the team's third on the West Coast since May 10.

After Saturday, the Crew have only one away match (July 12 at Real Salt Lake) until after the All-Star Game.


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González Praises Getafe
Werder midfielder in line for return

Prolific offense powering D.C. up table

WASHINGTON -- D.C. United's prolific strike force has displayed a knack for providing their team with flattering scorelines of late. Sunday's 3-1 defeat of the San Jose Earthquakes can certainly be added to that list as the Black-and-Red overcame a sluggish first half and a poorly-timed error from goalkeeper Zach Wells to earn their fourth win in the last five games.

"As a whole, we didn't show up today," said United boss Tom Soehn. "We came in with the mentality that we won the game and that's discouraging for me, because on the day I don't think we were good on the competitive side [or] the soccer side. We addressed it at halftime and it got a little bit better, but there's not too many days you can come like we did today and come out with a result."

But even the aggrieved Soehn had to compliment his players' ability to scratch out a victory despite a limp first-half display that ceded the impetus to San Jose and drew a halftime tongue-lashing from the second-year boss.

"Yeah, and rightfully so," said midfielder Clyde Simms, when asked about the locker room reprimand. "It was not a good half that we played. We had to move around some things a few different times during the first half to try to find an answer, and we still didn't do that. But fortunately we were able to come out of there 0-0 at halftime and we were able to treat it as a different game in the second half."

This was a match that, had it taken place during their wretched spring skid, United would surely have found a way to lose. But the side has enjoyed the rub of the green lately and a rejuvenated attack, led by Emilio's ruthlessly efficient finishing, has been a major factor in that development.

"The game was very compact in the first half. We didn't have space in the midfield and forward [areas]," said the Brazilian frontrunner. "But in the second half I think we moved the ball side to side, we looked for space, we played forward fast, we got chances and we scored goals."

United got the better of Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon in the 50th minute with Simms' twice-deflected blast from range. But Wells' fumble allowed San Jose to level matters almost immediately and the home side had to rely on a tremendous individual play from Gonzalo Martinez five minutes later.

The former Colombian international has been one of United's steadiest performers this season and his hard work was finally translated onto the scoresheet when he cut past Ronnie O'Brien and hammered his first-ever MLS goal past Cannon in the 55th minute.

"It was a great goal," said Emilio, an expert on the topic if there ever was one. "It's good for him, for his confidence. I think he was very good today and the goal was an award for that."

Even so, United let the Quakes hang around and were nearly punished for it when Shea Salinas broke clear and juked past Wells, necessitating a frantic goalmouth block by Devon McTavish to keep his team in front.

"They got in behind us," said McTavish, "Zach came out and did a good job of forcing him out wide, and I just went to cover the goal. I actually thought it went through my legs at first and then I popped up and saw it was outside the net. It's something that you're taught at a young age: when the goalie comes out, cover the goal."

A sending-off for San Jose defender James Riley, followed soon after by Emilio's late clincher, helped D.C. escape with a 3-1 win that was nowhere near as comfortable as it would seem on paper. A long, hard week on the training ground surely awaits the Black-and-Red.

"I always say that that's part of a good team," said Soehn. "When you don't have it, you still pull out a result. So we're going to chalk that one up to that, but we're going to get back to work and make sure we don't come out with the complacency we did today."


Grant: We’re Playing The Best Football
Despite easy win, Nicol not pleased
Sven: I’ve Done Well

Quakes content with result vs. RSL

xSALT LAKE CITY -- Other than a win, a clean sheet is the best thing the San Jose Earthquakes could have asked for in their first outing of a four-game road trip in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night.

After getting trounced by a combined seven goals at the hands of Real Salt Lake in their last two visits to Utah, a shorthanded Quakes side held RSL scoreless while playing the entire second half with 10 men. However, the Earthquakes weren't able to score any goals of their own.

Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop was proud of his players as they battled hard, playing a man down in the second half after Jason Hernandez was dismissed just before the break with his second yellow card. Yallop pointed out that getting ties against teams in the Western Conference helps to keep those teams within reach in the standings.

"What it does, it allows Salt Lake to not get three points," Yallop said about getting the draw. "And in our division, as we know, it's tight as anything. On the road, in division games, we don't want to lose. A tie is fine. Then in your home games against the division you want to try and get a win.

"Salt Lake will be upset that they didn't win, but it evens itself out in the end. They might not have been lucky tonight, but we've been unlucky in games and haven't won. That's just the way it shakes down."

The abrupt artificial surface at Rice-Eccles Stadium has not been kind to the Quakes this season. In their first visit, back in April, they were shellacked by four goals in a U.S. Open Cup play-in match. Then a few weeks later they returned for a league contest and were RSL hit the back of the net three times.

For San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon, there wasn't a huge change in the way his team defended in front of him to not allow any goals, but it was more of a heightened mental concentration. He pointed out that especially when a team goes down a man, their focus on the game changes.

"I think we did the little things a little better," said Cannon of the Quakes' performance. "And when we go a man down I think the focus goes completely on not letting in a goal. Where before you're trying to get the game-winner, you're trying to stretch."

Midfielder Ronnie O'Brien agreed with his goalkeeper that success is heavily linked to how their team approaches the game. O'Brien has seen that the Quakes are capable, but sometimes don't come mentally prepared for games.

"It's been a problem all year," O'Brien said about the Earthquakes leaking goals. "If we don't fight, and don't scrap with teams we don't get anything. All in all, if you watch a lot of our games we're a good footballing side. But, we have to earn the right to play. The games where we've been beaten very badly we haven't earned that right.

"Like, L.A. last week. We were second to every ball; we didn't get stuck in, and we get walked all over. Columbus the week before and tonight we were pretty physical, we get in, we do what we have to do to get on the ball. We were a hard team mentally and hopefully we're playing a bit better football."

Late in the second half the clean sheet looked to be in doubt as Kyle Beckerman tapped in a corner kick for RSL while standing on the post. San Jose contested heavily for an offside decision, as it appeared that Beckerman was behind the two Quakes defenders who stepped up off the posts during the play. The corner was first headed down by Robbie Findley, making Beckerman behind the line of defense when the ball was last touched.

The referee's assistant initially did not signal for offside. However after consulting with referee Jasen Anno, it was decided that Beckerman was offside and the goal did not count.

In a written statement following the match, it was revealed that the referee's assistant did not think Beckerman played the ball, thus he wasn't involved with the play and not offside, and he kept his flag down. Once he learned that Beckerman touched the ball it was decided that he was offside.

"Fortunately the referees got the offside call correct," Cannon said. "That could have been a huge turning point for us. Those are good breaks, and I think tonight that was the difference."

As Yallop said, getting a point on the road, especially when playing teams within your conference, is always a positive result. Quakes defender Kelly Gray warns that teams through out the league shouldn't be surprised by the results his team gets in their first year. Gray says that San Jose has what it needs to get results, and they shouldn't be overlooked.

"Being an expansion franchise everybody expects us to lose every game," Gray said. "But, we've got the players and we can do it -- we can win a lot of games this year. We've shown it in some of the games that we've played. It's just an attitude. We've got to bring in the right attitude day in and day out. We're turning that corner, we're getting close."


Steady progress being made by Quakes
Real defense remains strong
Bundesliga: top for goals
Jiménez Pleased With Victory

D.C. still searching for first shutout

WASHINGTON -- D.C. United can credit some excellent midfield play, an improved work rate and the resurgence of goalscorer Luciano Emilio for their four-game undefeated streak.

But even as the positive results pile up, the squad continues to chase another important marker of progress: a clean sheet. United have not held an opponent scoreless this season.

"I was disappointed that we gave up a goal," said D.C. coach Tom Soehn after Saturday's 4-1 victory against New York. "We're working hard on getting a clean sheet, but we haven't gotten a clean sheet yet and that's troublesome."

A hard-nosed defender in his playing days, Soehn would be expected to pay close attention to his back line's quest for perfection and the United defense is clearly eager to notch that achievement as a point of pride.

"It's something that's kind of driving us crazy," said Devon McTavish, whose move from midfield back to central defense has paid dividends. "We practice it every week and we're trying to get better but for some reason we always have some little letdown that lets a ball in. But it's getting better -- I don't think we're letting [in] soft goals as we had been earlier in the season."

Much of that improvement can be traced to an increasingly compact defensive shape -- but the Black-and-Red have also waded into physical battles with more enthusiasm.

"[Sometimes] the best thing you can do is get a body on someone and force them to make a spectacular play," said goalkeeper Zach Wells, "and that's what we're doing on those high balls, those balls in to the forwards' feet. We're putting bodies on people and making it hard for them to play simple stuff."

Perhaps the most important development has been a more assertive approach from Wells. The 27-year-old 'keeper looked hesitant in his early appearances for United and struggled to provide the communication needed to organize the back line. But in recent weeks he's gained a better understanding of his role within the team, one that he compares to his highly-decorated college career at UCLA, where he led the Bruins to an NCAA championship in 2002.

"I think now I understand what's expected of me as the goalkeeper for D.C. United. It's a little bit different than what was expected of me at New York and [Houston]," he said. "I think we're just starting to figure out where I fit in with the team and we're doing a better job of communication between myself and the coaches and what's expected, and that's translating on the field in success and confidence."

Earlier in the season, Soehn called on the tall Californian to pick up his game and the United boss was duly pleased with what he saw in Saturday's win against Wells' former team.

"He's manning the box a little bit more," said Soehn. "He's more decisive in the decisions he makes and that's what we've asked of him. He's starting to do that."

Troy Perkins, United's No. 1 netminder over the past two seasons, was known for patrolling his penalty area with authority and Wells is learning the importance of such assertiveness, especially in light of the direct, physical approach many opponents have used against his team.

"I feel like I'm seeing plays before they happen a lot better now. I'm able to read the game a little bit better and it makes it easier when the defense is organized," said Wells. "It becomes obvious whose ball is whose, as opposed to maybe when we're all over the place, it could be his, it could be mine. I'm trying to communicate earlier to clean up the situation."

His teammates have taken notice.

"He was definitely talking to us the whole time and when he needed to come out, he came out," said left back Marc Burch on Saturday. "He made some big saves today."

At one point during their spring skid, D.C. was leaking more than two goals a game on average. Enhanced trust and cohesion along the back line has seen those numbers drop off significantly during the past month, but the squad is keenly aware that sustained success will require virtually error-free defending.

"We have a good relationship back there," said McTavish. "For the past couple of games I think we've just been unfortunate to let goals in, but that's kind of the way it goes. If you give people in this league opportunities, they're starting to finish them now, so we just need to get tighter back there."


One last clean sheet for Kahn
United focused on more than revenge

Ralston goal earns point for Revs

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Forget about the midfield. Maybe Steve Ralston's next career move will see him play striker after his late goal earned the New England Revolution a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.

Seth Stammler volleyed home a Dave van den Bergh cross after 37 minutes to put the Red Bulls ahead. New York held the lead late into the second half until Ralston, deployed up front after Adam Cristman went off injured with 20 minutes to play, slotted home a Kheli Dube knockdown 11 minutes before the final whistle to earn the Revolution a share of the points.

The point extended New England's league-best unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2).

Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph returned from national team duty with Grenada to claim a place in the starting XI. Pat Phelan dropped to the bench in the side's only change from last Thursday's 2-0 victory in Houston.

New York made five changes from the team that lost 4-1 in D.C. last Saturday. Out went Danleigh Borman, Chris Leitch, Jeff Parke, Luke Sassano and John Wolyniec. In came Hunter Freeman, Carlos Mendes, Mike Magee, Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Oscar Echeverry. Juan Carlos Osorio deployed Mendes at the base of a midfield diamond in an attempt to mark Revolution playmaker Steve Ralston.

Ubiparipovic nearly gave his side the lead inside six minutes after firing home a cross from the right wing, but the assistant referee's flag waved off the effort.

Red Bulls 'keeper Jon Conway palmed away Jeff Larentowicz's shot over the bar soon afterwards as the Revs tried to translate their possession into a tangible advantage.

But the visitors plugged away and started to press forward as the Red Bulls defense dealt comfortably with the Revolution attack.

New York found the opening goal in the 37th minute with Stammler's sublime piece of finishing, but the manner of the goal left the Revolution bench fuming as Mauricio Castro lay prone in his offensive half after contorting his body while attempting to strike the ball and suffering a right oblique strain in the process.

Jon Conway eventually collected the ball and started the counterattack, freeing van den Bergh down the left wing. The Dutchman's cross found the plot of grass left unoccupied by Castro and Stammler's volley snuck past Matt Reis at the near post.

Echeverry should have doubled the advantage a minute before the break after Dane Richards' mazy run sliced open the Revolution defense, but the Colombian striker dragged his effort wide.

Cristman slammed the first chance of the second half, direct from a friendly bounce off a Jay Heaps throw-in, off Conway's chest when a slotted ball either side would have found goal.

The teams then exchanged a series of half-chances as the game lost much of its flow. A van den Bergh free kick nearly snuck in at the far post but Reis had it covered. Then Dube flashed a shot just wide of Conway's far post. Mike Magee saw his free kick deflected just over Reis' net.

Out of nothing, New England found its equalizer. Dube cushioned Jay Heaps' diagonal ball from the right side down into Ralston's path. The midfielder, shunted up front after Cristman went off injured, took a touch, saw no pressure coming seven yards from goal and slotted home to the far post past the hopeless Conway.

With the equalizer in hand, the Revolution pressed forward for the winner and nearly found it two minutes before time. Nyassi's cross from the right side found Ralston's diving header. Conway's outstretched left hand parried the ball away to Dube, who saw his shot saved by Conway's right palm. The double save ensured the Red Bulls would return to the Meadowlands with their fifth away point of the season (1-3-2).


Fire again roll to rout of Revolution
Madrid Outrun Racing To Go Ten Clear
Dube, Revs steal share of MLS lead
First away win since October

Hyndman hopes to untap FCD potential

FRISCO, Texas -- After nearly a month without a permanent head coach, FC Dallas announced Schellas Hyndman as their new head coach on Tuesday. Hyndman, 58, had been the head men's soccer coach at nearby Southern Methodist University since 1984. He had a 368-98-38 record leading the Mustangs and led them to the NCAA tournament in 24 of his 25 seasons there, including two trips to the NCAA College Cup.

"We feel that he's the right type of leader for this team to help us reach our potential," said FCD president and general manager Michael Hitchcock. "He's a passionate leader and a strong leader. A trademark of the teams that he has coached is that they're disciplined, they're hard-working, fight for one another and are difficult to play against. That's a direct reflection on the type of leader Schellas is. We're confident that Schellas will be able to take this team forward and help us reach our potential."

Hyndman's name has surfaced as a candidate for the FCD job several times before but what made this opportunity different was the timing.

"This is a really special day for me and my family," he said. "I'm excited for many reasons. Years ago, when they started MLS, I wanted the opportunity to coach at the highest level. I've had some opportunities but the timing really wasn't right. When this opportunity came around, my family and I talked about it and decided that this was the best time in my life for me to be a part of such a great organization."

The new Hoops boss was in attendance at Sunday's 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire at Pizza Hut Park, along with former Real Salt Lake coach John Ellinger, who will be Hyndman's top assistant, and liked what he saw.

"I've been a great fan (of this club) for all these years and don't think I have ever missed a game either on TV or in person," Hyndman said. "This team is outstanding with the talent that they have and they play the type of soccer that I believe in, which is more of a possession style and quality control style."

For Hyndman, the move was all about leaving his comfort zone.

"We all go through life in a comfort zone," he said. "I've been at SMU for 24 years and it's been a very comfortable position. I could be there for the next 10 years. We all strive to do something special and I think this is that opportunity to do something special. My goals are very simple, to continue to find success for FC Dallas, to compete for an MLS championship and to make Dallas very proud of the team we put on the field."

It had been rumored that Hyndman would hold the dual role of head coach and technical director but Hitchcock put that to rest.

"Right now, we're not hiring a technical director but that's something that we'll continue to evaluate and something that I think we'll consider in the future," he said. "More and more teams are heading in that direction, hiring someone that can provide more resources and bring in a different perspective."

Hyndman looks forward to working with Ellinger, a longtime friend, once again.

"Having John Ellinger come on board for us will be tremendous," he said. "Not only is he a good friend but he has also coached recently at Real (Salt Lake). I think there will be a learning curve but I feel very comfortable about it."

One pressing issue for the new head coach is filling some open spots on the FCD roster.

"I think right now there are three roster spots open, so we'll be looking for players to fill those spots," Hyndman said. "I think this is a very good team. There are outstanding players on this team who are capable of continuing to find success like they did on Sunday in ungodly temperatures."

But first, he and his staff, which will include holdovers Marco Ferruzzi, who served as FCD's interim head coach after Morrow's dismissal, and goalkeeping coach Drew Keeshan, need to evaluate their current personnel.

"You have to give the coaching staff the opportunity to evaluate the players in training and to evaluate the players to see if they can do the type of things that we're going to ask them to do for our system of play for their job description," Hyndman said. "A designated player would be a player who would add something special to this team. We have no idea who that may be or if that may be someone. Right now, we will be evaluating players first."

Hyndman wanted to emphasize that even though he is new to MLS, he doesn't plan on changing his approach to training.

"I think I'm more of a hands-on person," he said. "I think it's important that coaches run the training sessions so that they can develop relationships with their players. Some coaches like to sit back like a manager and watch training sessions but my strength is more being on the field. I think I have to have complete respect for my staff that they're also very involved in the sessions."

He also said that his goals and those of the players are already in sync.

"I want the same thing that the players want -- personal success for them and personal success for the team," Hyndman said. "I think the players will know if a person can coach or can't coach. There are no pretenders here. I think coaches will know if players can play or can't play immediately. The greatest adjustment is going to be understanding the rules, salary cap and those types of things. The area that I feel most comfortable with is the coaching."

Being able to stay in the Dallas area, where he has coached since 1984 was another perk for Hyndman about the FCD position.

"It feels fantastic (to be able to stay here)," he said. "There have been opportunities to go other places but I love Dallas and my family loves Dallas. The fact that I can stay here in a city that I love and try to win a championship for a professional team is everything I could dream of."


Schäfer excused from training
Citing direction, FCD remove coach
Guzan hopes to seize opportunity

McCarty returns to field with Hoops

FRISCO, Texas -- After missing six games while recovering from sports hernia surgery, third-year midfielder Dax McCarty returned to the field for FC Dallas on Sunday.

Coming on in the 64th minute for Marcelo Saragosa, it didn't take long for McCarty to leave an impact on what ended up a 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire on a sultry day at Pizza Hut Park. McCarty nearly got his second assist of the year when he served a great corner toward the far post. That cross was met by speedy Hoops forward Dominic Oduro, who headed the ball with authority toward the net before being robbed by Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch. But the great ball served notice that McCarty was back.

"I felt good," he said. "For me, it seems like it's been a while since I've been out and the whole rehab process has been a frustrating one. I just feel good to get back out there and be able to help the team. We played pretty well throughout the entire game as a team and (interim head coach) Marco (Ferruzzi) wanted to give me a run out to help kill the game off by keeping possession a little bit. I felt like I did OK.

"I only had a couple of training sessions under my belt but felt that the best way for me to get back in shape was to play, especially in that type of heat, where I would get a little bit of fitness back," he continued. "I felt pretty tired towards the end of the game even though it was only 30 minutes. I felt like I came on, helped the team and that we achieved what we wanted to."

So far this year, he has appeared in seven games, four of those starts. McCarty has one assist in 2008, the secondary assist on Kenny Cooper's fifth-minute goal in a 2-0 win at Chivas USA on April 20. His last start came in a 1-0 loss to New England on April 24 and his last action before Sunday was in a 0-0 draw at San Jose on May 3, when he played the final 21 minutes after coming on for Andre Rocha.

In 2007, McCarty broke out with one goal and a team-leading seven assists in 25 games, 18 of those starts for the Hoops. He posted those numbers despite missing five games while with the U.S. at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Canada.

Before last season, he went to Germany for surgery to take care of a sports hernia on his right side. McCarty saw the same thing flare up this year but on his left side and had the same procedure performed the week of May 15. He admits that he has progressed well but isn't quite back at 100 percent.

"I'd say that I'm still at 75 to 80 percent," he said. "I'm still feeling a tiny bit of pain in there and it has to do with a little tendonitis that I've had in my groin. That's something that we're looking to take care of as well, but I don't feel like I'm getting worse, which is where it was earlier in the recovery. When I came back, I felt like it was worse some days. I feel like I've hit a good point right now where I'm at 75-80 percent and fitness-wise, I'm still not there. But that's going to come with games and I feel like if I keep playing and try to push that threshold of where I'm at right now, then I will be good to go."

The last time that McCarty had the surgery, it was during the offseason and it also wasn't an Olympic year. But he admits that being in contention for a spot on the U.S. under-23 team that will go to Beijing in a few months have made him rush a little bit to return.

"The last few weeks have been really frustrating for me," he said. "FC Dallas is my first priority but the Olympics are one of the biggest sporting events in the world and that's always in the back of your mind. There's nothing I can do to not think about that.

"At this point, it's probably about a month or month and a half away. It's a race to get fit and reach that peak fitness level. For the coaches to choose me, I can't be going in there at 80 or 90 percent. That was in the back of my head about whether I will be ready in time or not," McCarty continued. "I went through the setback, kept working hard and the trainers were great through this in not forcing me to do anything. I feel like I'm on the right track not just to help Dallas but also to possibly go to the Olympics."

While McCarty's rehabilitation has taken a bit longer than expected, the young midfielder has learned a valuable lesson from the entire experience.

"The reason for that is that the last time I had it done, it was during the offseason," McCarty said. "Getting a surgery done in the offseason (as in 2007), there was no pressure to come back and to rush things. With this surgery, since it's in the middle of the year, it was a pretty frustrating decision to make but I felt like it was a decision that I had to make. It's just been tough because I felt like I tried to get back into things a little bit too early.

"I tried to start doing things before I was ready but those are the little setbacks that you go through," he said. "I feel like this surgery has taught me that patience is the best way to go in terms of energy. I learned my lesson. I'm starting to get back into it and am feeling better. I'm looking forward to playing some more."


Klinsmann appoints backroom staff at Bayern
Frei surgery successful
Hoops look for fast starts to continue

Wizards focus on moving forward

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Forget it and move on. Well, the Kansas City Wizards aren't forgetting their recent run of form, but they are ready to move on.

"We want to get last weekend out of our system and move forward," said head coach Curt Onalfo.

Last Saturday's 3-0 home loss to the Columbus Crew definitely left a bad taste in the Wizards' mouths. This Saturday's match at Toronto FC's BMO Field is a chance to cleanse, and the Wizards have seen enough from their recent performances to know what form the wash needs to take -- a good result.

"We had a lot of chances to win second balls, and we didn't. We realize it's easier to win second balls when you are up near the other team's part of the field," said midfielder Sasha Victorine, who had time to observe Saturday's game before his 57th-minute entrance as a substitute. "So we need to get the ball forward faster; when we get it there, we need to get everyone behind there. It gives us better opportunity to win second balls and get more people into the attack."

Onalfo and technical director Peter Vermes have discussed how the Wizards are not creating the types of chances they need to force their game on the opposition, and the player they likely first look to for creating those chances is designated player Claudio Lopez. The Argentinean World Cup veteran has shown the expected ability to create chances from little or nothing, yet his innovations have not often connected with others. The adjustment to playing with Lopez is still happening.

"He likes to find his space, and he roams pretty freely around to find his space. So you have to pick your head up and see where he's at, especially before you get the ball because you want to know where he's going to be," said Victorine. "The key, more, is getting more movement off the ball offensively. At times on the weekend, it was too stagnant, too easy for defenders to see. We need to make defenders make decisions."

A more dynamic and flowing attack will certainly pay more dividends in style if not in results than the Wizards' previous performance.

"We got our butts handed to us, and our guys have a lot of pride," said Onalfo. "I'm sure [the players] are going to react in a way where they are going to redeem themselves this weekend. Having said that, [Toronto's BMO Field] is a tough place to play."

Seventeen points from five wins and two draws is what Toronto FC has done at home this season. On April 26 of this year, the Wizards left BMO Field with a 2-0 loss mainly due to the talented feet of Amado Guevara, who scored both goals. BMO Field is also where the Wizards' current six-game winless streak began.

But the Wizards are only focused on the next game, not past history.

"Right now, you take it one game at a time. We need to win; you take one win, and you start building," said Victorine. "I don't look at the standings right now; we now where we're at, we need to go out and get points. We need to go get wins; we can't get ties. We have to focus on one game at a time, that's all we can deal with. We need to go out to Toronto and get a good result."


Wizards have bye week to regroup
Marcelino Bemoans Slack Finishing
Barcelona Maintain Benzema Interest

RSL riding confidence down stretch

SALT LAKE CITY -- Confidence is the buzzword associated with Real Salt Lake these days. They appeared to have one of those turn-the-corner wins over the weekend when they broke through for their first ever road victory at Chivas USA with a 1-0 victory against the Red-and-White.

The triumph against Chivas was also the first for Real away from the confines of Rice-Eccles Stadium. Now with two consecutive home matches lying ahead, breaking the road jinx could signal the beginning of even bigger and better things.

If RSL can nab three points from the San Jose Earthquakes and the New England Revolution in rapid succession this week, it would be more than enough to vault the club into contention for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Now that his players have eliminated one obstacle to prolonged success, RSL coach Jason Kreis is looking for them to take the next step -- by putting together a winning streak.

"We've talked about all the things we're trying to learn and trying to get better at as we go along this season," Kreis said. "This is an opportunity for us to put two good results in a row together."

For Real, good results in recent weeks have started and ended with a radically improved defense. The club has blanked two opponents in a row and has yielded only one goal in its last three matches.

And it hasn't been just the back four doing all the work either. RSL has done a better job in recent weeks of asserting control over the midfield. Everyone is doing what they can to not just set up attacks, but repel them as well.

"It puts a smile on your face," said defender Nat Borchers. "I love to see guys who are honest in their effort and aren't just going forward every single play. They're realizing this is a team game. You got to fight and help everybody out in whatever position we're in."

The fight has been most evident in goalkeeper Nick Rimando, who came up with one incredible save after another to preserve the one-goal advantage over Chivas.

In the 56th minute, Ante Razov lined up a 30-yard free kick and drove it toward the left post, forcing Rimando into a diving save along the goal line. He came up big again in the 63rd minute when Justin Braun entered the penalty area on a breakaway and rifled the ball right at Rimando. The RSL 'keeper positioned himself perfectly to preserve the lead.

"We knew they were going to come at us because they were down," Rimando said. "But we gave them just a little bit (of space) and they didn't have room to play. We made it frustrating for them and pretty good for us."

In a lot of ways, it held a lot of extra meaning for RSL to claim its first road victory of the season against Chivas. Real had been winless in seven prior matches at The Home Depot Center -- with many results being of the blowout loss variety. Chivas USA, more than any other club, seemed to personify RSL's road struggles.

Still, the club wasn't as concerned about getting revenge against Chivas per se as it was about just finding the win column.

"It doesn't matter who the win came against," forward Kenny Deuchar said. "I think it was (more) important to get that monkey off our back and get those first points on the road."

Now that the monkey has been relegated back its digs in the jungle, RSL sees the week ahead as an excellent chance to use its home advantage to continue its climb up the MLS table.

"We're confident," Rimando said. "We're confident at home right now. We're undefeated and looking to continue that."


Russ doubtful for final stretch
Arminia Bielefeld: home form the key to survival
Chivas hope to use win as springboard

U.S. dominant in World Cup qualifier

CARSON, Calif. -- The U.S. national team kicked off World Cup qualifying in emphatic fashion Sunday at The Home Depot Center. Heavily favored heading into their first match toward South Africa 2010, the USA didn't disappoint, setting two new national team records en route to an 8-0 drubbing against Barbados.

It was expected that the tiny Caribbean nation would bunker in and try to hold the U.S. as close as they possibly could. For much of the contest, the visitors dropped 10 men into their own half to try and stifle the Red, White and Blue.

But any hopes Barbados had of frustrating the U.S. into a poor result were erased almost immediately. Clint Dempsey opened the scoring after just 53 seconds, scoring the fastest goal in World Cup qualifying history for the USA. It was exactly the kind of start they were looking for.

"The longer you go without scoring, the other team gets the belief that they can do something," said Dempsey. "It was good to go ahead and set the tone early. You couldn't ask for a better start than that in these types of games."

In addition to Dempsey's quick strike record, the eight-goal win was the largest in U.S. men's national team history. Brian Ching and Dempsey each scored twice and Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley and Eddie Johnson each added a tally of their own. The U.S. also picked up an own goal, although Ching was right there to tap the ball home had it gotten past the defender.

The result renders the return leg in Barbados all but meaningless, which is exactly what the U.S. was trying to accomplish.

"I think it was extremely important. In these games, sometimes you can get lulled into maybe not playing your best," said Ching. "We put them on their heels and kind of just attacked them all day. I think that's good as far as the team mentality. We know how important these games are. If you slip up, you're done. We made a good statement today, and we look forward to doing it again next Sunday."

If there was anything to be disappointed by, it was a 40-minute spell between the third U.S. goal and the fourth. After Brian Ching scored on a deflected shot from Pablo Mastroeni, the USA seemed to let up a little bit. It wasn't until Donovan scored on a free kick in the 59th minute that the U.S. again looked like they were going to completely run away with things.

"I think it was a little bit of taking the foot off the gas. I think we let down a little bit. We came into the locker room (at halftime) and (head coach) Bob (Bradley) pointed that out and said 'Hey, let's stick together, and stick with what we're supposed to do,'" said Ching. "I think we responded in the second half."

Donovan's goal might have been the biggest indicator in the gulf between the two sides. After Freddy Adu earned a free kick from about 25 yards out, the Galaxy striker indicated to the referee that he didn't want him to march off 10 yards and wait for the whistle. The referee allowed it, and while Barbados was trying to organize a wall, Donovan shot the ball into the net for the fourth goal.

As unprepared and unorganized as the Bajans were on that particular play, they didn't fare much better throughout the contest, as the U.S. was just better in all facets of the game.

It's not likely that the same lineup will take to the field in Barbados next week. The result gives Bob Bradley the luxury of giving some players a look, while letting several MLS players return to their club sides. The national team manager wouldn't exactly commit to that as his plan, but he definitely hinted as much following the match.

"From about the 80th minute on I started changing gears and thinking a little bit about rosters," said Bradley. "Certainly, as everyone knows, there is at times a need to cooperate with MLS. I think the coaches in MLS have been great, but nonetheless, it's still a qualifier. So we still need to think it through a little bit and make some decisions."


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Elenio a quick study with Columbus

COLUMBUS -- Cory Elenio has proven to be a good student in the classroom and a quick study on the field as well.

A second-round pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, Elenio graduated from the University of Evansville with a business management degree last month. Saturday, the midfielder made his MLS debut off the bench during the Columbus Crew's 3-0 win at Kansas City.

"I was surprised but definitely glad to hear my name called. It was real helpful going into a 3-0 match. It took a little pressure off," he said. "I need to get my fitness back. It's tough to play 90 minutes in these types of conditions at this level. The pace is so much quicker."

It shouldn't take long to get in shape with strength and fitness coach Steve Tashjian giving him extra work. Getting into the rhythm of the attack won't be a problem, either.

"It's still early for (Cory) because we let him finish school," coach Sigi Schmid said. "He's only been with us about three weeks so you go through the initial phase where you're excited and everything's good then you fall into a little bit of a hole because your legs start getting heavy. He's working through fitness.

"I was happy we were able to get him into the game. He's going to be a good player for us down the line because his attitude is really good but the next two or three weeks he's going to need a lot of work. He listens and you don't have to tell him things twice. He's a guy who comes out every day with a good mentality. He has a good understanding of when he is playing well and not playing well. A lot of players don't always have that understanding. He knows when he's doing all right and not doing all right and that makes it easier to coach."

As Elenio goes through the transformation from college to the pros he knows he's not alone. The Crew on Monday signed another second-round pick, Ricardo Pierre-Louis, to a developmental contract.

Pierre-Louis joined the club last week after receiving a business degree (and French minor) from Lee University, a small Christian college in Cleveland, Tenn.

"It's difficult finishing school, coming here and getting it going again," Pierre-Louis said. "In college, not all the players are good. In the professionals, there are a lot of challenges. In college it's kind of easy to play. It's challenging but not as high as the pro level. Here you get all the best players."

He and Elenio trained with the Crew in Florida during the preseason and Elenio traveled with the Crew to England prior to the season and played in one reserve match before graduating. Still, it's sometimes hard to break old collegial habits.

As Elenio took one too many dribbles during a shooting drill Tuesday, assistant coach Robert Warzycha screamed, "One touch. You're not in college anymore."

No, but the Crew did encourage the pair to complete their education after being drafted in January. Sometimes the opposite is true for the picks.

"You try to get a feel for their playing time -- how close they are to graduation. If they are a year and a half away it doesn't make sense (to stay in school)," Schmid said. "When someone is as close as Cory was, or, last year it was Ryan Junge, yes. In the case like Ricardo when he's the first one in his family to get a college education -- having been the first in my family to get one, I know how important that is to the family. Rather than steal two months here he can use those two months in college and come free of mind."

Pierre-Louis, 23, has been in Haiti's national team system since age 15 and is looking forward to his next call-up to the senior squad, possibly during World Cup qualifying.

"He's a forward, a different kind of player," said Schmid. "He likes to linger longer up front, maybe a little more intermittent in his involvement in the play but he's a guy if you forget about for a second he's going to hanging around that offside line which is what good forwards do. He's left-footed, a plus, although he strikes the ball with his right fairly well."

While Schmid acknowledges that Pierre-Louis' international experience is good for the resume he notes that it doesn't give him a substantial edge over other young players on the Crew because countries such as Haiti and Barbados aren't known for their soccer abilities.

"With all due respect, there's a lot of players in this league who could play for those national teams if they had the right birth situation but certainly playing against a Mexico, a Trinidad, a U.S., in the different games he's participated in as a member of the Haitian national team, all those experiences help," Schmid said.

Elenio, 21, has a pedigree problem, too: He was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Mich. Now that doesn't mean much to people outside of Columbus but the scarlet and gray of Ohio State doesn't mix with anything from Ann Arbor, home of hated rival Michigan. The Elenio family house is about a half-mile from the campus.

"I've been told by most guys not to wear my Michigan apparel," he said. "I'll never change sides but I'm a little more careful around here. I haven't experienced too much (heckling) yet but wherever I go I see Ohio State shirts and it bothers me. I'm so used to being in Ann Arbor."

In a strange way he might be a hero to some of those in Columbus who think OSU athletics dominate the sports scene way too much. There's also another reason to cheer for him. He and his father, Michael, have been Crew fans for years and they made their first trip (about three hours south) to Crew Stadium in 2000. His family has been to two games this season but he did not dress for either of them.

Still, the pecking order to get minutes for both got a little tougher Tuesday. Schmid was surprised to learn that defender Frankie Hejduk will not accompany the U.S. to Barbados for the return leg of the World Cup qualifying this weekend. Hejduk was in Carson, Calif., for the USA's 8-0 win on Sunday and Schmid assumed he was in south Florida training with them.

"I called him this morning. I thought he was in Miami. I was asking him if it was hot down there," Schmid said. "He told me he was in Columbus driving in. Basically I guess they released all players to MLS teams but we didn't know it until Frankie showed up today."


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Third time not the charm for RSL

SALT LAKE CITY -- Facing a struggling San Jose Earthquakes team for the third time in less than two months did not turn into a formula for an easy home victory this time around for Real Salt Lake.

RSL failed to take advantage of the Earthquakes playing a man down for the entire second half of play and ended up walking away with a second consecutive 0-0 draw amid boos at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Scoring has been tough to come by for RSL in June with only a single goal in its last three matches. The club has now gone without a goal on its home turf for 197 consecutive minutes.

Real owned a 24-7 advantage in total shots. But they put just four on goal, compared to one for the Earthquakes, which came in the final five minutes of the match.

Neither club could get much going on offense during the first half. RSL produced only two shots on goal. San Jose conjured up none.

The Earthquakes' best scoring chance came from John Cunliffe in the 17th minute. Ronnie O'Brien set up Cunliffe when he swung a floater toward the far post off a corner kick and Cunliffe had good form on his subsequent right-footed effort, but he sent the ball high over the crossbar.

RSL saw its best scoring chances come early in the half. Robbie Findley was on frame when he drilled a right-footer in the 12th minute. But he could not find a way to put the ball past San Jose 'keeper Joe Cannon.

Kyle Beckerman looked to have another solid chance at an early goal in the 21st minute when he received the ball deep in the Earthquakes penalty area. Beckerman spun and tried to slip past Kelly Gray. But Gray's presence threw off his shot just enough to allow Cannon to easily scoop up the ball.

Matias Cordoba, starting in place of usual starter Andy Williams, drilled a free kick down an open channel toward the far post in the 39th minute. The ball had enough power behind it when Cordoba sent it into the box, but his shot ended well off-target -- sailing wide left of frame.

San Jose was forced to play a man down throughout the second half after Jason Hernandez was sent off after his second yellow card of the match following a hard foul on Dema Kovalenko in the 44th minute.

Ironically, the Earthquakes seemed to come up with better scoring chances with 10 men than 11.

The Earthquakes nearly got on the board in the 51st minute when O'Brien raced downfield along the far side and chipped the ball toward Cunliffe in the center of the box. Cunliffe looked to have a chip shot in front of RSL's goal area, but he shanked his volley over the crossbar.

O'Brien came within a whisper of dialing it in from long distance in the 66th minute. He popped a free kick up and over the RSL four-man wall, but O'Brien's shot grazed the wrong side of the crossbar.

Real looked like they finally broke the ice in the 72nd minute when Beckerman chipped in an easy shot off a corner kick. Javier Morales swung the ball across the area to Findley at the far post. Findley headed the ball back to Beckerman, who slotted it in alongside the near post.

Beckerman's prime positioning proved too good to be true. The goal was wiped out as the assistant referee's flag went up for offside.

RSL had one more golden scoring chance when Kenny Cutler rifled a shot goalward from 25 yards out in the 82nd minute. Cutler's shot was on frame when he released it, but Cannon managed to get his fingertips on the ball and push up and over the crossbar.


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Fire look to heat back up

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire need to both cool off and heat up when they face Chivas USA on MLS Primetime Thursday at The Home Depot Center.

With a forecast for temperatures around 80 degrees in Carson, Calif. by game time, the Fire won't have to contend with the incredible heat that affected their play in their loss to FC Dallas on Sunday in Frisco, Texas.

Field temperatures ran into triple digits Sunday and the Fire could not mount a comeback after giving up a first-half goal. The 1-0 loss gave the Fire a two-game losing streak for the first time this season, and also gave the team its first road loss of the 2008 campaign.

As a result, after winning six of their first 10 games of the season, the Fire are now 6-4-1 and in need of a win to keep up in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference.

"We are out here regrouping," Fire coach Denis Hamlett said this week after a training session in L.A. "I don't think there is any sense of panic or urgency. We have some bodies back and are looking forward to the game."

Since beating the New York Red Bulls in demonstrative fashion 5-1 at Giants Stadium May 25, the Fire lost a home game to D.C. United in the final minute of stoppage time, won a U.S. Open Cup qualifier against Columbus then played the FC Dallas game and failed to score for the first time since an April 20 home loss to Kansas City.

"Each game is different," Hamlett said. "We were disappointed in the loss to D.C. at home. Then look at the Dallas game. It was 105-degree weather down there. It wasn't a good game for either team. Whoever got the goal first was going to hold on."

The Fire find themselves in fourth place in the East, one point behind Toronto and a full eight points behind division-leading New England. However, the Fire also have three games in hand over the Revolution, so a winning streak would put them close to even with their rivals from New England.

"The last two games woke us up," Fire forward Chad Barrett said. "It's hard in this league to go three or four games with wins. But we were on a roll for a while. Some places are just hard to play at."

Dallas being one of them, he said.

The Fire know what it is like to get on a real roll. They finished the 2007 season with a 10-game unbeaten streak (4-0-6) that pushed them all the way to the conference championship before losing to New England.

The Fire still lead the league by a large margin in goals allowed with just nine (Columbus is next with 14) and they also have the best goal differential at plus-11.

The Fire will also have defender Brandon Prideaux back after a one-game red-card suspension.


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Absences affect Chivas USA

CARSON, Calif. -- As the United States and other CONCACAF nations prepared for World Cup qualifying, nearly every Major League Soccer clubs dealt with international absences during Week 12 of the 2008 campaign.

Chivas USA gave up a pair for the U.S. cause, and ultimately their absences might have affected the turnout of Saturday's match.

Although Sacha Kljestan went the distance against Real Salt Lake, neither he nor goalkeeper Brad Guzan trained with the Red-and-White for the week leading up to Real Salt Lake. Chivas USA fell to their fellow 2005 expansion side 1-0 at The Home Depot Center, the first time RSL has beaten Chivas USA in southern California.

"It was a tough loss for us but in saying that I think the guys will be able to bounce back and get things going," Guzan said on Sunday. "Obviously we've got a big game Thursday."

Though neither player had trained, it was not until Saturday afternoon that Chivas USA coach Preki found out his respective players' fates. Kljestan was made available while Guzan was not. Preki quickly inserted Kljestan into the starting lineup and gave Dan Kennedy his first-ever MLS start.

Chivas USA, though, did not appear sharp in the first 45 minutes. In the second half, already trailing by a goal, the Red-and-White pressed forward and had opportunities but could not put them away.

Kljestan downplayed the affect his weeklong absence from his club played in his game.

"I've trained with them all season long but it's not like a big shock, like I'm coming into some new team but it's tough. I didn't get a feel of what Preki told the guys during the week. I didn't get to prepare with the rest of the guys all week as to how we were going to press Salt Lake and how we were going to play them and how they are going to play," Kljestan said. "Other than that it's the same old thing. We just didn't finish our goals tonight."

Meanwhile, Guzan seemed all but set to play against RSL. After all, Guzan played for the USA in Spain on June 4 but did not miss Chivas USA's match at New York a day later.

Tim Howard's back had other plans, though. Howard strained his lower back in training on Friday and U.S. coach Bob Bradley called on Guzan for Sunday's match against Barbados.

Preki said that Guzan's absence might have affected the team.

"It could have been the difference," Preki said.

Kennedy, meanwhile, said he was prepared for the match.

"I try to be ready for every game regardless of the situation," Kennedy said.

Now, as Chivas USA prepares for the MLS Primetime Thursday match against Chicago, the club knows what is ahead. The U.S. team was scheduled to depart for Miami on Monday morning and will head down to the Caribbean on Friday. With Guzan and Kljestan out of town for the week, Preki and the players will know what to expect come game day.

For Kennedy, that means not deviating from the norm.

"You always try to stay in routines. I think it's important you go out and cover the different aspects of goalkeeping and we're going to stick with the same scheme. I think it's been working. I'm confident with what I have," Kennedy said. "I'm actually real excited for the game Thursday. If it comes down to it and I play Thursday I'm going to fight as much as I can to get those three points."


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LA gets visit from Dutch star Davids

CARSON, Calif. -- You never know who you're going to run into in Los Angeles. So when former Dutch international Edgar Davids showed up on the training field at The Home Depot Center in Carson, it wasn't too surprising.

Considering the most famous soccer star on the planet, David Beckham, resides in Los Angeles, you'd think that the wow factor would be lost on the Galaxy roster. That isn't always the case when you're dealing with a player that has won the UEFA Champions League and captained the Dutch national team.

"It took a while to sink it and realize it was him," said Edson Buddle. "I brought my camera today and took my picture, so I'm happy about that. It took me off-guard."

The Dutchman is currently on vacation in California and called up Galaxy head coach and fellow countryman, Ruud Gullit, to see if he could join the team in training this week. Gullit didn't hesitate to extend an invitation to Davids, who is looking to stay in shape this offseason.

"(Davids) was here yesterday. This is his last day here," said Gullit at Tuesday's training session. "He needs to stay in shape and keep in form for having a future still in Europe."

Davids spent last season with Ajax in the Eredivisie, but is currently out of contract. Last season, Davids came close to signing with FC Dallas as their designated player before the deal fell through. Looking over the Galaxy's roster, it's very unlikely that Davids is going to be joining the squad, but his impact in just a couple of days of training has been massive.

"It's pretty crazy. I don't know too many soccer players, but I know the big ones," said rookie Sean Franklin. "He's helping us a lot, talking about our team and keeping our shape. He's already made an impact."

Of course in addition to handing out pearls of wisdom, Davids brings another element to training, and that's his competitiveness. Nicknamed "The Pitbull" for his relentlessness and aggressive work rate in midfield, Davids has definitely inspired some of the guys on the Galaxy to elevate their games a bit.

While his stay with the Galaxy was very brief, Davids certainly made an impression on a relatively young Galaxy squad. Having world-class players to compete against in training will only serve the Galaxy's youth well moving forward, and will help the entire team grow and improve.

"You size him up first. Then you look at yourself and see what you need to do," said Buddle. "To play at that level, the sport there is a lot bigger, with a lot of history."


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Hoops reward Ferruzzi with victory

FRISCO, Texas -- If Sunday was the final match for FC Dallas under interim head coach Marco Ferruzzi, the Hoops sent their interim boss out on top with a 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire at Pizza Hut Park. FCD got a goal from Kenny Cooper, his seventh of the year in the 17th minute, and that was all they needed to dispatch their Brimstone Cup rivals.

"We're pleased with the result," Ferruzzi said. "It's been a long time coming. The team performed exceptionally today with a great work rate in difficult chances. We had a lot of chances to score and kept on plugging away."

Cooper and strike partner Dominic Oduro had 15 of the Hoops' 20 shots on the afternoon and Ferruzzi liked what he saw from that duo.

"They had a lot of great opportunities," Ferruzzi said. "They created them by hard work, some intelligent runs, good timing of runs and some great passes that came out of the midfield and the back line as well."

Oduro said their success all started on the training ground.

"We were working on staying close and creating space for ourselves," he said. "I think that really worked well for both of us. It clearly showed on the field. It was just a matter of finishing the work, which we will go back and work on."

With FCD expected to name a permanent replacement for Steve Morrow later this week, after he was removed as head coach on May 20, the Ghanaian forward felt the win was a proper sendoff for Ferruzzi.

"He's been a great inspiration to this team," Oduro said. "Even when the chips were down, he picked us up and deserves it. I think that was a great win for him. He deserves it."

FCD defender Drew Moor also liked how the Hoops performed in what could have been Ferruzzi's final match at the helm.

"Marco has done a great job and that was a very Marco-type win there, grinding it out for 90 minutes in the heat," he said. "We created some very dangerous chances and it could have been four or five (goals). But we'll take the three points and look to build on that. That was a very good three points today."

One key to the Hoops' success was limiting the chances of the Fire's Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who had just one shot all afternoon.

"The boys did a tremendous job defensively," Ferruzzi said. "We kept Blanco at bay, which was important for us. In the second half, with a one-goal lead, we still wanted to push it but were able to keep possession, which was what really killed off the game."

For Moor, the key to keeping the Mexican international in check was great communication from the FCD backline all day long.

"You constantly have to communicate," he said. "I don't think I have ever talked that much during a game to let guys like Marcelo (Saragosa), Pablo (Ricchetti) and Andre (Rocha) know where he was. When he's on the ball, you have to get in his face. You can't give him time to pick out his passes like he wants to do. I think we did a very good job of that today. I think we limited his opportunities and I credit the midfielders and the defense for that."

For Ferruzzi, the key was the stewardship of Ricchetti in the center of the park.

"He (Ricchetti) helped shape the midfield from behind," Ferruzzi said. "In some ways, he a bit of a stopper for us by helping us build out of the back. Mostly, he kept guys organized in the front. I thought he did well today."


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Quakes seek to end road woes

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- If San Jose Earthquakes manager Frank Yallop just looks at the home form of his team, he likes what he sees.

While the Quakes' home record of 1-2-1 isn't exactly scintillating, the expansion side has been competitive in every game, and with a little more luck the team would have picked up more points.

But luck has had nothing to do with San Jose's road performances. Not only have the Quakes stumbled to a 1-4-0 away mark, but their last three road matches, all losses, haven't been remotely competitive, something the team will be looking to change this weekend when they travel to Columbus.

"We did great in Colorado," said Yallop of his team's lone road victory back on April 19. "Other than that we've been awful. It's up to me to come up with a game plan where if we do concede a goal ... we're not sitting back waiting for another goal to go in. We'll get at the other team and try to get a goal back."

With six of the team's next eight games away, Yallop has been looking for any nugget of good news he can find ahead of this weekend's match, and there have been a few. Midfielder Ronnie O'Brien appears to have recovered from the back spasms that sidelined him last week against Real Salt Lake, while forward Gavin Glinton has healed sufficiently from hernia surgery to make the substitute's bench.

But what the soccer deities give with one hand, they take with the other. Defender Nick Garcia sprained the MCL in his right knee during practice on Tuesday, and didn't even make the trip to Columbus. That will force Yallop to tweak his backline with James Riley likely sliding into the right back spot with Jason Hernandez moving into the middle.

For Riley, his reinsertion into the lineup offers a chance of redemption. Not only is he looking to put his embarrassing own goal three weeks ago against New England further behind him, but he was given a torrid time by the Crew's Robbie Rogers the last time these two teams met on May 10, as the Columbus midfielder scored twice in the team's 3-2 victory. Riley indicated that San Jose will be well aware of Rogers' pace this time around.

"It's just about being able to read [situations] quicker, and not being afraid to drop our line deep" said Riley. "As long as we can keep them in front of us, I think we can defend them well."

The irony is that the previous match marked the last time Columbus has scored in league play, a scoreless streak that now stands at 277 minutes. But when it comes to extending that run, Yallop knows that offering a bit more punch in attack is just as important to containing Rogers, as well as the Crew's creative hub, Guillermo Barros Schelotto. To that end, he's hoping that forward John Cunliffe will repeat his performance against Real Salt Lake, one that saw score a late goal and almost net another.

Yallop also seems poised to give newly acquired midfielder Kelly Gray his first start since returning to San Jose, with Ramiro Corrales reverting to his more natural position on the left side of midfield.

"I'm just trying to give us little bit better chemistry going forward," said Yallop about the changes. "I think Gray coming into the middle will give us a bit of long-range passing, he's suited to that position. It's just a different look from us."

Yallop will be hoping that the change in personnel will be enough to give the Quakes just their third-ever win in Columbus. If that happens, maybe then he'll like what he sees from his team on the road.


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Chivas' Preki's success no fluke

Preki was named MLS Coach of the Year for his impressive rookie campaign in 2007. Never mind that he was a first-time head coach as a professional; results spoke loudly as he jettisoned Amado Guevara to get the locker room mix just right, propelling the Home Depot Center outfit to first place in the West with a 15-7-8 mark.

Along the way, Preki's team had pretty fair luck with injuries, with players generally avoiding the dreaded trainer's table until right at the end, when a rash of ailments at striker helped scuttle the burgeoning title talk.

So, perhaps you could make an argument that he had an relatively trouble-free launch, that things lined up just right for Preki's rookie run-out.

For anybody who wants to defend that point, here's the counterpoint: Preki might be doing a better job of managing Chivas USA this year than last.

The true mark of a manager (of any leader, really) is how he handles the tough times. Well, brother, they've had a few out in Carson, where injuries have absolutely hammered the Red-and-White this year.

Consider that Preki has already had to use 25 players through just 11 matches. He used only 24 all of last year.

Injuries have stripped away 58 potential starts for Chivas USA. Alecko Eskandarian, Ante Razov, Jonathan Bornstein, Claudio Suarez, Lawson Vaughn, Shavar Thomas, Maykel Galindo and Alex Zotinca have all missed at least four starts due to injury. Suarez, the team captain, has been healthy enough for just three starts. Zotinca hasn't gotten on the field this year. Vaughn has missed seven starts.

Razov, the team's top striking threat, has appeared in nine matches. But injuries have consistently limited his time; he has averaged just 47 minutes in those outings.

Plus, Preki had to deal with a goalkeeper who fell almost spectacularly out of form in April. Brad Guzan, apparently affected more than anyone thought by the offseason transfer drama, was a shadow of his 2007 self in the opening month.

How did Preki handle his goalkeeper woes? The same way he handled the injury infestation: with a steely coolness. Nothing every seemed to ruffle the intense and coiled Chivas USA shepherd.

The result is a team that continues to steadily grind away, regardless of the continued lineup flux.

With 14 points from 11 matches (a 4-5-2 mark), the rojiblancos are right in that Western Conference muddle. Five points separate first and sixth places.

Preki's men had their three-game winning streak snapped last week at Giants Stadium. Juan Pablo Angel's clinical finish kept Chivas from escaping New York with a four-game unbeaten streak, at least. And that's too bad, because Preki's men probably deserved at least a point.

Chivas played well, and can take a lot away from the bull-headed performance. But for some pedestrian finishing, Preki's side could easily have secured its second road win of 2008. And look at the team that did so:

Panchito Mendoza is playing left back these days. He got exposed a bit by Dane Richards on the telling goal, but Richards has done that to plenty of left backs in his year-plus at Giants Stadium. Otherwise, Mendoza was an attacking menace all night from that spot.

The entire back line is practically introducing itself to each other before every match.

Atiba Harris played out of position on the right. Sacha Kljestan played out of position as a withdrawn forward or attacking midfielder. Jorge Flores? Anything else the Sueño MLS victor does is just more gravy on top of a fabulous story. He came close to striking for a goal in a fourth consecutive match.

Preki must be given some credit there for giving the youngster a few specific chores, keeping things simple, and supplying Flores with the confidence to forge ahead.

Oh, and about Guzan? Some reporters wondered if Preki would tap a backup in New York, since his first-teamer would be rushing back stateside after playing in Europe with Bob Bradley's national side last week. No way, Preki said, quickly dousing any embers of doubt. Guzan is my guy, he told them. And his goalkeeper certainly looks like he's back in form.

Preki's roster will surely get healthier; after all, things could hardly get worse. Now that he's proven he can steer a sure course in calm waters and also manage his way through a storm, the rest of the league should be on notice.

TACTICAL CORNER

• Dominic Kinnear made the move so many have been wondering about Sunday evening, moving Dwayne De Rosario out of his preferred attacking midfielder role and into the hole behind Brian Ching.

Who could argue the results? The outcome was rarely in doubt as Houston tore through a Toronto defense, one that looks quite different away from BMO.

De Rosario's movement behind Ching made all the difference. None of the other Dynamo forwards paired with Ching had been as effective at moving nimbly and boldly into the right spaces. From those spots, he was spraying balls more effectively than at any time this year to Corey Ashe on the left, Brian Mullan on the right and, of course, to Ching.

De Rosario, remember, was once a forward for San Jose 1.0, back before the old Earthquakes became current Dynamo. One nitpic: "De Ro" will have to reacquire his old forward's sense timing if Kinnear opts to keep him up top. De Rosario was caught offside six times Sunday -- some of 'em not close at all.

All things being equal, De Rosario would always prefer the midfield role. Then again, all things are hardly equal on a Houston squad that struck for more than two goals for just the second time this year (and the first time since April 6).

• San Jose boss Frank Yallop moved a key cog, too. Ramiro Corrales, who has spent most of his time as a holding midfielder this year, was re-deployed into a wide spot. He flopped with Ned Grabavoy, who partnered with Kelly Gray in the center of Yallop's 4-4-2. Again, how to argue with the results, a huge 2-0 road win for the Earthquakes. More than a third of the way through 2008, Yallop's team are just five points back of third-place Colorado. (And third place means a guaranteed playoff spot.)

• Still searching for answers (and left thin by injury), Crew manager Sigi Schmid offered Jed Zayner and Emmanuel Ekpo their first starts. Eddie Gaven, for the first time this year, was on the bench to start the match.


Valverde Praises Rock-Solid Kameni
De Rosario, Ching power Dynamo
Boruc In North London Tug-Of-War?

Carver unhappy with Reds

HOUSTON -- After a disappointing 3-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo on Sunday evening at Robertson Stadium, Toronto FC head coach John Carver found little to be happy about in his team's performance.

"I just thought from the first whistle we were dreadful," Carver said. "We had a spell in the game where Jeff [Cunningham] scores a great goal and we got a little bit of pressure, but no excuses tonight -- we were beaten by the better side."

Goalkeeper Greg Sutton was particularly disappointed with his team's defensive performance after being subjected to 19 shots by the Dynamo's attack, including eight on goal. Dwayne De Rosario put the Dynamo ahead just before the end of the first half, then Brian Ching scored twice in the second to put the game away.

"We didn't react too well to the situation," Sutton said. "We defended like inexperienced defenders from the front all the way back to the back."

The loss drops Toronto's record in road games to 1-4-0 on the season. The team is 4-0-2 when playing at BMO Field.

"In order to be successful in this league, you have to win on the road and we haven't done that year," Sutton said. "That's something that we're going to have to start doing, or we won't be where we want to be at the end of the year."

The Canadian side's struggles south of the border aren't due to the weather, said Sutton and Toronto forward Jeff Cunningham, even though the kickoff temperature in Houston was a humid 89 degrees.

"It's hot in Toronto right now, and we train in hot weather all week," Sutton said. "The third game of the season, it was 102 degrees in LA and we won that game, so the weather's not an excuse. We just didn't play the way we should've played."

Cunningham attributed his team's apparent fatigue in the second half to Houston's play, not the Texas heat.

"They kept the ball and we kept chasing," Cunningham said. "It doesn't matter what kind of weather it is chasing for 90 minutes isn't possible. As a result, they kept the ball and we got fatigued."

Toronto came into the match shorthanded, with midfielders Amado Guevara and Maurice Edu missing while on international duty with the Honduran and U.S. national teams, respectively.

"They're two of our better players," Cunningham said, "and they were definitely missed tonight. But last week, the side that coach put out had a good result against L.A. There's no reason we weren't able to do that tonight."

In the end, Toronto was just "outclassed" by Houston, Cunningham said.

"They looked sharper, they looked fitter, they got closer to the ball, they passed the ball better than us, their finishing was very good and they could have had a few more, so no excuses," Carver said. "We got beaten by the better side, a side that's certainly on the way up."

Said Sutton: "It was a game that we obviously took way too lightly, and we got hurt by it."

Toronto FC will return to BMO Field to face the Colorado Rapids next Saturday, June 14 (7 p.m. ET).


Reds close on Dossena
De Rosario, Ching power Dynamo

Emilio dominates comeback win

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- It was Luciano Emilio from the right, Luciano Emilio from the left -- and D.C. United got their first road win of the season.

Given little chance to steal a win from the stingy Fire, United came back from a one-goal deficit, then stole the victory with a stoppage-time goal by Emilio to beat the Fire 2-1 at Toyota Park. United were 0-5-1 in road games coming into the contest, and trailed the Fire in the Eastern Conference standings by nine points.

The Fire had given up just six goals in their first nine games. The victory gives United a 2-0-1 record in their last three games, and provides a lift to a team that lost four consecutive games in early May.

"We want to keep building on what we have done," United coach Tom Soehn said. "We are getting results. We are getting 10 or 11 shots on goal, which means we are doing something right."

D.C. United had 10 shots on goal Saturday to just five for the Fire. The victory came despite being a man down after Bryan Namoff was sent off in the 88th minute for his second yellow card in four minutes. United had already lost midfielder Marcelo Gallardo in a mixup with Fire defender Brandon Prideaux in the 55th minute. Prideaux was also sent off.

"I give them a lot of credit, even when they were a man down. Luciano didn't make the play by himself," Soehn said.

Trailing 1-0 at halftime, United tied the game in the 63rd minute when Emilio set up Jaime Moreno for his sixth goal. Emilio dribbled the ball on an angle on the right side toward two Fire defenders, cut back to the middle and fired a shot that glanced off Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch's glove to the foot of Moreno who was right in front of the goal.

The game winner came in the second minute of stoppage time. With the Fire pushing forward for a win at home, the ball shot back the other direction in a classic counter, and Emilio ended up facing Fire defender Diego Gutierrez 1-on-1 on the left side.

Attacking on an angle, Emilio waited for defender Dasan Robinson to get back, then cut back to the middle again while Gutierrez and Robinson danced around the ball, and Emilio's right foot shot went inside the near post past Jon Busch for the win.

"Even with the second card, our guys didn't quit," Soehn said. "When you out-compete someone, good things happen."

"It shows we have a lot of heart and character," said Moreno about winning while a man down. "We are happy with the three points, but we know there is a lot of play out there. The hardest thing is to maintain the same level. That is what we are going to work at, having the same attitude."

Emilio's goal was his fourth of the season and he has scored in each of the last three games.

"I said all along with Luci, you don't want to be the first one he scores on, because he is going to start putting them in regularly," Soehn said.


Inter into Coppa Italia final
Ten-man Energie stage spectacular comeback
Emilio’s stoppage time strike lifts D.C.

Salt Lake play Kansas City to draw

SALT LAKE CITY -- Real Salt Lake kept their unbeaten record at home intact Saturday night. But they would have preferred to do it in a different manner, after battling to a scoreless tie with the Kansas City Wizards at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The tie snapped RSL's two-game home winning streak and deprived RSL of its first chance to win consecutive games this season. It also extended the Wizards' winless run to five games as they finished a six-game road swing.

Defensively, Real did more than enough to claim victory. But they could not get anything past K.C. goalkeeper Kevin Hartman despite producing 13 shots on goal and 20 shots overall.

Kansas City took control in the first 10 minutes. The best scoring chance for the Wizards came in the third minute when Kerry Zavagnin gathered in the ball and sent a one-touch pass to Claudio Lopez in the middle of the box. Lopez sent a bouncing volley toward the near post where Salt Lake 'keeper Nick Rimando dove and caught the ball before it could go anywhere.

Then in the seventh minute, Davy Arnaud cracked a shot that rattled the underside of the crossbar before bouncing down and away to safety.

RSL asserted itself defensively as the half went along, limiting the Wizards to two shots in all and no further shots on goal.

RSL also started creating more chances after the first 20 minutes. The first came in the 23rd minute when Kenny Deuchar jumped up and snagged a ball out of the air and laid it off to Kyle Beckerman on the left side. Beckerman had an open channel from about 28 yards out and let fly, but the ball landed square in the waiting hands of Hartman.

The two reversed roles in the 28th minute. Beckerman threaded the needle between a pair of defenders in an attempt to get it ahead to Deuchar on the run. Hartman anticipated the hook-up, however and slid in front of the ball, clearing it away before Deuchar could get to it.

Deuchar had another solid chance a minute later, but could not conjure up a goal again. Jamison Olave took a corner kick and swung it into the far post where Deuchar was waiting for the ball. Once Deuchar had it, he knocked it high over the crossbar.

RSL had 12 shots and seven shots on goal in the first half, but struggled to finish and create any truly stellar chances in the final third.

A broken play in the 36th minute illustrated the struggle perfectly. Andy Williams drove down along the far sideline and laid it off to Deuchar in the box. Deuchar tried to cross to Robbie Findley, who had prime position in front of the net. His shot sailed past Findley and was retrieved by Beckerman near the endline. Beckerman tried to set up Findley in the same spot again, only to fire the ball just out of his reach.

The finishing problems did not improve for RSL in the second half. Morales took a free kick in the 49th minute and threaded it to Dema Kovalenko up top. Kovalenko rifled the ball up the middle, but could not get his shot past Hartman's hands.

RSL had another chance in the 62nd minute when Chris Wingert laid a pass off to Findley, who then turned and fired right at Hartman along the near post. The Wizards shot-stopper once again deflected the line drive away.

Beckerman tried to connect on a pair of chances in the 75th and 79th minutes but came away empty-handed each time. He fired his first shot from the middle of the box toward the near post. The ball sailed wide as it curved outside the post.

On his second attempt, Beckerman beat two defenders down into the box and slung the ball toward the far post. But he overshot his target and the ball sailed over the endline.

Kansas City nearly got on the board in the 81st minute when Arnaud fired a free kick under a jumping RSL wall. But the ball was scooped up by Rimando before it had a chance to do any real damage.


Hargreaves: We Went For The Draw
Real Salt Lake roll past San Jose
Wizards douse Fire, move into first

Rapids show heart despite defeat

CARSON, Calif. -- After falling behind by three goals 50 minutes in, the Colorado Rapids faced a monstrous obstacle to overcome.

And though they could not come all the way back, the Rapids felt the fight was something important for the team to build on. Colorado fell to the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-2 despite late goals from Colin Clark and Herculez Gomez.

"This team will always go down trying rather than ... just giving up," Clark said.

The fight was not enough to overcome the early hole the Galaxy put Colorado in. Alvaro Pires and Edson Buddle each scored in the first 32 minutes while Ely Allen scored the eventual match-winner five minutes into the second half.

But Colorado changed things up a bit midway through the second half when Omar Cummings and Gomez replaced Conor Casey and Rafael Gomes.

The changes helped the Rapids build possession and pressure the Galaxy goal.

"A couple subs came in and we got a little bit of a faster team out there," Clark said. "We were able to track down long balls a little bit easier. We kept chipping away and chipping away and got one and a second. It was disappointing for the third not to come."

The second half was somewhat of a turnaround from the first 45 minutes, said Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo.

"L.A. played extremely well in the first half, dominated and created chances. We had some tough times putting a couple of passes together. We struggled and I think L.A. took advantage of that," Clavijo said. "The second half it was better. I thought that we needed to, we had an urgency to go forward."

Although the Galaxy were missing Landon Donovan, the home side was still able to put consistent pressure on the Rapids, particularly in the first half.

Still, the team was no different than the one the Rapids demolished 4-0 in the season opener at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

"It's the same team," Clavijo said. "I said it all along in the beginning when we scored and we beat them, people we were very quick to criticize them. And I said they had a good team, they had a bad night but nobody gave the credit to Colorado and I thought that credit was due."

Each side finished with 10 men as Alan Gordon and Facundo Erpen were sent off near the end of the first half. On the play, Gordon tackled Erpen and the Rapids defender appeared to clip Gordon on the groin. Gordon then kicked Erpen.

However, referee Kevin Stott gave Gordon a straight red card immediately but took his time to send Erpen off. In fact, it was only after the replay of the entire play was broadcast on the stadium scoreboard.

"I thought it was very illegal first of all for the Galaxy to show the replay on the big screen which is a mandate by the league not to do that. I thought they took about five minutes for the red card to come out after the red card," Clavijo said. "But again it's given ... I did not know what happened on the play. I don't justify if Facundo Erpen did something but it's very obvious that the referee did not see it."

Ultimately, though, the Rapids went down swinging. Clavijo did not apologize for his team's penchant for trying for a victory.

"Does it matter if you tied three games or you win one? I prefer to win one. We don't play for ties. We play to win. Sometimes we get a result," Clavijo said. "We have a young team. It's hard to keep consistency. At the same time, the way the three points (for a win) and one point for the tie, I don't believe two ties are better than one loss and a win. Three points is always sweeter and that's where we are where we are right now. We are looking to get more consistency -- there is no question about that."


BVB beaten by Hanover
Old mates doom D.C. United

De Rosario, Ching power Dynamo

HOUSTON -- Brian Ching exploded for two goals and Dwayne De Rosario added another as the Houston Dynamo moved into a first-place tie atop the Western Conference with a 3-1 win against Toronto FC at Robertson Stadium.

Ching scored both of his goals in the second half and assisted on De Rosario's stoppage-time tally in the opening period that sent the Dynamo on their way.

The Dynamo dominated from start to finish, taking advantage of a shorthanded Toronto squad playing without Amado Guevara and Maurice Edu. The TFC pair are out playing for Honduras and the United States, respectively, in international competition.

Jeff Cunningham scored the 99th goal of his MLS career when he beat Houston 'keeper Pat Onstad in the 71st minute.

That was the only blemish of the night for the Dynamo, who became the first team from the West this season to beat Toronto. Before tonight, the Reds were 3-0 against Los Angeles (two wins) and Real Salt Lake.

The Dynamo fired nine shots in the first half, including three by De Rosario and four others that were saved by the very busy Toronto goalkeeper, Greg Sutton.

The defense held the Reds to just one shot, and that was in the 26th minute when Cunningham took a pass from Brennan but sent an ensuing header over the crossbar.

Houston had scoring chances in the 14th, 24th and 29th minutes before De Rosario scored late. Ching was sniffing the net in the 14th minute after taking a pass from De Rosario, but Sutton made an aggressive save coming out of the net to make the stop.

Ten minutes later it was Holden looking for paydirt when he sent a bouncing shot from 30 yards out. But again Sutton was sharp, making the diving stop after moving to his right to protect the far post.

In the 29th minute, Ching actually beat Sutton, but his shot, after taking a nifty pass from Mullan, twisted away from the net and out of bounds.

The Dynamo had dominated the entire first half and finally were rewarded when De Rosario scored in stoppage time. Ching jumped up for a loose ball, headed a pass from midfield behind the TFC defense, to De Rosario who broke toward the net. He outraced Toronto defender Marco Velez and chipped a neat effort over Sutton and into the goal.

For the Dynamo it was the team's first-ever goal against the Reds. Last season, Houston managed just a tie in two meetings against Toronto FC, who was an expansion team a year ago.

It didn't take long for the Orange to the double the lead. Defender Pat Ianni jumped into the play in the 52nd minute and ran down the left side before feeding De Rosario with a crisp pass. Instead of shooting, De Rosario sent the ball over to Ching who settled the pass and fired a shot high past Sutton for a 2-0 lead.

Ching made it 3-0 just five minutes after Onstad made back-to-back, point blank saves on Laurent Robert and Jarrod Smith.

In the 69th minute, Holden saved a play by chasing down a loose ball near the corner before sending a pass toward Ching. All alone in the center of the area, Ching headed the ball into the net past a helpless Sutton for the back-breaking score.

Cunningham scored the 99th goal of his MLS career two minutes later, launching a long-range blast from outside the penalty area that sailed just under the crossbar, leaving Onstad no chance in the Houston goal.

The Dynamo have now won four of their last six matches after going winless in their first half-dozen games in defense of their title. That start had them in the West basement for most of the first month, but now they are tied with the Los Angeles Galaxy with 17 points.


Kinnear’s lineup tweaks pay off
Away win for Bochum
Hamburg return to winning ways

Kinnear's lineup tweaks pay off

HOUSTON -- Houston Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear has been tweaking his lineup all year long, so it was no surprise when Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario got their first start together up front with a share of first place on the line.

Their timing wasn't always perfect, and De Rosario struggled to stay onside throughout the game, but the move paid off in a big 3-1 win against Toronto FC at Robertson Stadium Sunday night.

De Rosario scored his fourth goal of the season in the first half and Ching added two, his fourth and fifth of the season, in the second as the Dynamo recorded their first-ever win against the Reds.

"I think Dwayne and I really work well tonight and he really adds unpredictability up there on top with me," Ching said. "That is just another threat where defenders on the other side need to be aware of both of us. But the whole team really played well tonight, from the back to the front, and that is why we won tonight. I think the combination works well."

With the victory, the Dynamo moved into a tie for first place in the Western Conference with the LA Galaxy. Both teams have 17 points, but the journey for the Dynamo has been more incredible as the team has rallied from a winless April and concurrent time in the basement.

Kinnear said his two stars impressed him with a formula that created quite the mismatch for a TFC team missing two of its top players.

"I thought the guys really played well tonight and that might have been our most complete game of the season from start to finish," Kinnear said. "The way De Ro runs off the ball and created up front for us with Ching, that probably tormented them tonight.

"I thought the two of them played very well together and before this match I told them that I thought this was what was best for the team and their movement up top just gave the other team fits."

Sunday wasn't the first time the two played together at forward. In a 2-2 draw at FC Dallas on May 28, De Rosario played forward with Ching for the final half-hour and the two teamed up to produce the tying goal with just seconds left in the match.

De Rosario said playing up top with Ching gives the team an advantage, even though he does prefer his normal position in the midfield. But he is willing to do anything to help the team move up in the standings.

"(Before tonight) teams were putting two guys on me in the middle and locking me off, so I was getting limited touches," De Rosario said. "So we tried something new, putting me up front. It paid off tonight. Whether it will be an ongoing thing, I don't know. I like my midfield position, but this gives me the opportunity to get the ball more. It's hard to double-team two guys when it's me and Ching up there."

Already leading 1-0 through De Rosario's goal in first-half stoppage time, Dynamo defender Patrick Ianni jumped into the play in the 52nd minute and ran down the left sideline before feeding De Rosario with a crisp pass. Instead of shooting, De Rosario sent the ball over to Ching who settled the pass and fired a shot past Reds goalkeeper Greg Sutton.

Ching made it 3-0 in the 69th minute when he headed a cross from Stuart Holden into the goal after being left completely unmarked in the heart of the penalty area.

Defender Richard Mulrooney said it was fun watching De Rosario and Ching carve up the opposition on a night where so much was on the line.

He complimented the team's superstars, but was quick with praise for the other eight men on the field that helped the Dynamo win on another hot and muggy night in south Texas.

"Those two guys really made it easy for us, but having said that everyone did a great job tonight," Mulrooney said. "I thought our passing was crisp and our possession was good and our defense was good in the sense that we did a really good job of shutting down some really dangerous players."


De Rosario, Ching power Dynamo
Hargreaves: Destiny In Our Hands

Emilio's stoppage time strike lifts D.C.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Luciano Emilio scored a counterattack goal in stoppage time to give a nine-man D.C. United a surprise 2-1 victory against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park Saturday.

Just minutes after Bryan Namoff was shown a second yellow card, leaving United at a man disadvantage (each team had a player sent off earlier in the half), Emilio struck for the game-winner two minutes into stoppage time.

With the Fire playing far forward looking for the winner on their own, Emilio dribbled down the left side against two Fire defenders, cut inside and hit a right-footed shot inside the near post, beating Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch.

Entering the game with an 0-5-1 road record against a Fire team that was 6-2-1 and had given up just six goals all season, United were expected to have trouble getting a point in the game.

Fire coach Denis Hamlett returned midfielder John Thorrington to his lineup after missing two games due to back spasms. That move gave Hamlett what is currently thought to be his strongest lineup, with Chad Barrett up top and Chris Rolfe and Justin Mapp in wide attacking roles.

For United, Gonzalo Peralta returned to the starting lineup after missing United's last game to attend to his pregnant wife. He did return to the lineup for Wednesday's postponed game against Houston at RFK Stadium, after his wife gave birth early in the week.

A tornado warning an hour before the kickoff threatened the start of the game, but the match still started on time.

The game's first scoring threat came in the fourth minute when Fire defender Bakary Soumare stole the ball in the back then dribbled the ball up to about 20 yards out before releasing the ball to Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Blanco's shot was saved by United goalkeeper Zach Wells.

The first controversial moment came in the ninth minute when United defender Gonzalo Martinez received a yellow card for a trip of Blanco in the midfield. Referee Baldomero Toledo's ruling drew some complaints from the United side since Fire midfielder John Thorrington twice fouled United players Fred and Jaime Moreno without receiving a card.

A poor back pass by Thorrington in the 11th minute ended up on the foot of United midfielder Marcelo Gallardo, who charged in at Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch. Thorrington backed up to break up the run and the ensuing corner kick was ineffective.

The Fire took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Chad Barrett in the 27th minute on a play that was pure Blanco. As Wells lined up the ball for a kick, Blanco trotted at him slowly to rush the kick. At the other end, the Fire took possession, and Thorrington sent a long pass up the field. D.C.'s Santino Quaranta sent a back pass but Blanco snuck up from behind the defenders and took possession.

Although he was behind the defenders at the time, he was not offside because the ball came from Quaranta. Blanco waited for Barrett to make his break for the through pass down the middle, and after racing past center back Devon McTavish, Barrett got off a shot inside the area that beat Wells. United players begged for the offside call but Toledo did not comply.

In the 34th minute, Gallardo split the Fire defense with a through ball to Fred sprinting down the left side. With Brandon Prideaux in pursuit, Fred took a dead-on shot at Busch from about eight yards out. Busch deflected the ball, and Fire defenders helped block two more shots by United to keep their 1-0 lead.

Fred had an almost identical opportunity in the 38th minute, and brought it even closer to Busch, within the six-yard box, but Busch again punched out the shot.

At halftime, Fire coach Denis Hamlett sent on forward Calen Carr for midfielder Justin Mapp.

In the 53rd minute, Fire defender Brandon Prideaux and D.C.'s Gallardo got into an argument in the Fire penalty area while play was going on toward the other end of the field. Prideaux and Gallardo knocked heads, but Toledo did not see the contact. At the next stoppage of play, Fire goalkeeper Busch told Toledo what happened, Toledo checked with fourth official Jasen Anno, and then ejected both players from the game.

With Prideaux out, Hamlett substituted defender Dasan Robinson for Thorrington in the 60th minute.

United tied the game in the 63rd minute on a goal by Jaime Moreno, set up by the footwork of Emilio. Emilio dribbled down the right side toward two Fire defenders inside the box, then cut back and sent a shot at Busch, who pushed the ball away with his right hand. Moreno came sliding in ahead of a Fire defender to knock the ball past Busch for the goal.

United nearly then took the lead in the 83rd minute. A 30-yard free kick by substitute Marc Burch hit a Fire defender in the wall and nearly sent Busch the wrong way, but the 'keeper was able to get the slightest touch on the ball to send it onto the crossbar and then over the goal.

The Fire then had a good opportunity of their own when Carr put a snap header directly on goal that Wells saved in the 86th minute.

Namoff had been booked for the first time for a foul on Blanco in the 85th minute, and then in the 89th minute, another foul on Blanco brought another yellow card and expulsion from the game. But instead of the Fire taking advantage, it was United who struck for their first road victory of the season.


Scholes Stunner Clinches It For United
Fire fall into lull in defeat to Dynamo
Wizards douse Fire, move into first
Premier League Replay: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Wizards search for consistency

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- For the Kansas City Wizards, Wednesday night's penalty kick shootout victory against the Colorado Rapids in their U.S. Open Cup play-in match was typical of how their season has gone -- and how they would like it to end.

"It was a complicated win, but an important win nonetheless. I'm just thrilled we got it," said Ivan Trujillo via an interpreter.

The Wizards scored the first goal, fell behind, came back, lost a player to a red card, yet pulled out the win.

But it was a win -- actually, their second in a row, following their exhibition win against CSD Municipal of Guatemala last Saturday. However, an MLS regular season win is now needed to fully regain their momentum that stalled after their April 20 victory in Chicago. At the time, the Wizards had three wins and a draw in five matches. The next four games -- all on the road -- saw a dramatic dip in results with a solitary draw and three losses.

"We haven't reached the point where we're pushing the panic button at all," said midfielder Kerry Zavangin of K.C.'s sixth-place standing in the Eastern Conference. "There's a lot of soccer left to be played, and there are two cups still out there to play for. It's a matter of not getting too high or too low."

Although the attitude must be on an even keel, the bar is still set high for a team that is well stocked with talent.

"We're going to have our successes over the course of this year. It's a matter of getting better every day and continuing to push forward and putting ourselves in good position to have home-field advantage in the playoffs," Zavagnin said.

Just as Trujillo's 86th-minute goal brought the Wizards level with Colorado Wednesday night, a win this Saturday night at Real Salt Lake would bring them to .500 on the season.

And just as the season has had its roadblocks, so does a win on Saturday. Last season, the Wizards lost twice on the road to Real Salt Lake -- once in an Open Cup play-in match and once in the regular season. The match is, thankfully, the last of a six-game road stretch that hasn't been kind for the Wizards. Finally, Wednesday's win over 120-plus minutes did nothing to ease neither the fatigue nor the fitness of the roster.

Trujillo aggravated a sore heel that has been bothering him lately and key players Jimmy Conrad and Claudio Lopez, among others, went the distance on the FieldTurf at Shawnee Mission District Stadium, a surface they will see again in Salt Lake City Saturday.

But head coach Curt Onalfo's men have shown the ability to surmount hindrances.

"All along we've said we need to be a team that doesn't make excuses, and we find solutions. We've found solutions to the reasons why we've been less effective," said Onalfo.

The Wizards have scored two goals in each of their two wins, a substantial increase over their 0.67 goals per game in their last six league matches. Utilizing skilled players such as Lopez and Carlos Marinelli at wide midfield roles and pushing more numbers into attack has paid off. In addition, regular starters Marinelli and midfielder Sasha Victorine were rested Wednesday as they recover from slight injuries. Also, goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was given his second consecutive game off.

Yet the Wizards will have to avoid giving up the "soft" goals they surrendered to the Rapids on Wednesday. But in the end, it doesn't matter how the Wizards come out on top as much as that they do.

"It's a matter of capitalizing on our chances and being dangerous in front of the goal. We've shown that we've had moments in games where we played attractive soccer, but that doesn't mean much if you are not getting the results," said Zavagnin. "But right now, we'd rather win games than play pretty. It would be nice to have both, but right now, it's about winning."


Chivas happy to have Talley
One last clean sheet for Kahn
Eager K.C. eyes Open Cup berth

Revs' Nyassi hopes to help Gambia

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Revolution midfielder Sainey Nyassi could not watch The Gambia play in Liberia in a World Cup Qualifier last weekend.

Instead, he monitored the game over the internet. While he couldn't watch the 1-1 draw between his country and the Liberians, he couldn't help but feel connected to the match as he kept checking on the score. Revs teammate Kenny Mansally earned a call-up for the Scorpions but didn't get off the bench.

But as Nyassi monitored the game, a good result for the Gambians turned tragic after nine people suffocated in the rush to enter the Samuel K. Doe stadium in Monrovia.

Nyassi talked to Mansally as he waited to leave Liberia to return home and said that his first thought was for Mansally's safety.

"They always protect players," Nyassi said. "They bring lots of security for them. That was the first thing I asked Kenny. He said they were all safe."

While the players were safe inside the stadium, those who sought to enter the stadium were not. The 33,000-capacity stadium was overrun by people holding counterfeit tickets and overcrowding ensued. The nine casualties occurred at one specific gate in the stadium, according to a BBC Sport report.

Nyassi said the situation, although tragic, wasn't uncommon.

"It happens a lot because people in Africa are crazy about soccer," Nyassi said. "Some people forge tickets in order to get into the stadium. The stadiums are always overloaded anytime there's an international game like a World Cup qualifier or an African Nations Cup qualifier."

The Gambia hopes it can emerge from the difficult Group 6 first-round draw. Traditional African powers Algeria and Senegal are also in the four-team group, meaning that the team has a difficult task to qualify for the final round of qualifying. Only the group winner is assured of a place in the next stage, although the best eight runners-up from the 12 groups also advance to the next round.

Nyassi said he wants to play a part in the qualifying campaign, but noted that he was injured when newly-appointed Belgian coach Paul Put assembled his roster. Nyassi featured for his country at the FIFA U-20 World Cup last summer in Canada, paving the way for his move to New England last summer.

"I haven't heard from them, but I'm still listening and waiting on it," Nyassi said. "Hopefully, there are a few games left and I will be in the team."

Until Nyassi gets the call, Mansally remains New England's only representative in African World Cup qualifying after Kheli Dube missed out on a call-up for Zimbabwe's 0-0 draw with Guinea.

Nyassi hopes that Mansally will feature in The Gambia's home match with Senegal, scheduled for Sunday in Banjul. With a victory, the Gambians can claim top spot in the group with two of the six matches completed.

"Hopefully, they can go home and beat them," Nyassi said. "We still have the chance to qualify. Senegal won, so if we beat them, we can go to the top of the group."


Revs out to impress oversized crowd
Wilhelmsson Surprised By Raúl’s Spain Absence
Hoops look for fast starts to continue

Dynamo turn attention to Toronto FC

HOUSTON -- Ricardo Clark was one of the last players off the field following Friday's training for the Houston Dynamo in the Bayou City.

With Wednesday's game at D.C. United postponed due to inclement weather, the team turned its attention to Toronto FC, who the Dynamo will meet Sunday evening at Robertson Stadium. The unexpected night off meant there was extra time for Clark to put in stretching and working on a few fundamentals.

Toronto FC has been all but dominant at their BMO Field home, but less impressive on the road, with just one of their five victories south of the border. The Dynamo are unbeaten at Roberson Stadium this season, and when TFC comes calling, two of its top two players will be missing due to international call-ups.

But Clark said TFC is certainly not a team to be overlooked. The Reds are playing with a lot to prove following last year's inaugural campaign that delivered more disappointment than wins. The Dynamo, Clark said, need to be ready for a hungry opponent.

"They are playing with a lot of confidence right now and I think we are too," Clark said. "They came out with a lot of prove this year and I think they have done that based on their results. They have added some personnel. But I think if we come out and control play early, and play with the confidence we know we have, I think it is going to be a good game."

Missing from the lineup will be talented midfielders Maurice Edu and Amado Guevara, who are currently playing for the U.S. and Honduran national teams, respectively.

Clark said the team will run into problems if it starts to worry about who is in and out of the lineup on the other side of the field. The short-term goal for the week, he said, is to play well and take advantage of playing at home where the team is 2-0-2 this season.

"I think Sunday will be a good match for everyone," Clark said. "And another good thing is that we will be playing the game at home, we are playing well there and we need to show the fans that we are the kind of team that can go out there and win another championship. After all, that is the goal from day one."

The Dynamo will have nearly a full squad Sunday night, even though it is still likely that captain Wade Barrett (groin) will not be healthy enough to start. The team needs to take advantage of having everyone around this week because Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad will not be available for next Wednesday's match against New England.

De Rosario and Onstad will be with the Canadian national team when it plays against St. Vincent and the Grenadines in World Cup qualifying on June 15.

Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear acknowledges the team will be shorthanded, but also hinted that the extra playing time for the rest of his roster has created a healthy competition that will help the team later this summer.

Injuries are going to pile up again, possibly, and the rest of the team is being conditioned now to be ready when called upon.


MLS Clubs Turn On Charm For McBride
Undermanned Dynamo look for mix

Revs out to impress oversized crowd

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- There is pressure on the New England Revolution to produce jogo bonito against FC Dallas on Friday night.

A Gillette Stadium crowd in excess of 50,000 spectators will back the Revolution, patiently awaiting Brazil-Venezuela as the nightcap and hoping to see entertaining soccer in the first match.

For New England, putting in a stylish performance would go a long way to cure the ills the team has faced at home this season. The Revs have only taken seven points from five home matches this season and want to improve that form.

"We've been doing well on the road, but we need to defend our home turf better than we have been for the fans that have been supporting us even though we haven't been playing too well," Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst said. "We'll have a bunch of new fans on Friday night. If we can gain some new support, it will help us out."

While New England will have more yellow and green clad fans in the stands, the team remains without starting forward Kenny Mansally (World Cup qualifying with The Gambia) and Taylor Twellman (ankle). Mansally will return once The Gambia concludes this slate of qualifiers against Algeria on June 20, but Twellman's return is hazier.

"He's slowly but surely getting there," Nicol said. "Having been out so long, he's a bit more sensible about it. He's not going to go gung-ho and then realize he can't."

Newly acquired midfielder Pat Phelan, who joined from Toronto FC on Wednesday, isn't expected to join the team until Monday and won't be available for the contest. Gary Flood (ankle) and Rob Valentino (hamstring) won't play either.

Adam Cristman will likely start after scoring last weekend, but most of the scoring burden will fall on the in-form Kheli Dube, who has three goals in his past three contests.

"After spending time with him, you're not that surprised," Nicol said. "But any striker will take three goals in three games. We're delighted with his form. We just have to keep it going."

If recent form against FC Dallas is any indication, the team should cure its home troubles. New England defeated FCD 1-0 at Pizza Hut Park on April 24 and hasn't lost to the Hoops since May 20, 2006 (4-0-0 in MLS play).

This FCD unit may provide a different challenge for Nicol's side than the one posed earlier in the season. Steve Morrow recently earned his walking papers and interim coach Marco Ferruzzi grasped the helm.

"They are a little bit more compact," Nicol said. "They haven't really changed the formation. Sometimes, they have four at the back and they send guys forward and sometimes they play with three. It's not a huge difference. It's just a little bit tighter."

Even though FCD may provide a stingier backline, Parkhurst thinks his team needs to keep an eye on Juan Toja, who didn't play in the first meeting, Kenny Cooper, and Dominic Oduro in order to emerge with three points.

"They throw a ton of guys forward every time," Parkhurst said. "We know what we're up against, but we're feeling confident that we can perform well on our home turf."


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Arminia Bielefeld: home form the key to survival
Revs embrace return to normalcy

Dynamo vs. D.C. United postponed

WASHINGTON -- D.C. United and Houston Dynamo did their best to play a soccer match on Wednesday night, but a nasty summer storm front had other ideas as constant, heavy rain and intermittent thunderheads forced a rare postponement at soggy RFK Stadium.

After waiting more than half an hour for the weather to clear, both teams took the field at 8:01 pm and gamely tried to play on the saturated field -- but match officials suspended play after just 16 minutes as the rain and lightning refused to depart. A reschedule announcement was set for Thursday, when the MLS Cup champion Dynamo will hope that their visit to the White House is able to proceed as planned.

The evening got off to a late start due to the severe weather enveloping the Washington metro area, as RFK was hit with heavy thunderstorms in the hour before scheduled kickoff, prompting a half-hour delay to wait out the lightning and give the sodden field a bit of extra time to drain.

When the match finally kicked off, the wet conditions made a mockery of any attempt at cohesive play, as standing water stopped the ball dead across large expanses of the pitch. With dribbling and combination play out of the question, both teams had little choice but to resort to a direct style while defenders did their best just to stay on their feet.

In the 15-plus minutes that were played, United had the best chances, both from Marcelo Gallardo. In the third minute, he whipped a free kick on goal that Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad chose to punch over the bar. Then he later sent a well-hit shot on target from outside the box, with the same result.

By the 12th minute, RFK looked to have been hit by a monsoon as the field's puddles spread and deepened, with visibility markedly reduced. But the die-hard fans in attendance -- already soaked to the bone -- reacted with glee, cheering louder as the rain worsened and lightning flashed.

Four minutes later, referee Ricardo Salazar had seen enough and halted play, herding both teams into the locker rooms to wait out the storm after having officially deemed the field unplayable. But the skies would not clear and the RFK surface, which was relaid less than a year ago with high-tech features designed to promote quick drainage, simply couldn't dry out quickly enough and at 9:40 pm, the match was officially postponed.


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Dynamo pressure results in victory
Rain, wind, Fire can’t slow Dynamo
AUSTRIA ORGANISERS CONSIDER CHANGES

Error in box costs Chivas shot at first

E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Chivas USA was full of confidence heading into their MLS Primetime Thursday tilt against the struggling New York Red Bulls.

After all, the Red-and-White had won their last three contests, while the home team was coming off back-to-back losses and was missing two vital attacking cogs.

However, one vital error a quarter-hour from time cost Chivas all three points, as New York striker Juan Pablo Angel was left alone in the box long enough to nod home the winner off a Dane Richards cross from the right side.

"We had our moments," said Chivas USA coach Preki afterward. "I thought we were starting to dominate the play. We had had few decent opportunities. We didn't connect and then we make one mistake and the game is done."

Despite the fact that regulars Ante Razov and Jonathan Bornstein were dressed following their respective injury layoffs, Preki used the same starting XI that had proven successful during the three previous outings. Meanwhile, the Red Bulls were missing captain Claudio Reyna (tight hamstring) and teenage standout Jozy Altidore, who is awaiting the completion of his transfer to Spanish side Villarreal.

So it was no surprise that Chivas looked the better of the two teams during the first half. They dominated possession and had a few opportunities, but couldn't find the all-important opener.

"I think we needed to put one away early," said midfielder Sacha Kljestan, who was at the heart of most of the Chivas attacking threats in the opening period.

"In the first half I was finding spots," said Kljestan. "In the second half they played me tighter. It was tough. It was a back-and-forth game with a lot of running, so we might have died down a little in the second half."

They certainly died down when it came to marking Angel on the decisive play. The Colombian forward has struggled so far in 2008 after lighting up the league with 19 goals last season. But few would argue that he remains one of most dangerous players in MLS.

"That's the one guy we don't want to leave open and next thing you know, he's way, way open and he gets the goal," said Preki. "Richards puts a decent ball in the box but we lose track of Angel. We talked all week about him."

Goalkeeper Brad Guzan had no chance on the goal, but nobody would have been surprised if he was less than his best Thursday. Guzan was playing his second game in just more than a day on two separate continents, after going 45 minutes for the U.S. national team against Spain on Wednesday afternoon.

"I felt all right, no different than normal," said Guzan. "Once you get out there, the adrenaline kicks in and you just want to help the team. Unfortunately, we came up a little short."

Still, despite the result, the mood was cautiously optimistic in the visiting locker room after the match.

"We're continuing to work on the little things to fine tune our team," Kljestan said. "I'm not worried."

More significantly, his coach also seemed content to shrug off the loss. "We had quite a few moments I thought we could have done better," said Preki. "I guess it wasn't our night."


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CABRERA IN WITH HARRINGTON AND LOVE
Momentum fickle for Chivas USA

Cunliffe making most of opportunity

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- John Cunliffe's first few months with the San Jose Earthquakes couldn't have been easy. As the Quakes attack struggled for goals game after game, he watched a slew of forwards get an opportunity to prove that they were the answer to the team's offensive woes. The Englishman, it appeared, was a mere afterthought.

Yet Cunliffe, who was acquired from Chivas USA back on March 28, simply bided his time, and his patience was rewarded last Saturday when he came of the bench to score San Jose's only goal in a 3-1 loss to Real Salt Lake. It marked the first time that the Quakes had scored on the road in more than a month.

"Obviously you want to be on the field from the start, but you just have to come off the bench and show the manager you should be playing," said Cunliffe. "Getting a goal is always nice, so maybe that will help my case."

That appears to be exactly what has happened, as Cunliffe now looks set to start alongside Ryan Johnson in this weekend's match against Columbus. The Fort Lewis College product has no doubt benefited from the absence of Kei Kamara, who is away on international duty with Sierra Leone, but Cunliffe is determined to make the most of his continued opportunities.

"Whenever I can get on the field, I've got to show that I want to play, I want to win, and I can help the team," he said.

Based on his performance against RSL, the biggest contribution Cunliffe has made is just being aggressive towards goal. The Quakes are ranked dead last in nearly every offensive category, with their shots and shots on goal totals lagging well behind the rest of the league.

And against Real Salt Lake, Cunliffe showed no hesitation in pulling the trigger. Not only did his laser from 18 yards beat goalkeeper Nick Rimando in the 84th minute, but he nearly duplicated the feat from even further out a few minutes later, with his shot flashing just wide. It was the kind of performance that definitely caught the eye of manager Frank Yallop.

"[Cunliffe] has looked good, and he's looked good again in training," said Yallop. "It's amazing what a goal or a little bit of confidence does for anybody."

Given that San Jose has dropped three games in a row on the road, that self-belief is a quality that has been in short supply. But Cunliffe's other attributes are benefiting the Quakes as well. A career spent mostly in midfield allowed the Bolton, England native to develop the more creative aspects of his game, and given the lack of precision San Jose has shown in attack, Cunliffe feels he can add some new wrinkles to the Quakes' offense.

"[The other forwards] are big, strong, quick, and a bit of a nuisance for the other teams," said Cunliffe. "I play more off of the other forward, a little bit more in the hole, and I find the gaps a little bit easier than those guys. We all bring different things. It's just finding the right mix."

Yallop and the rest of the Quakes will be desperate to find that winning recipe this weekend against the Crew. If they do, chances are Cunliffe will be the primary ingredient.


Quakes disappointed with RSL result
Jose wants big club or nothing

Findley: Real Salt Lake's energizer

SALT LAKE CITY -- When it came time for Real Salt Lake to find a source for an energy boost, reserve forward Robbie Findley acted like a rechargeable battery. Once he took the field in the waning moments of the first half, Findley quickly found a way to make things happen.

He scored one goal and set up another early in the second half to lift RSL to a 3-1 victory against the San Jose Earthquakes at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday night.

After the club suffered through a miserable first half, RSL coach Jason Kreis felt like Findley did exactly what needed to be done to get the rest of his teammates going in the right direction again.

"He was running the ball at players and forcing decisions," Kreis said. "That [first goal] in particular was a play that he had caught it inside his defender and took a wonderful strike. A different goal from Robbie Findley, but he's showing what he's capable of."

Findley went to work in the 48th minute, putting RSL up 1-0 when he beat Jason Hernandez and drilled a shot from just outside the top of the box. Sending it home was a simple matter once Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon snuck out beyond the near post and got caught there.

RSL increased it to a 2-0 lead in the 60th minute when Findley made a fantastic pass to Javier Morales in the box. Morales made a quick drive forward and slotted it past Cannon, who slid down to stop the ball but could not get his hand on it as it scooted past into the net.

Kreis felt like Findley energized the team as soon as he stepped onto the field. For his part, Findley was determined to make the most of his time.

"When I come off the bench, I try to focus on just giving a little spark to the team and giving some energy," Findley said.

What Findley's playmaking did best was arouse RSL from a first-half funk which started shortly after a gift-wrapped scoring opportunity slipped through its fingers.

RSL had a chance to take the lead in the third minute when a handball by Ramiro Corrales set up a penalty kick for Morales. It had the makings of a tailor-made goal for Morales when he took the kick and flicked the ball toward the lower left corner.

Instead, Cannon made a diving catch to come up with an outstanding save -- not only denying RSL an early opener, but sending them into somewhat of a downward mental spiral through the rest of the first half.

"For me, it was two different games really," Kreis said.

Buoyed by Findley's playmaking, RSL looked much more aggressive after halftime. They controlled possession, created shots and kept the Earthquakes on their heels for large stretches.

"I really felt like we raised our level in the second half," Morales said. "We got a lot better."

San Jose's inability to create on offense or stop on defense escalated its frustration. The team was issued three yellow cards in a 30-minute span -- culminating in Nick Garcia earning a card after he pulled down Andy Williams in the box in the 73rd minute.

That foul proved the most costly, however. Dema Kovalenko took the resulting penalty kick and drilled into the far corner of the net. Cannon went the other way and it proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Earthquakes.

Still, RSL left feeling a little disappointed after yielding a goal in the 84th minute. San Jose finally got on the board when John Cunliffe drilled a shot from the center of the penalty area to make it 3-1. Garcia sent a ball forward that Corrales slipped past a closing Nat Borchers with a nifty backheel, and Cunliffe drove it past Rimando into the back of the net.

Giving up late goals has been a lingering problem for RSL and the club understands it could come back to bite them down the road if it doesn't eliminate that tendency.

"It's disappointing that we didn't manage to keep our concentration for the full 90," forward Kenny Deuchar said. "It would have been good to come away with a clean sheet as well as a good three goals."

Even so, RSL snapped a two-game losing streak in MLS play by beating the Earthquakes. Its chances to build some momentum look good with three more home matches in the next four weeks.


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Real Salt Lake roll past San Jose
Madrid Outrun Racing To Go Ten Clear

Guzan looking to state case for U.S.

CARSON, Calif. -- In between regular-season Major League Soccer matches, Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan has also taken on a different, more high-profile task.

Guzan played the second half of the United States national team's friendly against England on May 28, picked up a 2-0 shutout against Columbus on Saturday and traveled to Europe on Sunday to prepare for the USA's match against Spain on Wednesday.

As the U.S. readies for a crucial upcoming World Cup qualifying series against Barbados, Guzan is trying to state his case for an increased role and more playing time with the U.S. national team. But Guzan also said he's willing to contribute whatever way possible.

"Whatever (coach) Bob (Bradley) decides," Guzan said when asked about his chances of playing against Spain. "If I play great, if not it's just another chance to be around Timmy (Howard) and be around the guys and hopefully help the team in whatever way I can, whether it's morally or on the field."

The reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Guzan has now played in two U.S. national team games this year and has earned six caps overall. Against England, Guzan had the task of trying to keep the U.S. from falling further into a hole. Down 1-0 at the intermission, Guzan supplanted Howard in goal and manned the goal for the second half.

However, Liverpool standout Steven Gerrard had different thoughts. Gerrard took a pass from Gareth Barry and ran into the penalty area alone on Guzan. Gerrard coolly slipped the ball past Guzan as England went ahead by a pair of goals.

"It was a tough game, especially to come in at half. It's not the easiest thing to do especially when the game is going 100 miles an hour," Guzan said. "You come in at halftime and literally in the 46th minute I was already dealing with a set piece, through balls and this and that."

Overall, Guzan said the match served its purpose as a preparation game.

"We need tough games in Europe. The results aren't always going to go our way as much as we'd like them to. The important thing is that we take things away and now we can use what we learned against England and put that towards Spain," Guzan said. "If we can do that, then the game against England is that much more of a positive for us, despite what people might think from the outside it's important that we take the little things away from those games and help us continue improving and helping make our team stronger."

Though the U.S.-Spain match is slated for Wednesday, Guzan might not miss a minute of action for Chivas USA. Guzan could travel back stateside on Thursday and with Chivas USA playing at New York on Thursday, he might indeed make it back in time to play in this week's match.

Nonetheless, Spain is on the forefront of Guzan's mind at the beginning of this week. If England was any indication, Spain will pose a formidable test.

"We expect a tough challenge," Guzan said. "It's never easy to go to Europe and play, especially when you are playing against ... Spain and so we expect a good game and we're definitely going to be ready to give them a fight as well."


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Bundesliga: top for goals
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United hoping to regain a little luster

WASHINGTON -- D.C. United welcome defending MLS Cup champions Houston Dynamo to RFK Stadium in a matchup rich with subplots and substantial questions facing both sides. The two league heavyweights are looking to regain their luster after slow starts in 2008 and Wednesday night's match offers much-needed points, as well as an important opportunity to display further signs of recovery -- especially for a United squad still finding their feet after a disastrous spring.

With a 3-2 win against Toronto FC and a 2-2 road draw in New England, D.C. have cobbled together a two-game unbeaten streak, but continue to struggle with costly defensive lapses.

"I think we're starting to put together some consistency as far as our ability to do the small things: work hard, be better in possession, all that's coming together," said head coach Tom Soehn. "We can't afford to drop that off -- that all has to stay the same. But we're still focusing on making sure we don't leak goals like we've been. That's been a real topic of ours."

Major League Soccer's best in the regular season and playoffs a year ago, respectively, United and Dynamo now find themselves playing catch-up with their conference rivals and their fortunes are further linked by the offseason trade that sent goalkeeper Zach Wells north in exchange for defender Bobby Boswell.

The swap offered both players a chance to kick-start their careers in new locales and while both have earned substantial minutes with their teams, they've also been implicated in the defensive struggles that have plagued each club. D.C. United have allowed a sky-high 22 goals, worst in MLS by a comfortable margin, while the Dynamo have already conceded 15 goals this year -- after allowing just 23 all season in 2007.

It gives both men something extra to prove against their former clubs, particularly in the colorful atmosphere at RFK, the site of Dynamo's MLS Cup triumph in November.

"Yeah, absolutely. Who doesn't? RFK -- this is the stage," said D.C. midfielder Rod Dyachenko on his close friend Boswell's return. "It's definitely extra motivation for anybody, especially if you've been part of the club."

Boswell will need to step up, given that his usual defensive partner Eddie Robinson has been suspended for the United clash due to his scrap with FC Dallas' Andre Rocha last week. Meanwhile, the center back spot he vacated in D.C. has been a focus of attention for United of late.

With Gonzalo Peralta missing two recent matches due to his wife's childbirth and fellow South American Gonzalo Martinez often drafted into left back duties, converted midfielders Devon McTavish and Dominic Mediate have been used in the heart of defense. Soehn is clearly pleased to have a variety of options at his disposal, much like last season when he platooned McTavish, Boswell and the now-departed Greg Vanney in that position.

"Yeah, we finally have that, and we haven't had that luxury much this year. So as we get guys healthy and all, it's a good problem to have," said Soehn. "We're figuring out what's our best lineup."

Peralta is expected to step back into the first XI against Houston, where his size will be needed to combat the power and physicality of Dynamo target man Brian Ching.

"A big dude, yeah -- a big, physical guy," said McTavish of Ching. "I think that's one reason why [general manager] Dave Kasper was looking to bring in a bigger center back with Peralta, because of matchups like that."

Soehn has emphasized the importance of constant, day-to-day improvement to his side as they look to climb out of their last-place hole, and Wednesday night's performance will represent another significant signpost in that progression.

"We had a 2-0 lead on the road against New England, which is a first[-place] team. I just don't think we put 90 minutes together -- we lost that energy, lost our focus, and we walked away with a point," said McTavish. "Walking out with a point is good, but being disappointed about that is even better, I think. So we're taking small steps. We haven't quite made the leap yet, but it's getting better, little by little, every game."


Neville Shows Commitment From Sidelines
Boswell making presence felt with Dynamo

Young Dynamo key in win over Bulls

HOUSTON -- Before the Houston Dynamo played the first of two matches this week, most of the talk in the locker room centered on their tough schedule and how five matches in less than 21 days would affect a team looking to get back on track after a slow start.

All that chatter changed to how a bunch of young guys were going to respond to the challenge of carrying the team when two call-ups, an injury and a suspension took four more players out of the lineup.

After the Dynamo's hard-fought 1-0 win against the New York Red Bulls Saturday night -- the third shutout of the 2008 campaign for the Orange -- those young guys can walk around a little bit taller this week.

Geoff Cameron, Stuart Holden, Corey Ashe and company all came through at Robertson Stadium, helping the Dynamo to their third win in five matches and a temporary stop at the top of the Western Conference standings.

The young Dynamo players started in place of some of the team's biggest names. Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad were called-up to the Canadian national team for a Saturday-night friendly against Brazil in Seattle. Eddie Robinson was suspended after he was sent off in Wednesday's 2-2 tie at FC Dallas. Team captain Wade Barrett was not available with a left adductor injury.

Holden and Cameron assisted on Brian Ching's game winner and the effort of Houston's young core of talent helped the team keep its undefeated record at home (2-0-2).

"Tonight, it was just all heart and effort," said Cameron. "I mean we just went out there and worked our butt off. We won the 50-50 balls and finished a play when we needed to."

Ching sent the Dynamo faithful into a frenzy when he cashed in the team's fourth scoring chance in an eight-minute spurt midway through the second half.

His one-timer just out of the reach of Jon Conway was all the offense Houston would need on night when the team improved to 2-0 when the starting temperature at game time was above 90 degrees.

"Stewie [Holden] made a real heads-up play to get the ball through and I think he caught their defense sleeping a little bit," Ching said. "Their back wasn't even paying attention to the ball and Geoff made a really good play too. He put a great ball across right there in the box and it was a real easy play for me to finish.

"Our mindset was to go out there and play and put them pressure on them and try to get a goal."

And they did.

Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said the second half was much better than the first, and he was pleased to see his squad rewarded for stepping things up and taking advantage of a team playing without its star player.

With Juan Pablo Angel at home sick, his crew of young players made the difference as the game wore on.

"I think our young guys really worked hard tonight and ... the average age of our midfield was something like 23. You had Corey [Ashe], Geoff [Cameron], Stuart [Holden] and then Rico [Ricardo Clark] was the elder statesmen of the group at 25.

"Just the effort we got from them tonight was great."

The Dynamo will enjoy a day off Sunday before training Monday and Tuesday. After practice Tuesday, the team will fly to the nation's capital in advance of Wednesday's game against D.C. United.

Later this week, the team will visit the White House in honor of winning the second of two titles since moving to Houston before the 2006 season.

In the meantime, it looks like a sense of normalcy will be restored as Onstad, De Rosario and Robinson will be available to play Wednesday. Barrett, who was a game-time decision Saturday, could be ready to go as well.

Ching, looking in the direction of Holden as the two prepared to leave the stadium Saturday, said the team is finally starting to play like he knew they could all along.

No matter who is in the lineup, he said, the team should be able to compete with anyone on the field. And that Saturday was a big step for a team looking to establish itself as one of the toughest to beat in MLS, especially at home.

"If you look at our first 10 games, we had seven on the road, and in this league that is very difficult to play in," Ching said. "The way we started off, I think we were a little disappointed in how we started the season. But since then, we just put our heads down and have gotten back to playing how we are capable. Now we are working as a team and battling for results. I think in the past few games, you have really seen that."


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Blanco now a fixture in Chicago

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Cuauhtemoc Blanco takes some getting used to.

You could ask Blanco's Chicago Fire teammate Justin Mapp about that.

Mapp, a sixth-year MLS veteran with the Chicago Fire, was dribbling the ball down the right side, about 35 yards out, in the Fire's first home game this season, when Blanco came alongside him and, without saying a word, took the ball off Mapp's foot and began to dribble toward the middle.

Without so much as a shrug, Mapp just went down the right side and waited to see what Blanco had in mind.

Mapp's shrug came after the game when he was asked about the moment. He said Blanco didn't let him know he was coming up from behind and said nothing about commandeering the ball.

"He usually does good things with it, so what am I going to say?" Mapp asked.

Blanco, in his second season with the Fire after playing half the year in 2007, has become a fixture with the team. He has played the full 810 minutes in the Fire's first nine games, despite being 35 years old and appearing sometimes like an old man playing a young man's game.

But there can be no arguing with the results. With Blanco patrolling the middle, the Fire have jumped out to a 6-2-1 record after just nine games and are battling for the lead in the MLS Eastern Conference. He has four goals and five assists to lead the team in both categories.

Playing with Blanco is a unique experience. He is a central midfielder who seems to graze around the field, moving in what appears to be a random manner until somehow he finds himself with the ball. At that point he becomes dangerous to the opposition and a visual magnet for his teammates, who have to keep an eye on him at all times.

"That makes it more difficult, the way he moves around," forward Chris Rolfe said. "We understand that, so we shift around and help cover so he can go wherever he wants. You have to keep an eye on where he is at all times so we can have balance on the field."

Backing Blanco up in the midfield is five-year Fire veteran Logan Pause.

"He offers something that not many people do," Pause said. "I am obviously more of a defensive holding midfielder, and I am allowed to do a lot of the dirty work, winning balls, and when I have the ball my first option is to find 'Temo.' He can make something special happen every single time he touches the ball. It is a pleasure to play with him."

Occasionally, Blanco plays the game in a straightforward manner. Other times, he likes to employ the backheel pass, or a 360 spin with the ball. He makes long, precise passes along the ground that his forward and midfielder teammates must be prepared for.

"You just keep making your run because more than likely he will see you and he will make the play if you make a good run," Rolfe said.

"His vision and ability to execute the passes is top-notch," said forward Chad Barrett, who is tied with Blanco for the team lead in goals. "I have to make my runs even if he is not looking at me because I know he knows where I am at."

Even though he is the man who must make up for Blanco's seeming meandering style of play, Pause actually enjoys describing the way Temo handles his job.

"A lot of people might think he is just waiting for someone to get him the ball, but it is much more creative than that," Pause said. "He knows he is going to get hit, and other teams are always looking out for him, and he has to find ways to get the ball. He does a good job of mixing it up.

"He and I have opposite styles of play," he said. "I am very cautious about where I am and being where he is not, and letting him dictate the play. I just try to make his life easier by minimizing the dirty running he has to do."


Fire fall into lull in defeat to Dynamo
“The most conservative system in Europe”
Wizards douse Fire, move into first
MLS Clubs Turn On Charm For McBride

Canada fights valiantly in loss to Brazil

SEATTLE -- Despite being separated by 54 places in the FIFA World Ranking, Canada twice fought back from a goal down before valiantly going down to a 3-2 defeat to Brazil in an international friendly on Saturday evening at Qwest Field.

Featuring three MLS stars in their starting lineup -- goalkeeper Pat Onstad and forward Dwayne De Rosario of the Houston Dynamo and defender Adrian Serioux of FC Dallas -- Canada, which hasn't been to a World Cup since 1986, gave the five-time world champions all they could handle.

"Any time you get an international game, you have to raise your level up," said De Rosario. "The environment demands it, your team demands it and your countrymen demand it."

The first two minutes alone were demanding and had two great chances. First, Canada's Rob Friend broke through the Brazilian defense and was wide open on goal only to be thwarted by the linesman's flag. Seconds later a beautiful diving chest pass from Robinho found Fabiano open in the area, but the Brazilian's first touch let him down.

But it was as early as the fourth minute when Brazil struck. A beautiful move from Robinho split the Canadian defense at the left of the box, and his pass found Diego, who drilled low past Onstad in the Canadian goal.

The Canadian goal came under siege with an overlapping from Maicon. The cross to the far post was nodded wide by Fabiano who really should have done better.

But Canada were not to be perturbed. Almost immediately, Julian de Guzman found Tomasz Radzinski on the left wing. He curled a 30-yard pass over the Brazilian defense to Friend who nodded over Julio Cesar to tie the game at 1-1 in the ninth minute. The main threat from Brazil continued to come down the flanks, through Maicon on the left and Gilberto on the right.

Serioux was a rock in the center of the Canadian defense, playing as a sweeper as Canada switched to a 3-4-3 when they had the ball, and closing down Fabiano and Robinho when they didn't. De Rosario played behind the towering Rob Friend, and took the role of harassing the Brazilian midfield.

Canada should have taken the lead in the 23rd when Friend found Issey Nakajima-Farran with a through ball that beat the offside trap. Nakajima-Farran had only the goalkeeper to beat, but he chipped over and wide with a miss that will likely give him nightmares for years to come.

De Rosario was involved in one of the best moves of the game in the 32nd as he jinked around the Brazilian left back to find Friend, who dropped the ball back to the wide open de Guzman. But his shot was stopped by Julio Cesar's hand.

"The 'keeper was kind of on top of it already," said a visibly disappointed De Rosario, "I tried to just get a toe and chip it or something, but unfortunately it hit his elbow. These things happen."

A few minutes before halftime, De Rosario broke through the Brazilian defense, picking up a short pass from Friend, only to be thwarted by Julio Cesar.

On the stroke of halftime Brazil broke the deadlock when a cross from Gilberto was met with a thundering header from Luis Fabiano which Onstad could only parry, and the ball spun over the line to make it 2-1.

"I was disappointed," said Onstad. "We gave the ball away, and then they had a good ball in from the right. It was point blank, off my chest. I thought I could get to the rebound but then the player [Fabiano] slid into me and I just couldn't get up and get the second ball."

In the 55th minute, de Guzman tied it at 2-2, with a goal that was worthy of Brazil's best. Friend found him with a pass from the left, before de Guzman beat two players and fired a 25-yard blast into the top left corner.

Moments later, Brazil thought they had recaptured the lead after a nice move left Fabiano open in the middle of the Canadian box. The Brazilian forward found goal but was called offside.

De Guzman turned from hero to villain for Canada in the 64th as he was caught under pressure and sent a poor back pass that Robinho picked up on. The Brazilian faked Onstad to his right with a world-class move and slid the ball past Serioux who tried to clear it off the line.

In the 79th minute De Rosario again had a golden opportunity to tie the score, as he was found open at the top of the box, only to shoot over and wide.

"I thought this was my best chance," he said, "but the surface gave way under me. The surface was very soft, it was picking up in some areas, but both teams played on it, so I'm not going to give that as an excuse."

Clearly showing signs of fatigue, he was immediately substituted for Jamie Peters.

Onstad saved Canada from having the deficit doubled in the 81st. Superstar wundkerkind Alexandre Pato of AC Milan broke through the defense, but Onstad stopped him with a low save.

Despite the defeat Canada were upbeat.

"The thing we're most afraid of," coach Dale Mitchell said, "is that after being up like this, that we aren't ready for our World Cup game [against St. Vincent and the Grenadines]."

"We performed well" said De Rosario. "We could have done better and gotten a win. The way we played was very refreshing." Added Onstad: "It was fun watching them [Brazil] play for 90 minutes. They're a very talented team, but when we got the ball and went forward, we looked dangerous. We created a lot of opportunities.

"Week in, week out I face MLS strikers, but the difference with this team was the movement. The strikers aren't that much different, but the movement [from Brazil] was phenomenal. It creates a lot of problems defensively for everyone."


Hope still alive
Zaragoza & Madrid In Four Goal Thriller
Canada tabs six from MLS for friendly
Dynamo settle for draw with Chivas

Eager K.C. eyes Open Cup berth

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The Kansas City Wizards are on a mission: a mission for points and a mission for wins. And it is with that determination that they will take the field Wednesday evening at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, Kan. for their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play-in game against the Colorado Rapids. The winner of the match will advance to the round-of-16 in the 95-year-old tournament.

In Major League Soccer play, the Wizards have not won since April 20, their only win to go with three defeats and a draw in their last five. But during their off weekend, Kansas City got back in the win column by taking the inaugural New Mexico Cup in Albuquerque, N.M., with a 2-0 win against CSD Municipal of Guatemala.

"Considering the situation that we're in in the league right now where we've dropped a few games, certainly we'd like to get back on the winning track," said midfielder Kerry Zavagnin of the Wizards' sixth-place standing in MLS's Eastern Conference. "Something as little as a win in an exhibition this weekend has done a little bit to push us in the right direction. Success tomorrow night will be important for us going forward into the league, especially into Salt Lake [City on Saturday] where we need to get points right now."

In the Municipal win, Colombian forward Ivan Trujillo scored twice on headers six minutes apart late in first half.

"We created a few more chances [than recently]. We got a few more guys into advance positions, and that helped us at the end," said Zavagnin.

Against Municipal, there was some subtle maneuvering in the Wizards midfield that worked "excellent" in its first time out, according to head coach Curt Onalfo.

"We still play a 4-4-2; we're just flatting out a little more at times to get better wide play," Onalfo said. "We haven't been happy with the wide play for a long time now. We've dominated games this year, and we haven't got enough out of it. In my mind, we're just not dangerous enough down the flanks. We're going to make sure that's a little better, and the little tweak in the formation has helped."

Davy Arnaud, Jack Jewsbury, Zavagnin, and Carlos Marinelli manned the midfield Saturday with Arnaud and Marinelli garnering the assists on Trujillo's tallies.

"Naturally [the outside midfielders] will be farther up the field. Now they're in positions more where they can be more dangerous. Once we're there, we have to make sure we do well with the ball," Onalfo said.

However, Marinelli and midfielder Sasha Victorine, are "just coming back from slight injuries" and are not likely to be in the starting XI against the Rapids, who the Wizards met April 5 in their second league match of the season. Kansas City defeated the current Western Conference leaders 3-2, with two goals from Jimmy Conrad and the winner from Scott Sealy.

The last time they played in the Open Cup proper, in 2006, the Wizards fell 2-0 to the eventual champion Chicago Fire in the fourth round after a win against a PDL side. A year ago, they were knocked out at the first play-in stage in MLS qualification. The last real success they had was in 2004, when Kansas City hoisted the Dewar Cup.

But this year's tournament could mean more than ever. The game is the first "home" match the Wizards have had in nearly two months and it represents another chance for the Wizards to get back in the win column; a chance they don't want to miss.

"Regardless of where we go or what surface we play on, we want to get points, and we want to climb our way back into a good position in the standings in the league but also have success in the Open Cup," said Zavagnin.

"The approach is to try to win," said Onalfo. "It's a business all about results, and we've played very well over the past four games and haven't gotten results. We played very well this past weekend and got a result. So we just continue to plug away knowing that we have a very hard game and we're ready for it."


Zlatan eyes English challenge
Despite bruises, Wizards set for Fire

Philly chat sessions planned

CHESTER, Pa. -- Major League Soccer Philadelphia 2010 has announced it will hold regularly scheduled Web chats with CEO Nick Sakiewicz beginning Thursday from 7-7:45 p.m. ET. The chats will take place every other Thursday and will be hosted on the Sons of Ben supporters club site at www.sonsofben.com. The chats have been timed to take place just prior to the MLS Primetime Thursday matches on ESPN2.

Fans will have an opportunity to ask pertinent questions and receive updates on the status of the expansion club as well as the 18,500-seat stadium scheduled to be built.

To participate in the live chats or to join the Sons of Ben, please visit www.mlsphilly2010.com or www.sonsofben.com.

"We really appreciate all of the input and hard work from the Sons of Ben and all of our local supporters who have helped our dream of bringing a Major League Soccer team to Philadelphia become a reality," said Sakiewicz, the CEO of Keystone Sports and Entertainment, which operates the team. "We couldn't have done this without their support, and we continue to honor and value their input and opinions. This chat is a way for us to keep the conversation going with our fans and the community."

Added Bryan James, president of the 2,000-plus group, the Sons of Ben: "Open chat sessions are great because they put a human face on the ownership group, which as many sports fans know, isn't very common. This type of interaction is unequaled in the Philadelphia sports community and is going to help connect the fans with the owners -- and will also get people involved and raise awareness of soccer in this area for all fans and curious sports enthusiasts."


DOUGHERTY MOURNING MOTHER
MLS Philly makes hires as it grows

Red-and-White settling into groove

CARSON, Calif. - Lifeless. No energy. No fight. Those were terms Chivas USA players used to describe themselves in the early part of the season. Now they have given way to more comfortable and familiar phrases.

After the Red-and-White beat Columbus 2-0 on Saturday, players suddenly have a newfound belief in themselves and each other.

"Anytime you get three results in a row, you start to believe in everything," Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan said. "We're very confident in our team right now, very confident in our coach and who he is going to put on the field. When we go out there and fight for each other, nothing bad is going to happen."

Following a 1-4-2 start in which seemingly little went right, Chivas USA pieced together a come-from-behind 3-1 victory against D.C. United. Then, the team went to Colorado and beat the Rapids 2-1. Now, the club sits on a three-game win streak and has evened its record at 4-4-2.

All it took, coach Preki said, was a little confidence and some elbow grease.

"The group works really, really hard in the training ground. The things we ask as a coaching staff, they are delivering," Preki said. "We are working really hard for each other, and when you do all those things I always say good things will happen to you."

At the start of the season, injuries hampered Chivas USA. Returning starters from last year as well as offseason acquisitions have been limited or kept off the field entirely because of injury and their collective absences took time to overcome.

Young players stepped in and other players shuffled around from their familiar spots to compensate. It has taken time for the team to find some stability -- the club had not used identical consecutive starting lineups this season before Saturday -- but now that the club has a semblance of consistency, players are exerting more effort with each passing game.

"We've put a lot into it more than anything else," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said. "We were dissatisfied early on where when we weren't putting much energy and life into the game, it was just stalled constantly. Now you are seeing guys with a little more energy, a little more life, a little more fight in them -- winning more balls, tackles, 50-50s, head balls, all that kind of stuff. It's not necessarily been the pretty soccer; it's been the scrappy plays that led to some good soccer that has allowed us to get better."

Now as Chivas USA head to New York, the club actually has an opportunity to set a team record. With a win, Chivas USA would have won four games in a row and would set a new record for consecutive victories. The Red-and-White won three consecutive games on two different occasions in the 2007 season but never before has the club won four straight games.

And though the club might not have all of the injured players back and available for selection but injuries are not slowing the club down much anymore.

"The group is working extremely hard for each other," Preki said. "The mentality of the group is incredibly good right now."


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Deportivo Make Bravo Move
Chivas come out flat, learn lesson
Deja vu in loss to Revolution

Real Salt Lake roll past San Jose

SALT LAKE CITY -- It didn't take long for Real Salt Lake to find its legs on offense once Robbie Findley entered the match.

Findley came on for starting forward Fabian Espindola in the 45th minute and immediately torched the San Jose Earthquakes -- scoring one second-half goal and setting up another to propel RSL to a 3-1 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday evening.

RSL snapped a two-game skid in MLS action with the win and avoided sinking into last place behind the Earthquakes.

Findley came in place of Espindola after he suffered a left knee sprain. He wasted no time making his presence known. He put RSL up 1-0 in the 48th minute when he beat Jason Hernandez and fired just outside the top of the box. He drilled the shot right past San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon, who was caught at the near post.

RSL took a two-goal lead in the 60th minute when Findley made a fantastic pass to Morales in the box. Morales did a quick drive and slotted it past Cannon, who slid down to stop the ball but could not get his hand on it as it scooted past into the net.

RSL's third goal came in the 73rd minute, when Nick Garcia pulled down Andy Williams in the box. Referee Jorge Gonzalez ruled for a second RSL penalty kick in the game, and booked Garcia on the play. Dema Kovalenko took the resulting kick and drilled into the far corner of the net. Cannon was nowhere near the shot and it proved to be the nail in the coffin.

Garcia's yellow card was the third in a 30-minute span for the Earthquakes, who seemed frustrated at their inability to create much of anything against RSL.

San Jose finally did get on the board in the 84th minute when John Cunliffe drilled a shot from the center of the penalty area to make it 3-1. Corrales set up the goal when he shook off Nat Borchers and backheeled the ball to Cunliffe.

Neither team could sustain much of an attack in the first half. San Jose had a pair of shots and one shot on goal. RSL had more scoring chances with four shots on goal, but still came away empty-handed.

RSL had an excellent chance to seize an early lead in the third minute as a handball infraction by Corrales set up the first penalty kick. Morales took the kick and flicked the ball toward the lower left corner, but Cannon made a diving save to prevent the goal.

Real ramped up its attack again in the 36th minute when Javier Morales used an indirect free kick to set up Kenny Deuchar in the goal area. Deuchar headed the ball off the left post and it ricocheted back to Jamison Olave. Olave tried to slingshot the ball back into the net, but Cannon came up with the big save again, clearing the ball over the end line.

Williams took a corner kick in the 43rd minute and swung it to Espindola at the far post. Espindola flicked the ball toward the net with his left foot, but Cannon punched it away before it could turn into anything damaging.

Morales tried to make something happen again in the 45th minute. He curled the ball toward the net with his right foot, but Cannon came up with another save on another catch.


Zaragoza & Madrid In Four Goal Thriller
Jose wants big club or nothing
Quakes disappointed with RSL result

Davis: Roster depth looming large

This Tom McManus fellow from Colorado has quite a blistering shot from distance. Word is surely spreading around MLS defenses that the feisty Scot can be deadly from long distance, and that he's not a bit shy about striking from well beyond the 18.

Funny thing is, we might have gone all year without knowing anything about McManus. His story is a prime example of what begins happening about this time each year around MLS.

Rosters get stretched as the schedule tightens, as injuries mount and as international call-ups strip away the top layer of talent.

That puts stress on MLS clubs, of course. On the other hand, it makes room for a fellow like McManus to exploit the opportunity. This relative unknown suddenly has three goals in four starts for the Rapids. He supplied the game-winner over the weekend as Fernando Clavijo's team leapfrogged into first place in the Western Conference muddle.

Two backup goalkeepers in that contest also got their chance in starting lineup. So did a goalkeeper in Toronto, Brian Edwards, who steadily handled all the routine matters in a nice win against Los Angeles at BMO. Toronto teammate Kevin Harmse got back into starting graces, too.

Patrick Ianni and Geoff Cameron are appearing more regularly for Houston, which is slowly rounding into form. The league champs closed out May with a 3-2-1 mark for the month, which can't be great news to the rest of the league.

Injuries at RSL have helped elevate rookie Tony Beltran (the No. 3 overall pick last January) into the starting lineup. And the promising youngster didn't look so young as he boldly attacked from the right fullback spot in his team's 3-1 weekend win at Rice-Eccles.

Still, no one is making more of his opportunity than McManus, who caught on quietly with Fernando Clavijo's bunch after a successful preseason trial.

Conor Casey, Omar Cummings and Herculez Gomez were all stacked ahead of McManus in Clavijo's pecking order of strikers to begin the year. But Casey has had a tough time getting past all the injury hurdles. And Gomez has been tethered to the trainer's table too often this year, too.

Plus, Clavijo often opted for just a single forward. So the opportunities for McManus were fairly limited earlier this year. He made a big splash a week ago by beating Brad Guzan from 35 yards.

Both goalkeepers in Sunday's national telecast were fill-ins. Colorado's Preston Burpo got his chance in Commerce City because Bouna Coundoul was called away for national team duty. He did well, too, racing off his line confidently to clear danger on several occasions. That Burpo performed admirably shouldn't be a surprise. After all, this was a fellow who once kept Guzan on the sideline during his days at Chivas USA.

Across the field, Ray Burse filled in for the injured Dario Sala. The Ohio State man had to race down to Denver from Rochester, where his loan assignment to the Portland Timbers had taken him. The hectic schedule took no apparent toll. While his positioning on one Colorado goal was probably a half-step off, he more than atoned with at least three big saves in the 2-1 loss.

If anyone is making more of his chance than McManus, it might be Chivas USA attacker Jorge Flores, who made his second start over the weekend. And how did teenage winner of the 2007 Sueno MLS competition reward Preki for the faith: with his third goal of an increasingly storybook campaign.

Of course, injuries will heal and the calls to international duty will abate, and the former headliners will probably reclaim their places. But for the backups who shine, their big efforts will hardly have been wasted.

Don't forget that Seattle joins the fold next year, and Philadelphia comes aboard as the 16th team a year after that. That will open 22 more starting spots in MLS, and the backups who excel today will certainly have a chance to fill all those new spots tomorrow.

TACTICAL CORNER

Ruud Gullit responded to the team's first test without highly influential attackers David Beckham and Landon Donovan by giving the 4-3-3 one more try. The Galaxy manager aligned Alvaro Pires at the bottom of a three-man midfield triangle, with Brandon McDonald and Joe Franchino deployed ahead of him.

Mike Randolph was assigned the "Beckham spot," more or less a right wing. Alan Gordon lined up on the left, with Edson Buddle alone up front.

But neither of the wide players looked particularly comfortable, and scoring chances were almost non-existent. So 30 minutes into the match Gullit rearranged the formation, merging his squad back into a more familiar 4-4-2 look.

The Galaxy opponent on Saturday also zigzagged formation-wise. Manager John Carver had effectively devised a 4-2-3-1 to help get Laurent Robert and Amado Guevara into comfortable roles. But with Robert suspended and Guevara away on international duty, he aligned the BMO bunch into a more conventional 4-4-2.

Houston seems more and more comfortable toggling between a 4-4-2 and a 3-5-2. The Dynamo did so successfully last November at RFK, as a tactical shift helped put them over the hump in the MLS Cup Final against New England.

So, shifting in and out of different looks is proving to be no problem in regular season matches. Last week in Dallas, Dominic Kinnear's team began with a four-man back line, then shifted to three in the back before halftime.

It paid off by game's end, as a late Houston equalizer secured a point on the road.


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Capdevila: Madrid Deserve It
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Thorrington shines as Fire rebound

Quakes disappointed with RSL result

SALT LAKE CITY -- With an opportunity to pull out of the bottom spot of the Western Conference, the San Jose Earthquakes went on the road to face a Real Salt Lake side that has been undefeated at their fortress that is Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Three goals in the second half were enough to bury the Quakes and keep them at the bottom of the table.

Despite a solid first half on the defensive end, including a penalty kick save from Joe Cannon in the third minute, RSL seemed to score at will during the second period. Two goals from the run of play and then a second RSL penalty that Cannon could not save capitalized a frustrating night for the Quakes.

San Jose head coach Frank Yallop seemed content with the effort during the opening half, except for that he felt his players didn't seem to push forward until after Salt Lake scored a couple of goals.

"We didn't really show any urgency until it went to 2-0, and then all of the sudden we started to get going," said Yallop. "Yeah, their third goal goes in, but at least we played a bit better when it was at 2-0."

The attack that was so prevalent for the Earthquakes in their previous match was noticeably missing against Salt Lake. Because of international duty and injuries, Yallop had to make adjustments to his lineup. Kei Kamara and Ivan Guerrero, who each found their way on the score sheet in the previous match, were both called up for national team duty for Sierra Leone and Honduras respectively.

Even though Yallop feels that their replacements did well, there was still something lacking when the first team isn't all together.

"It's not so much the guys coming in, but the guys you're losing," said Yallop. "Kei Kamara and Ivan Guerrero scored our two goals in our last game, and we played real well. Ronnie [O'Brien] could play also tonight. You're losing three players from the team that did well.

"The guys that came in gave everything they had, but it's just the chemistry when everything was going well, and then all of a sudden it slips away from you and you've got to play again. You get a little disjointed."

Central defender and Earthquakes captain Nick Garcia puts the loss mostly on the shoulders of himself and his teammates. It was because of his team's mistakes and lack of effort that the Quakes lost, not so much that RSL is that much better.

"We fell asleep," said Garcia of the Earthquakes' efforts. "First half we were fortunate for Joe [Cannon] to come up big on the penalty kick. The second half was just a lackluster effort, and we were punished for it. The steady, slippery slope began from that point on and we were punished.

"I don't think Salt Lake is three goals better than us."

One of the few highlights that San Jose took from their visit to Utah was the goal scored by John Cunliffe in the 84th minute. Cunliffe came in off the bench in the second half and was the recipient of a well-played backheel from Ramiro Corrales. Cunliffe then spun around his mark and buried his chance past RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

"He looked lively; got a good goal," said Yallop of Cunliffe. "He nearly got another one. That was a bright spot for us in the last 20 minutes, or so, that he got."

Coming away from their second disappointing result in Salt Lake City, their first coming a few weeks before in a 4-0 loss to RSL in U.S. Open Cup play, the Earthquakes know they will be returning to the Wasatch mountains in a few short weeks.

In order to get results in this expansion season for San Jose, Garcia feels the Quakes are the ones who need to take the game to other teams right from the opening whistle.

"We've got to get it going from the beginning," said Garcia. "It can't be one of those things were they score a goal or two and then we get going. We've had a little bit of a roller coaster ride here this season, with some wins and some ties and some losses, and for us we got to get the ship on course.

"We're almost a third of the way through the season ... we've got to get some results. Whether it's home or away, we've got to start to win. Losing is never fun, and we've got to get that bitter taste out of our mouth and make the most of it."


Jiménez Pleased With Victory
GARCIA ROCKETS INTO RYDER CONTENTION
Yallop encouraged despite struggles

Disastrous stretch dooms Crew

CARSON, Calif. -- In the 20th minute of their match against Chivas USA, the Columbus Crew fell behind 1-0.

In the 21st minute Chivas USA added a second goal.

In the 22nd minute defender Danny O'Rourke was ejected and the Crew were reduced to 10 players for the rest of the match, which they went on to lose 2-0 at The Home Depot Center on Saturday night.

The match, though, was all but lost before any of that happened.

"We weren't keeping the ball the first 20 minutes of the game and that's what killed us," said Crew defender Ezra Hendrickson.

Added Crew coach Sigi Schmid: "We played a man down basically from the moment we got off the bus."

For the third consecutive match, the Crew were unable to find the back of the net. Guillermo Barros Schelotto made little impact in the first half and was substituted for to start the second half, and Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan stopped the Crew's two best chances -- shots by Brad Evans and Adam Moffat -- with superb saves.

Chivas USA struck first midway through the first half when Jorge Flores volleyed a ball past Will Hesmer from inside the penalty area. On the play, though, it appeared that Chivas USA's Atiba Harris pushed O'Rourke, creating the space that led to the goal.

"I don't know if it was a push by Harris on O'Rourke but I think he clears the ball if he doesn't get pushed," said Schmid. "But that's the way the game goes."

A minute later, Marsch put Chivas ahead by two goals.

Then, before the Crew were able to regroup after the goals, they were left shorthanded after O'Rourke made a high-footed tackle on Harris and was given a red card. The challenge left Harris with a deep laceration on his knee that required four stitches at halftime.

After going down a player, though, the Crew continued to fight.

"Playing a man down I thought we got some things," said Schmid. "Guzan had to come up with a big save and overall I wasn't disappointed with how we played."

Columbus forward Alejandro Moreno also felt the Crew battled after their early struggles.

"I think we got more of the ball with 10 men than we did with 11 men," he said. "We had confidence in the second half and we put the work in but it didn't pan out for us."

After an impressive start to the season in which the Crew won six of their first seven matches, the Crew now find themselves winless in their last three and looking to regain their early season form.

"We want to get back to our winning ways," said Hendrickson. "We're not going to hang our heads. It's been a difficult last few games but we're still very confident. You're going to have success and failures and the key is to bounce back from games like this."

In order to regain that form, though, the Crew will need to find their finishing touch next week against San Jose.

"Goals come and go but as long as we stick to what we know we're successful at and we continue to be organized we'll be able to put the ball in the back of the net," said Moreno. "We'll look to do that against San Jose next week."


Russ doubtful for final stretch
Subs secure victory
Red-hot Chivas knock out Crew

Red-hot Chivas knock out Crew

CARSON, Calif. -- Jorge Flores and Jesse Marsch each scored for the third consecutive match as Chivas USA beat the Columbus Crew 2-0 at The Home Depot Center on Saturday.

With the result, the Red-and-White moved into a tie atop the Western Conference with Houston and Los Angeles as all three sides have 14 points. It was the third consecutive victory for Chivas, while the Crew are now winless -- and goalless -- since running off five consecutive victories.

Flores continued his remarkable storybook run with his first-half tally. The 2007 Sueno MLS winner made his second consecutive start on the left flank and rewarded coach Preki's decision by knocking in his third goal of the season. Marsch, meanwhile, kept pace with the teenager by scoring his fourth goal of the season.

Both goals came within a minute of each other, just before the Crew were left a man down for the rest of the match after defender Danny O'Rourke was sent off.

Chivas USA, meanwhile, might have finally found a bit of consistency. The club used the same starting lineup in consecutive games for the first time all season. While injured players such as Claudio Suarez and Shavar Thomas dressed, neither player started the match. Also on the bench to start the game was Ante Razov. Other injured players, though, did not dress, such as Jonathan Bornstein, Lawson Vaughn and Raphael Wicky.

Chivas USA's first scoring opportunity came from an unexpected source. In the 12th minute, Jim Curtin rose for a header on a corner kick but placed his shot just high of the crossbar.

The hosts finally broke through in the 20th minute. Marsch started the play deep in his own end, as he slipped a ball to Carey Talley on the right flank. Talley carried the ball down the right side and sent a cross into the penalty area towards Atiba Harris. With Danny O'Rourke marking him, Harris could not get to the ball but O'Rourke's failed clearance attempt fell to Flores, who slammed a left-footed volley into the back of the net.

The celebration had barely died down when Chivas USA struck again. Justin Braun won a ball on the right side against Columbus defender Chad Marshall. Braun ran toward the penalty area and found Marsch in the middle of a crowd. Marsch settled the ball and knocked a vicious 12-yard shot into the back of the net.

Luck smiled again on the hosts, unfortunately at Harris' expense. O'Rourke, who had argued that Harris had fouled him on Flores' goal, had a studs-up slide tackle on his Chivas USA counterpart. O'Rourke was immediately sent off by referee Fernando Galvan and Columbus was down to 10 men 22 minutes into the match.

Harris suffered a laceration on his right leg but it did not faze him as he continued in the match.

Brad Guzan, who played 45 minutes for the U.S. national team in Wednesday's 2-0 loss to England in London, came up with a splendid save in the 36th minute. Brad Evans lined up a 20-yard blast but Guzan was up to the task and parried Evans' rocket away.

Thomas replaced Burling in central defense in the 61st minute as Preki went to the bench for the first time.

Guzan again had a fantastic save in the 66th minute. Crew midfielder Adam Moffat snapped a shot on goal from short range but Guzan reacted quickly and stopped the ball on the goal line.

Razov replaced Braun up top in the 68th minute. The MLS original nearly bagged a goal a few minutes later but slipped a shot on an empty net just wide.

Columbus tried to send numbers forward throughout the second half but steady defending and an 11-on-10 advantage kept Chivas USA from allowing a goal. Columbus had a few chances, with Moffat's point-blank shot the best of the lot, but Chivas USA did more than enough to pick up their second shutout of the season.


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