Jason Kreis and RSL are the most frustrating duo in MLS. Former listeners to the American Soccer Show on CSRN will know that I have a soft spot for the club, not because of any geographic tie, but because of the presence of former Miami Fusion players up and down the organization, starting with GM Garth Lagerway.

Much like last year RSL had a loaded squad with arguably more depth than any other in MLS. Yet, in both seasons the club needed last day heroics to qualify for the MLS postseason.

I have mentioned before, that I believe Jason Kreis is still learning how to manage a team. That having been said, at least he is improving as a manager the hard way: a true baptism by fire.

Salt Lake has once again shocked a top seed in the playoffs with a squad that on paper is probably better than the two more successful teams they have eliminated. Last season, Chivas USA was injury plagued and had quite frankly played over its head all season when they met RSL in the playoffs. The same could be theorized for Columbus this year.

I do not want to get into too much psycho babble about RSL, even though, I do have some strong thoughts on the side. I’d like to hear from our readers. Why the Utah based club is so much stronger in the one or two off format of the playoffs rather than the Regular Season? Why is a team that is so deep and has quality all around the pitch so suspect for large portions of the Regular Season ever year?

OTHER QUICK THOUGHTS

• Thanks to Bobby Brandon for his outstanding post yesterday on USL and its expansion plans. One quick note: I have been told the clubs are not necessarily moving in for 2010 but 2011 isn’t to be announced either. USL made a mistake this past season by rushing a very successful USL-2 team, Cleveland City up to USL-1 and helping to damage the organization. Edmonton is an expansion city, but the other three cities will be taking existing lower tier USL teams and moving to the first division. This is a potentially dangerous move for each organization that must be planned carefully. Austin made a similar move this past year, but had been planning it for over a year and of course has the financial and technical backing of EPL side, Stoke City in a relationship that remains unique to the game in this country. (Please don’t say Chivas USA or Crystal Palace. I’m referring to Major European first division clubs)
• I got a tip from a local source that Alejandro Bedoya is a possible call up for the US National Team’s friendlies in Europe this month. Bedoya is from my area- actually his youth club, Weston Fury is the second closest “major” youth club to my home. (The closest is where Jozy Altidore played, ironically enough: BTW the Weston fury have joined the USSF Development Academy structure this year) He’s currently playing for Orbero in Swedish League. For more on the midfielder, please check out my piece from a few months back here.

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As I mentioned on Monday with the release of our latest podcast, we are making some exciting changes at MLS Talk. One of these changes will be our new “Legends of MLS” series on both our podcast and website. Often times, MLS History is unknown or hardly written for the new fan. We seek to bridge a gap in understanding and recognition of certain players, coaches and clubs.

We also will, very soon have another show on the American Soccer League , as a follow up to our podcast with Colin Jose from a few months ago. Our resident ASL historian Brian Zygo will be one of the participants. With the proud name of the Tampa Bay Rowdies returning to action in USL-1 next season, we’ll be doing a retorspective on the New York Cosmos biggest rival.

Again, for those who want regular weekly analysis of MLS and US Soccer, Match Fit USA, the Football Pub and other good podcasts exist. ESPN Soccernet has begun a US Soccer show as well, although I personally don’t listen to it very often.

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The second round of the MLS Cup Playoffs has the two higher seeds in each conference hosting their opponents from last week’s match-ups. In the four matches from last week, the home teams either tied or won leaving the seeded favorites with work to do if they hope to advance to the conference finals. The path seems more difficult in the Eastern Conference, where the Columbus Crew and the Chicago Fire each trail in their aggregate-goal series by a one-goal deficit. Starting tonight at Crew Stadium and ending Saturday in Bridgeview, Illinois, the pressure is on for the two best teams in the east.

In the Western Conference, the higher seeds faired much better in their first matches. Both the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy earned hard-fought draws against their respective opponents the Seattle Sounders FC and Chivas USA. The schedule makers treat us to a doubleheader on Sunday, with Robertson Stadium doing their best Qwest Field impersonation — but splashed in orange — for the second seeded Dynamo, and the Home Depot Center hosting the two Los Angeles clubs. Because of the drawn first games, these return leg contests are winner-take-all.

On the surface, it is fair to say that the playoff results have been as expected. Predictably defensively minded match-ups in the Western Conference were borne out in Seattle and Los Angeles. The scoreless draw at Qwest Field seems to favor Houston going into their game this Sunday, but they will need to keep in mind that last year saw them in the same situation, and they went on to lose 3-0 to the New York Red Bulls. No one in Dynamo Orange wants to repeat their home collapse of 2008; the team will not take this year’s opponent as lightly. Back at the HDC, host Chivas USA and the Galaxy did eventually draw 2-2, but not because of good attacking soccer, rather as a result of poor defending. Take away the brutal displays at both ends of the field and that match was evenly played throughout. The total defensive calamity should not be repeated the second time around as the Galaxy assumes the title as “home team.”

The Eastern Conference week one results were equally predictable. Neither host dominated play, but did enough to finish with one-goal advantages heading into their return leg matches. Real Salt Lake preserved a 1-0 victory over the scoring-challenged Crew — no goals in nearly four straight games — in a rather pedestrian affair. Columbus returns home with a line-up that should include reigning league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and playmaker Alejandro Moreno, both missing from the first game, making the prospects for the Crew that much more promising. The Chicago Fire returns home after having surrendered a one-goal lead to the New England Revolution in a 2-1 loss at Gillette Stadium. They will need to halt the momentum of the Revs with a win at Toyota Park to keep their season alive.

Will all four higher seeds advance to the MLS Cup playoff semi-finals this week? Based on the results of the last week, the answer appears to be an unequivocal “yes.” However, history tells us otherwise, as a dramatic number of higher seeded teams have lost to their lower ranked opponents in these aggregate-goal home-and-home playoff series since they were instituted by MLS in 2003. Out of the 24 series in the past six years, the higher seed has advanced in just 15 — a winning percentage of 63%. The prospects for the higher seeds get even worse when looking at the specific circumstances the four teams are in this year. 7 out of 12 times (58%) the higher team survived after losing the first leg of the series, and 4 out of 7 times (57%) the higher team advanced after a first match draw. If the past is a good predictor of the future, that unequivocal “yes” becomes an obvious “no.” Only in that first year (2003) did all four higher seeds manage to make it to their conference finals, and as many as three higher seeds have been eliminated (2005) after the first round.

So, there has to be an upset this year, right? As we’ve discussed, history tells us this is most likely. The playoff adage that “anything can happen” should be better phrased as “something will happen.” I would argue that the playoff seedings are essentially meaningless given that the higher seed does not really gain an advantage in the current playoff structure. Sure, they get to host the second game of the series in front of their home fans, which could include any necessary extra-time and penalty kick shootouts, but that doesn’t significantly outweigh the fact that they still play at the lower seed in game one. In fact, because team parity is the rule in MLS, it should come as no surprise that the higher seed has survived only 63% of the time since 2003.

Given that the higher seeds in the Eastern Conference have the more difficult path to the semi-finals due to their one-goal deficits, the most likely team to suffer at the hands of a lower seed is the Chicago Fire. For this, look no further than their home record over the 2009 regular season. The Fire weren’t much more than an average team at Toyota Park, gaining only 5 wins out of 15 home matches. Needing a win on Saturday to keep their season alive, the Fire will need to buck that regular season trend. Also not in favor of the Fire is their scoring output at home, just 16 goals (and 17 goals allowed) in 2009. The statistics suggest a New England result in this match-up, and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

While I still expect the other higher seeds to advance, including my overall pick for the MLS Cup — the Houston Dynamo — the Fire look to be the odd team out this postseason. Sorry Chicago, better luck in 2010.

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I guess some would look at this as a continuation of the war of press releases between the United Soccer Leagues and the Team Owners Association, but nonetheless it’s still news.

According to the press release the USL First Division will move forward next year without the member clubs of the TOA, though Tampa seems to be on-board with the USL despite flirting with TOA over the last few months. The one thing that sticks out to me is the inclusion of Edmonton. Some of you may remember when the Aviators played in the old A-League, the ownership had — whimsically — expected crowds in excess of 10,000 but ended up getting crowds of around 2,500. A lot of that had to do with the venue, the cavernous Commonwealth Stadium, which was only available to the club on three weekends because the CFL’s Eskimos — rightfully — had priority scheduling. Eventually the owners simply walked away from the thing and dropped it in the USL’s lap, the USL ended up running it on a shoestring budget — even by their standards — as the renamed “Edmonton FC” as the owner’s took the name with the — good luck having any success with it in the future — and played out the season at a much smaller stadium in Edmonton, where attendance actually managed to improve. Though some polka dance-offs in Medicine Hat probably outdrew the Aviators in truth.

This isn’t a slight at Edmonton, it’s actually a decent soccer city, but following a failure that spectacular it gives you the impression that the USL was pretty hard-pressed to replace Vancouver as a presence in Western Canada.

Earlier we reported on the expansion to Ottawa. It’s really hard to see anything wrong with expansion to Ottawa, it’s a good location for the USL and even though some fans in the Canadian capital had designs on Major League Soccer, that’s not going to happen. They could end up having a good rivalry with Rochester, and the USL is going to miss the passion that the Rochester-Montreal rivalry brought to the league.

One can only assume that Baltimore is represented by Crystal Palace USA, there has been a lot of talk about them getting a stadium in Baltimore finally after playing in the County and out at Navy for a few years. They’re  a strong team, and Baltimore is a good soccer city which would benefit the USL in many ways.

This is the first I’ve heard of a team in Detroit unless it’s the Michigan Bucks, a long-time citidel of the PDL. It’s an interesting move, and again could form a rivalry with Ottawa.

I do see this as good news for soccer in North America. The bickering between the USL and TOA has really left me a bit disillusioned with the lower league game here, but more opportunities for young players to get competitive matches is a good thing, particularly for Canada where professional opportunities are very much at a premium. That said, the USL isn’t much better than the K3 as-far-as expansion goes, so we’ll just have to wait and see. If the bickering continues, we’re certainly in for an eventful winter.

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The city of Baltimore in the state of Maryland; has everything you want in a fabulous downtown area. The seafood in the marina, historic buildings and museums, the Aquarium and of course their great history in their professional sports teams like the Oriorles of Major League Baseball & currently the Ravens of the National Football League. Baltimore also hosts some good amateur soccer clubs that are tough in the MSSA (Maryland State Soccer Association) in the US Adult Soccer Association.

But when I woke up this morning on Wednesday, November 4th to take a look at the internet on football stories, this came across my monitor and I was very shocked to read this. As we all know one of the key topics that I have stressed to keep MLS & USL alive is all the clubs build their own stadiums and stop paying rent for facilities that they don’t own. 

We are aware of DC United wanting to get out of RFK Stadium as it is ready to fall on its own & in recent past the city of  Baltimore outstretched their arms to bring DC United to their great city. But now an article comes out by Lorraine Mirabella from the Baltimore Sun that has Crystal Palace’s USA side in the USL-2nd Division wanting their own stadium to be built as well as construction for a DC United stadium. This is fantastic news to hear that a study which will cost $125,000 & the city will pay 40% of it, will be researched and discussed to have two clubs play in the same city with their own houses.

The Maryland Stadium Authority will study a 7,000 seat stadium (15 Acers) for Crystal Palace Baltimore in the Carroll Camden Industrial Park area while DC United’s stadium that will be bigger capacity wise will be studied in the Westport Waterfront section between 17,000 to 20,000 seats. Sheila Dixon who is the Mayor of Baltimore asked the office of the Stadium Authority to study the projects for two sepeaate stadiums for the lower division side and the historic top flight club that wants to leave RFK Stadium right away. The idea for this study is to see if these projects can be built and financed to be self supporting for economic development.

As we all know there has always been a political blockade to construct stadiums for the game here in this country. Many times I have documented on the problems here in the state of New Jersey that it was a pain to have any form of red tape block the construction of this stadium for the Metro till Red Bull came. Or how about Prince George’s County in Maryland that had all the pomp & circumstance with DC United to construct a stadium, till they chickened out and refused to create a study for it.

This is fantastic news to hear coming from Baltimore that not only one stadium is on the discussion table but two for the possibility of growing the game the proper way in the United States. While I’m assuming the athletic field at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) was a nice place to be, seeing the pictures of the grounds is not a proper stadium for any club in the professional leagues of football here in this country. I hope that both clubs will get their wishes granted and we who support the game in this country will feel better towards this positive progress.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.stadium04nov04,0,2082267.story

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Houston and Seattle have struck up a nice little rivalry in the Sounders first season in MLS. It’s not surprising given the Sounders fans propensity to create a rivalry with just about every opposing side when they were in USL. Now the Sounders have created rivalry tinged with a certain degree of envy among other club supporters since joining MLS. Seattle rightfully has made the rest of the league jealous.

Seattle vs Houston is a natural rivalry. Both are great American cities, but they represent different faces of America. Seattle is new wave, grunge music, Starbucks, Microsoft and Boeing.

Houston is big business, the energy industry, and a city with a remarkable amount of ethnic diversity. Both cities are windows into the future of America, but they represent different visions, socially and culturally.

These differences create unmistakable pressure points. From an economic standpoint, Seattle is not a major hub, while Houston is one of the most important cities in North America. Seattle does however provide inspiration to a generation of Americans whose world is outward looking and whose daily lives are shaped by airplanes, computers and coffee.

Given Houston’s global position, It is little wonder why George Bush Intercontinental Airport has direct flights to places as far flung as Doha, and Guayaquil. It is perhaps the fifth most significant international airport in the nation behind New York (JFK), Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago (O’Hare). (The four listed airports are the acknowledged “big four” international airports in the US, although, recently I have heard of a big three with O’Hare being dropped.)

Houston is a worldly city, though many of the types of people that indentify with Seattle spiritually would claim otherwise. Conversely, Seattle’s entrenched affection for anything built by Boeing, makes the city perhaps the greatest engine on the war machine many American progressives decry.

But Boeing is more than fighter jets. So many of the commercial airplanes that service all the international airports listed and so many airports across the globe were manufactured near Seattle in Everett, Washington.

It’s often been said that Texas could exist without the United States, but the US would not be the same without Texas. Houston is living proof of this adage. Without Houston and the leadership the city has provided, the US could very well be a less prosperous and less diverse place.

From a football perspective, Seattle is European, both in inspiration and in fan behavior. That’s why the Sounders have captured the imagination of so many neutrals whose previous exposure to football was British or European. It’s no coincidence in the NASL days that the Sounders attracted more English players than any other US based side, and while in USL, the Seattle-Portland matchup resembled an English derby.

Houston, on the other hand is one of the few MLS or USL cities where every ethnic group imaginable has been attracted to the ground, without segregating themselves. The Dynamo’s model of attracting support from the broad based ethnic makeup of the region should be the model for US Soccer.

You are much more likely to see the colors of the rainbow wearing Dynamo Orange at Robertson Stadium, than you are likely to see the same cornucopia of people represented wearing US kits when the USMNT plays. Houston has shown supporters the way to build a supporters base throughout the community.

The diversity of Houston’s fan base gives us hope for the future in the United States. This future would see people of all ethnic and immigrant roots embracing local clubs and community. In fact, the Dynamo has demonstrated that football can be a vehicle for integration of disparate immigrant groups.

At the same time, Seattle provides American supporters with a blueprint of how to create a real supporter’s culture that appeals to masses of fans who aren’t necessarily wedded to this sport. Both Houston and Seattle are very different, but can learn from one another, and both can teach the rest of us a lesson or two.

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We’ll have live commentary of the US-Italy U-17 World Cup knock out stage match beginning at 10 am ET/7 am PT.

SECOND HALF

US with a great chance that goes off the crossbar early in the 2nd half!

GOAL! USA Palodichuk comes free on a corner, and Danny Gil finds him in the air and he heads it in at the back post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The US is really flying forward now creating a few chances since the goal.

Just as I say that, the US concedes the midfield on a counter attack and Italy scores. The US was caught there chasing back and the Italian player beat Edwards with a laser shot from outside the area.

The Italians come close on a corner, and now it seems like the US has been totally deflated by that second goal.

The US has created a very good scoring chance off a free kick.

Sarle has replaced Stefan Jerome who was largely ineffective today.

Danny Gil just misses the target after some outstanding build up play in minute 86

The US draws a corner in minute 89. Not many chances left, have to take advantage of this.

Zavaletta sent off in stoppage time, and the US are disappointingly eliminated from the U-17 World Cup.

FIRST HALF AFTER THE JUMP

The US is off to a rocky start. Poor possession play and bad giveaways have been hallmarks of the first half, in which Italy has taken a 1-0 lead. The game is on Galavision but the network is shifting between Argentina-Colombia and USA-Italy, so we are missing several key moments of the match.

The US had a penalty kick saved around the 19th minute after a hand ball in the box by the Italians. Georgian Jack McInerney who has been a bright spot for the US had his pk attempt saved by the Italian keeper.

The US also dodged a bullet when an Italian goal was ruled off-sides, even though replay indicates the player, Berreta, who scored the earlier goal was actually in an onside position.

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Former DC United Coach Tom Soehn

Earlier this morning came the news that DC United coach Tom Soehn would not seek to extend his current contract with the team. Set to expire at the end of this year, Soehn will instead leave the club he has been a part of for the past six seasons – three years as an assistant and three as the head coach. In all competitions in his three years in charge, Soehn compiled a W-L-T record of 55-48-31. Major accomplishments include the Supporters Shield in 2007 and the US Open Cup in 2008.

Contrary to what some are writing, Tom Soehn was not fired by the club. Instead, he will not seek to stay beyond his current contact. After the final game of the season, DC United President and CEO Kevin Payne indicated that any offer to Soehn to return in 2010 as coach would be evaluated over the following month. Without the assurances from management that he would get a contract extension, Soehn appears to have taken the first step toward other opportunities. With the announcement of his leaving, Payne wished Soehn all the best in his future endeavors.

Tom Soehn took a great deal of criticism from the media and supporters of DC United over the past year. The Red and Black’s failure to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs was the latest example of the club underachieving in 2009. Soccer expectations are always high in our nation’s capital, where reaching the finals of the US Open Cup and coming a goal away from qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League knockout round were not considered enough. Soehn was roundly condemned for his line-up and substitution decisions over the course of 2009, despite dealing with an aging roster, numerous injuries, and a brutal schedule (by MLS standards) of 42 games. His tactics were rightfully criticized, but his dedication to the club cannot be ignored.

As announced by DC United, General Manager Dave Kasper begins the search for a new head coach today – maybe Richie Williams should keep his phone handy – in preparation for the 2010 season. As for Kasper’s thoughts on Tom Soehn, “He is a bright young coach who has a big career ahead of him. I wish him continued success with his next coaching position and his family the best of luck always.” Good luck, indeed.

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For those of us that follow a major European team, there is a weekly pattern that develops over the season.  After the weekend game, many fans like myself spend a couple of days absorbing commentary about the game.  Youtube is scoured for clips and the blogs are mined for insights.  If your team happens to have won, the triumph is celebrated.  The coach’s decisions are lauded and your man-of-the-match is hailed as a legend.  A draw or loss unleashes a torrent of what-could-have-beens and there is always one player who failed to convert a chance or had a defensive lapse that is labeled as completely useless forever.

After a couple of days of looking backwards, the eyes move forward and the upcoming game becomes all consuming.  Injury lists, manager’s comments and possible line-ups are devoured.  On the day of the game the anticipation begins the moment we wake up.  The game itself is a series of life or-death moments, and then the entire cycle repeats itself.

This pattern repeats itself all season for one over-riding reason – every game matters.  From winning the Championship to avoiding relegation, every game is impactful.  We may be six months from the end of the European season, but nobody looks farther than this weekend’s game because they all matter so much.

The same cannot be said of the MLS.  As much as I enjoy having a US league, random games over the summer come and go like the waves on a beach.  Half the teams are going to make playoffs anyway, so the pressure is modest and the pain of losing and the joy of winning are mitigated.  Do-or-die games rarely occur during the regular season until the last couple of weeks.  For the  teams that qualify for the playoffs with a month to go, they can go through the entire season without ever having a game that truly, deeply mattered.

So, when we finally get to the playoffs, and the results are vital, players walk out onto the field looking nervy, tentative and flat.  They are so unused to meaningful games that they look like completely different, and in many cases poorer, teams. 

Among the lowlights from this weekend –

Seattle’s and Houston’s finishing completely deserted them.  There were plenty of chances on both sides, but the scoreless draw resulted from a combination of club-footed finishing and an atmosphere where physical play replaced a level of skill that seems to have deserted most players.

Real Salt Lake, one of the few teams that had a series of do-or-die games over the past month, beat defending champions Columbus, who have not played a meaningful game since the last MLS Cup.  RSL looked sharper and fitter, and hung in all game until they took their best chance in the 88^th minute against a flat-footed Crew.

Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy, two very defensively minded teams , conspired to let in two goals each because silly defensive errors.  The most comical goal of the weekend occurred when the usually dependable Omar Gonzalez, playing in his first playoff game, passed the ball back to nobody in particular, and playoff debutante Sean Franklin stood there while Maykel Galindo raced onto the ball and slotted it home. 

The only game that resembled a well-played affair was the New England – Chicago game and it is not a surprise.  These are two veteran teams that have made meeting in the playoffs an annual ritual over the past few years.  These two teams have had several must-win situations over the past month and have enough play-off experience so that they were able to muster something closer to their “A” games.

Hopefully next weekend the play-off butterflies will be better contained and we can see a few more impressive games.  However, under its current scheme, most MLS teams will always meander into the post-season unused to pressure, and will start their play-off run learning how to play important games all over again.

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The Barclays Premier League may be the most popular sports league in the world, but it is not the most popular football league in the United States. That distinction would fall to the Mexican League. But now, we have empirical data that the EPL is trailing our own top flight domestic league, Major League Soccer in interest, awareness and support.

MLS has seen a 15% increase in viewership on ESPN2 this season and a 60% increase in viewership on Fox Soccer Channel. ESPN2’s viewership for MLS matches is significantly higher than the networks viewership thus far for Premier League or La Liga matches, despite the fact that, MLS game times on the network shift from week to week while EPL and La Liga matches are always at the same time. Additionally, ESPN Deportes ratings are way up as well.

Matches involving David Beckham averaged over 400,000 viewers on the network. Seattle’s admission to the league also helped the surge in interest with the Sounders match against DC United in May being watched by 550,000 viewers, a season high.

Matches on Univision owned Telefutura have dropped slightly, but still draw more average eyeballs than the EPL or La Liga telecasts on ESPN. Telefutura’s MLS telecasts due have a set start time every Sunday and do admittedly lag far behind the network’s FMF matches in the ratings.

While MLS TV ratings are lower than they were in 1997, they are now higher than they were in 2002 or 2007, so the positive movement is encouraging. The viewers lost between 1997 and 2002 may have been due to a few factors including the contraction of the league’s Florida franchises as well as the growth in the availability of foreign football on television.

MLS not only leads the EPL in TV viewership, but this year recorded a better average attendance than football leagues in Spain and Italy. With Philadelphia, the nation’s 5^th largest TV market joining MLS next season, it is hard to imagine this upward trend in both attendance and TV viewership not accelerating.

Twenty years from now, the world of football is more likely to resemble the fiscally disciplined approach of Major League Soccer and less likely to reflect the current order of things. In this global recessionary time, MLS has led the way to stabilizing the sport with a salary cap, squad limits and slow growth, while many top leagues in Europe (France and Germany are exceptions) are spending their way into oblivion.

American viewers have clearly voted that they would rather see a fiscally restrained competitive product, than star laden but predictable one. Now, the big question is whether the outside world of football will see the impact Don Garber and MLS has made, and adopt some changes that reflect our times.

MLS itself has to make some changes to its business model to continue to have its competitive edge, but for skeptic of MLS’ business and leadership like myself, these numbers speak volumes. Don Garber knew what he was doing all along.

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