When Vancouver Whitecaps FC acquired Sebastien Le Toux for allocation money this morning, a lot of eyebrows were raised in MLS circles in the United States and Canada. Despite finishing last in goals in 2011 with just 35, the Whitecaps already have two double-digit goal-scorers on their roster in Camilo (12 goals) and Eric Hassli (10). They also spent their last two first-round draft picks on forwards: Omar Salgado (no. 1 overall) and Darren Mattocks (no. 2). Their roster is rounded out with passable reserve forwards Atiba Harris and Long Tan.

I understand that the 4-3-3 is becoming popular in MLS, but will a front line of Camilo, Hassli and Le Toux be enough to make up for a defense that finished third-to-last in goals allowed with 55? Vancouver is starting to remind me of another certain Canadian team when it comes to their team building. Though they are trying to right the ship by signing veteran defenders, their approach doesn’t really make sense when their two marquee signings – Jay DeMerit and Lee Young-Pyo – are both on the wrong side of 30. Vancouver may have a decent team, but they are following in the footsteps of Toronto FC.

Toronto FC is in its sixth year in the league, and management still hasn’t figured out how MLS works. The way to win in MLS hasn’t changed in the entirety of the league. Bruce Arena won MLS titles in 1996, 1997 and 2011 using the same strategy. Each Arena team has had a big, strong, athletic center back capable of scoring goals (Eddie Pope and Omar Gonzalez). His teams also featured good attacking outside backs (Jeff Agoos, Todd Dunivant and Sean Franklin), good role players (David Vaudreuil, Shawn Medved, A.J. DeLaGarza and Chad Barrett) and dynamic attackers (Jaime Moreno, Marco Etcheverry, Raul Diaz Arce, David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane).

With a frontline of Ryan Johnson, Danny Kouvermans and Joao Plata, TFC seems to have gotten the dynamic attack down. Their midfield seems to be locked down with Torsten Frings, Julian de Guzman and Terry Dunfield, but apparently, they still haven’t figured out how to sign a quality defender.

Last year, their best defender was Adrian Cann. Cann went down mid-season with an injury. So what did TFC do? They traded their second best defender, Nana Attakora, for Ryan Johnson and an international player slot. The deal also sent away solid role-players in Alan Gordan and Jacob Peterson. This goes in line with a number of dubious moves that TFC has made over the years that includes, but isn’t limited to:

April 19, 2007: TFC trades Conor Casey to the Colorado Rapids for Riley O’Neill and an undisclosed amount of allocations. Casey goes on to score 48 goals in 101 games for the Rapids. O’Neill never plays for Toronto FC.

June 13, 2007: TFC trades Edson Buddle for Tyrone Marshall. In 87 appearances with the Galaxy, Buddle scores 42 goals. Tyrone Marshall, who was already 34, makes just 40 appearances for TFC.

August 16, 2008: TFC sells Maurice Edu to Glasgow Rangers for ₤2.6 million. Edu had absolutely no leverage because he was only in the second year of his four year deal. As far as I can tell, this money was mostly used to pay for Julian De Guzman. If you’re keeping track, that’s not an upgrade at the center midfield position at about 15-20 times the amount of money.

March 25, 2010: TFC trades Marvell Wynne, their best defender, to the Colorado Rapids for Nick LaBrocca and a third-round pick. Wynne converts to a central defender and wins MLS Cup with the Rapids. LaBrocca lasts one season as a solid role player before being traded to Chivas USA for Alan Gordan. LaBrocca has a career year with eight goals in 2011. Alan Gordan gets traded away after four goals in eight appearances. The draft pick is used on Joao Plata (their only solid move so far).

April 1, 2011: TFC trades their all-time leading goalscorer, Dwayne De Rosario for Tony Tchani, Danleigh Borman and a 2012 first-round draft pick which is used on defender Aaron Maund. Tony Tchani makes 13 appearances for TFC including a notable outing where he scored a goal and then received a second yellow card for celebrating in the stands. Tchani was then traded to the Columbus Crew for Andy Iro and Leandre Griffit. Iro is so bad that at the Crew; Julius James started over him. James was also traded away from Toronto FC. After the season TFC, didn’t resign Borman and waived Griffit. So, for those who kept track, they turned Dwayne De Rosario into Andy Iro who was also subsequently waived.

I could probably go on in on about these moves, but instead I will just put out a lineup of traded and/or sold TFC players:

Conor Casey     Edson Buddle

Dwayne De Rosario

Nick LaBrocca     Ronnie O’Brien

Maurice Edu

Todd Dunivant     Tyrone Marshall     Nana Attakora     Marvell Wynne

Greg Sutton

Bench:

Jeff Cunningham

Carlos Ruiz

Pat Phelan

Chad Barrett

Jacob Peterson

Julius James

Hunter Freeman

I’ve gotten this far and I haven’t even mentioned TFC’s failure to sign solid defenders. This year, unless they sign someone else, their starting backline projects to be: Jeremy Hall, Adrian Cann, Ty Harden and Richard Eckersley. This is pretty much the same defense that allowed a league-worst 59 goals last season. Sporting KC probably pays their decent backline (40 goals allowed) of Seth Sinovic, Matt Besler, Aurelien Collin and Chance Myers less than TFC’s overrated poor excuse for a defense. Other than Myers, none of those players was highly rated when they were signed.

No matter how many goals TFC scores (which was actually second-to-last in 2011 with 36) they won’t make up for how terrible their defense is. Stephan Frei can only stand on his head so many times each game. You have to feel for the passionate TFC fans as they are watching their neighbor Montreal build from the back rather than throw all their money at the attack. I don’t think anyone will be surprised if Montreal finishes as the best Canadian team in 2012. Sorry, TFC: You may be able to sell tickets (46,000+ for the CONCACAF Champions League game vs. LA already), but there is no chance that Adrian Cann is going to stand a chance when he has David Beckham dishing passes to Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and now possibly Edson Buddle come March. Have fun watching another playoff-less year.

A look at a few trending topics in the NBA community as the lockout season continues through winter:

“Good Lo’dy wo’dy / I just took more shots than Kobe”

Big Sean didn’t need to search too far to find a metaphor with the word ‘shot’ involved.

Kobe Bryant’s shooting habits are one of the most talked about caveats of the Lakers squad this season. Bryant has taken 292 shots through 12 games so far this season, and averages a Jordanesque 24.3 attempts per game. People continue to bash his shooting, while others say it’s the only way L.A. can score.

Fortunately for this argument, numbers don’t lie.

The Lakers’ first loss came at home against an energetic Chicago squad. Kobe took 23 shots during the game, connected on 11 and finished with 28 points in the one-point defeat. The squad’s second game was a loss against the Kings, in which Kobe took 24 shots, connected on 10 and tallied 29 points.

If you’ve ever played organized basketball you may have heard some variation of the phrase, ‘You can’t make it unless you take it.’ I think I’ve found Bryant’s next tattoo.

The Lakers followed their two-game losing streak with three consecutive wins, in all of which the Mamba took less than 20 shots.

The first 10 games of this season have shown that if Kobe keeps his shot attempts under 20, the Lakers will win. That doesn’t mean he needs to hold back on his shooting or even limit his shots per game for the rest of the year. However, it does mean that there are certain techniques and plays the Lakers use during these games that, if recognized, would benefit them in future matchups. Whether that means passing out of a baseline double-team instead of opting for the fall-away, or finding new options out of Mike Brown’s offense [Bynum went for 21 points and 22 rebounds against Houston!], there is a solution, and it doesn’t have to be Kobe slowing down.

This year’s outcome of a shortened NBA season would without a doubt be different if the full schedule was put in place in November. The effects of 66 games as opposed to 82 this year are daunting to say the least, and will be made apparent throughout the year leading into the playoffs.

1) Sixty-six games will be played over the course of just four months. That’s approximately one game every other day, three to four games per week. Combined with the exhaustion of travel and practice on off-days, this season will prove to be one of the most challenging for many players. Age will be a huge contributing factor toward the success of teams. The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the youngest squads in the league, with an average age of just over 24 years old. They’ll be able to respond physically to the demands of the season, while veteran teams such as the Celtics or the defending champion Mavericks will have a harder time adapting to the rigors of this year. Think about this: Dallas and Boston rank No. 1 and 2 in oldest teams in the NBA, based on average player age.

2) Come playoff time, seeds won’t matter. It’ll seem like March Madness, where any team can be upset at any time. Look at the 1999 season, which was cut to 50 games because of a lockout. The No. 8 seeded Knicks made it all the way to the championship. Because of this year’s shortened season, teams will not be able to gain as much experience of playing out-of-conference foes, and thus will be less prepared, setting the foundation for upsets across the league.

3) Rookies drafted in last summer’s draft didn’t have the opportunity for fall workouts with their team or their new coaches, which severely limits them during this first part of the season. Teams that would normally be relying on their new rookie talent, such as Kyrie Irving at Cleveland, will be hurting, as their rookies may need more time to adapt to the NBA. If a team is reliant on their rookie class, they may need to use this shortened season as a learning tool for next year.

I’m genuinely excited for this game, as I am for all MLS Cups, even if something predictable happens. I started watching MLS Cup in 2004 and have never been treated to a bad game. Even the worse games of the seven I have watched live went to overtime. I don’t think this game will be bad, I think it will actually pretty much mirror the best one I have seen: MLS Cup 2008.

The Galaxy will start off strong and get a goal in the first half – Robbie Keane is my pick to get it – and cruise to halftime leading 1-0. After the half, one of the Dynamo’s 394702347230 six footers will equalize setting up a dramatic finish in which Keane will score twice after the 85^th minute. Yes, I’m predicting the first hat-trick in MLS Cup history. I think Keane is on really good form and will exploit the Houston backline with smart runs.

Houston still has a chance in this game, but I think that they just don’t have enough quality. They will probably have to score two or three goals on set pieces to win this game, and with Brad Davis out, I just don’t see that happening.

Prediction: L.A. Galaxy 3 Houston Dynamo 1

MVP: Robbie Keane

This Sunday, the L.A. Galaxy will take on the Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. to decide who will win the 16^th MLS Cup. This is the second of two team previews. You can find the L.A. Galaxy preview here.

Overview

The Houston Dynamo are either the biggest or second biggest underdog in MLS Cup history depending on how you feel about MLS Cup 1997 (D.C. United vs. Colorado Rapids). Houston finished the regular season 12-9-13, good for 49 points and second place in the Eastern Conference, but still 18 points behind the Galaxy. No one was really talking about Houston going into the playoffs, and most assumed that Sporting Kansas City would take care of them in the Eastern Conference Final (it was in Kansas City and it had an extra day of rest). When Brad Davis (second in MVP voting with 4 goals and 16 assists) went down with a season-ending injury, the Dynamo season seemed to be finished as well. Lo and behold, the Dynamo scored two second half goals to reach the MLS Cup for the third time in the franchise’s six years of existence. Now with L.A. at home and their star player hurt, the Dynamo enter the game as huge underdogs, a role they have been playing all season.

Projected Starting XI

Like the L.A. Galaxy, the Houston Dynamo line up in a standard 4-4-2 formation. Their offense is usually built through flank play, utilizing the service of Davis on the left and the speed of Danny Cruz on the right. Unfortunately, Davis is injured. Though Jermaine Taylor replaced Davis in the Eastern Conference Final, I have a feeling that Colin Clark will be his replacement in the final, as he has a history of play well against the Galaxy, although mostly when he was with Colorado Rapids. Up top, Brian Ching and Calen Carr have been getting the starts most of the time. I expect that Carlo Costly will get the start this time though in order to exploit a size advantage on set pieces. The six-foot-two-inch, 187-pound Costly is much more of a physical presence than the six-foot, 150-pound Carr. Still, Carr could get the start, though I think he will be used as a speed option off the bench if the Dynamo are trailing late. Cruz will take his regular place on the right, and in the middle, first-year Dynamo players Adam Moffat and Luiz Camargo will look to continue their surprisingly successful partnership. In the back, breakout left back Cory Ashe will be relied upon to stop the Galaxy counter attacks as well as provide service in the attack. The solid but unspectacular Andre Hainault will continue his role as right back. In the middle, the Geoff Cameron/Bobby Boswell partnership has quietly been one of the best partnerships since Cameron moved to the back late in the season. They will protect breakout goalkeeper Tally Hall.

Brian Ching     Carlo Costly

Colin Clark     Adam Moffat      Luiz Camargo     Danny Cruz

Cory Ashe     Geoff Cameron      Bobby Boswell     Andre Hainault

Tally Hall

Possible Subs

As I mentioned before, Carr will probably be the first player off the bench if they need a goal. If they think they can exploit the Galaxy’s size though, they could also insert the six-foot-two-inch, 194-pound Will Bruin in at forward. Taylor and Je-Vaughn Watson are also both solid options off the bench.

Strengths

Team Size

As I mentioned in my Galaxy preview, the Dynamo enjoy a significant advantage in team size. Here are the main players who are going to go up and try to score on set pieces:

Player                Position      Height    Set Piece Goals Regular Season (Playoffs)

Geoff Cameron   Defender    6’3”        4 (0)

Bobby Boswell    Defender    6’2”        5 (0)

Carlo Costly        Forward      6’2”        0 (0)

Brian Ching         Forward      6’1”       0 (1)

Andre Hainault   Defender     6’1”          (2)

Adam Moffat     Midfielder     6’0”           (0)

In addition, these players are all solid at defending set pieces and will look to take away one of LA’s biggest advantages in David Beckham.

Tally Hall

The Dynamo goalkeeper enjoyed a breakout season this year as just the second starting goalkeeper in franchise history. Hall finished second in saves to Goalkeeper of the Year Kasey Keller, only trailing by two saves. In addition, he posted a 1.14 Goals Against Average, good for sixth place among keepers who started more than half of their team’s games. Hall has been a rock this season, playing every minute for Houston including playoffs. If they’re going to upset the Galaxy, they will need Hall to stand on his head as he has done so many times this season.

Central Defense

The Cameron/Boswell partnership is one of the strongest in the league. The Dynamo started their playoff push when head coach Dominic Kinnear finally made the move to switch Cameron to the backline. As far as all partnerships in MLS go, I would probably rank this one only behind the Jamison Olave/Nat Borchers partnership in Salt Lake. In addition, these two players combined for ten goals this year, both tied for the team lead with five. Both players are dangerous going forward and great finishers for defenders.

Weaknesses

Central Midfield

Both Moffat and Camargo have been good this year. The problem is that L.A.’s central midfield is great; the Dynamo’s is only good. I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point in the game, the Dynamo went to a 3-5-2 like they did in the 2007 MLS Cup against New England in order to try to get an extra man in the middle to disrupt the David Beckham/Juninho partnership. Doing so could win the Dynamo the game, or it could lose them the game, as L.A. would be even more dangerous on the counter. No matter what they do, this central midfield isn’t going to be good enough to get it done.

Tally Hall

Hall has stood on his head at times during the season but he has also committed some howlers, to be expected of any 26-year-old goalkeeper. Which Tally Hall will show up in the final? So far in the playoffs, he has been stellar, allowing just one goal in 18 shots, but this will be the biggest game in his career. Will he play out of his mind or pull a Kevin Hartman in 1999 and give the game away?

The Team is the Star

Sometimes it’s good when a team plays as a team and has no ego and no star. When it comes down to it, this Houston team does not have one guy that they can truly rely on. They could rely on Davis until he went down with an injury, but now it looks like the responsibility is going to rely on the 33-year-old Ching, who hasn’t played in more than 20 games in the last three years due to injuries. Ching’s body has broken down from years of physical play, and he can no longer be relied on to lead a team. When it comes down to crunch time, every team has a player that they can rely on. The great Dynamo teams of 2006 and 2007 had Dwyane De Rosario and a much younger Ching to rely on. This team has no one.

Coming Tomorrow: Game Prediction

This Sunday, the L.A. Galaxy will take on the Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. to decide who will win the 16^th MLS Cup. This is my first of two team previews.

Overview

The Galaxy are coming into this game billed as possibly the greatest team in league history. With 1.97 points per game in the regular season, they averaged more points per game than every team except for the 1998 Galaxy (2.19) and the 2005 San Jose Earthquakes (2.00), neither of which went on to win the MLS Cup. While this year’s version of the Galaxy may be billed as the best TEAM in league history, they certainly aren’t the most talented. The Galaxy have three superstar players (Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and David Beckham), a solid backline and a bunch of role players who contribute here and there. For every Keane or Donovan, there is a Mike Magee or Adam Christman, players another team castoff that were reborn in L.A. This team wins by playing solid defense and scoring on counter attacks and set pieces.

Projected Starting XI

The Galaxy will line up in a 4-4-2 just as they have all season. Robbie Keane, who was dangerous all of the playoffs, scoring a goal and hitting three shots off the woodwork, will start up top, probably with Cristman. Cristman will likely get the start due to his size and hold-up ability. Chad Barrett has been starting but is ruled out of the final with a dislocated ankle. The midfield won’t change from L.A.’s win over Real Salt Lake. Beckham and Juninho will run things from the middle, both dropping back deep to collect balls from the defense. Out wide, Donovan will provide his usual counter attacking threat, and Magee will look to continue his great form, as he has scored three goals in as many games. The backline will remain unchanged. Todd Dunivant and Sean Franklin provide quality-attacking options out of the back while six-foot-five-inches tall Omar Gonzalez cleans up everything in the air. He will be joined in the center by utility man A.J. DeLaGarza. In goal, surprising playoff starter and hero Josh Saunders should continue to start. If the Galaxy want to be faster, they could start Miguel Lopez up top instead of Cristman, but I think they will really value Cristman’s size, especially for defending set pieces. Other than that, I can’t really see anyone else starting.

Robbie Keane     Adam Cristman

Mike Magee     Juninho      David Beckham      Landon Donovan

Todd Dunivant     A.J. DeLaGarza     Omar Gonzalez     Sean Franklin

Josh Saunders

Possible Subs

Trinidad and Tobago international Chris Birchall will likely be a late game defensive sub if the Galaxy are up; he has the size and skill to kill a game from a defensive midfield spot. Jovan Kirvoski is also a frequent sub, although he is just a veteran player that comes in to give someone a rest — he doesn’t add anything to the team, but he doesn’t mess anything up either. From here, the possible subs drop off. If the Galaxy need a late offensive spark, they can add Michael Stevens to their midfield and push Donovan up top, but they don’t really have any viable options after this.

Strengths

Counter Attack

The Galaxy sit in their own half and absorb a lot of pressure until they force a turnover. Then, they look to break. Fast. Whoever has the ball at that moment looks to find Juninho or Beckham in order to release Donovan, Magee or Keane on a break. The absence of Chad Barrett hurts, as he is another threat to stretch the defense whereas Cristman is not.

Team Defense

If you watch a Galaxy game, you will notice how hard everyone works to defend: This is a trademark of a Bruce Arena team. He gets all his players to buy into this hard working defensive style, and it shows nothing but results. The Galaxy almost always have favorable numbers in their side of the field due to everyone’s hard work. If they can be exposed, it will be in one-on-one matchups. The problem is that they usually have too many people around to allow a one-on-one chance happen.

Offensive Set Pieces

The Galaxy have a lot of quick players such as Donovan and Juninho that can easily draw set pieces in a dangerous area. Beckham is widely considered one of the best in the world at delivering great balls into the area from corners or free kicks. Even though they have terrible team size, Beckham still has many options on his set pieces. His first option will be Gonzalez, who is probably the best headerer of the ball in MLS. He will likely be double covered, so look for Beckham to find Magee and Keane in the box. Though they are small, they still can score with the great service that Beckham provides.

Weaknesses

Defensive Set Pieces

Of the Galaxy’s ten projected field player starters, just three are over six-feet tall. Gonzalez is six-foot-five-inches tall and amazing in the air; Cristman is six-foot and decent in the air; and Beckham is six-foot as well and won’t go near a header unless he absolutely HAS to. The Dynamo projected starting lineup has six players over six-feet tall projected to start. Look at this chart:

Player                Position      Height    Set Piece Goals Regular Season (Playoffs)

Geoff Cameron   Defender    6’3”        4 (0)

Bobby Boswell    Defender    6’2”        5 (0)

Carlo Costly        Forward      6’2”        0 (0)

Brian Ching         Forward      6’1”       0 (1)

Andre Hainault   Defender     6’1”          (2)

Adam Moffat     Midfielder     6’0”           (0)

That’s six of ten starters who are at least six-feet-tall and 13 combined goals on set pieces from them. Yes, Houston will be missing star midfielder Brad Davis in the final, but either Adam Moffat, or Colin Clark if he starts, will be able to provide at least decent service to take advantage of L.A.’s team size.

Adam Chistman

L.A. will probably start this journeyman player to give them size in their attack, but he will probably be the least skillful player on the field. Cristman can chip in a goal here and there (13 career goals), but he is mostly their for his size, toughness and work rate. With him up top, the Dynamo will be able to commit more numbers into the attack and only focus really on Keane up top.

Getting Behind

As a counter attacking team, the Galaxy do not play well when they’re behind. If Houston keeps the game tied 0-0 for a while and then get a goal in the second half off a set piece, they could take control of the game, as the Galaxy are not very good at breaking teams down who bunker in their own half. The Galaxy will have to score early to take care of this.

Coming up later today: Houston Dynamo Team Preview

Dylan: 74-56

Evan: 85-45

Nick: 72-58

Will: 82-48

Dylan: 66-50

Evan: 78-38

Nick: 66-50

Will: 76-40

Dylan: 58-45

Evan: 70-33

Nick: 57-46

Will: 65-38

One postseason appearance in four seasons.

124 games in MLS league play with a 36-49-39 (W-L-D) overall record and 0.448 win percentage.

Negative 24 goal difference.

Three 14^th place finishes.

No, this isn’t Toronto FC. It’s the San Jose Earthquakes. Over the past four years, the Earthquakes have struggled to come back from the dead. In fact, during that same period of time, Toronto has only a slightly worse record, going 34-50-40 for a 0.440 win percentage and finishing ahead of San Jose twice. Very telling stats.

In those four seasons, San Jose has had few bright spots. Darren Huckerby was an offensive spark until injury forced his retirement in 2009. Chris Wondolowski has led the league in scoring over the last two year period, culminating in a remarkable playoff upset over New York. But that’s about it.

So why is San Jose so bad?

Let’s go back in time. In 2005, after winning the Supporter’s Shield, San Jose continued its dominance in MLS with two MLS Cup titles, one Supporter’s Shield and three Western Conference Championships.

The only problem for San Jose fans – the team was now based in Houston and called the Dynamo. All that history – two MLS Cups and a Supporter’s shield – left to rot in a storage unit somewhere in Silicon Valley.

After two seasons on hiatus, MLS decided to bring back the storied franchise – with a subpar product on the field. The 2008 season finished with San Jose tied for last in the league with an identical record as the Los Angeles Galaxy – dead last if you consider just about any MLS tie breaking procedures.

The difference between the two rival teams? The Galaxy has not looked back, finishing first in the West each subsequent year and winning the Supporter’s Shield in the last two years.

We could sit here and blame Anschutz Entertainment Group (the ownership group who presided over the ill-fated move to Houston) or Major League Soccer. Or we could move on and start looking at other factors.

Let’s start with John Doyle. A great player in his day, Doyle followed up a short European career with a five year stint as a starting center back for the Earthquakes from 1996-2000 – when they only made the playoffs once. Despite his somewhat unsuccessful club career, he managed 53 international appearances for the United States, even scoring three goals.

However, Doyle is living proof that good players are not always successful in soccer off the field. He’s a great person (I know because I’ve met him), but his personnel decisions are questionable. Players like Cornell Glen, Ramiro Corrales, Scott Sealy, Alan Gordon and Geovanni come to mind as some of the higher profile signings in the past few years, but what have they given us? One could argue that Corrales has played well for San Jose in his 89 appearances, but his lack of pace and questionable passing has been a problem. And he’s not getting any younger. Yet somehow, he seems to always make his way into the starting lineup.

One good decision Doyle has made has been to not pick up the option on Bobby Convey’s contract. Despite a team leading 11 assists in 2010, Convey’s play has been erratic and his unwillingness to play left back (his best position, in my mind) has gotten old. He also has the highest salary on the team, which could be used for two younger players with more upside.

On to Frank Yallop. Also a good player in his day, Yallop played the majority of his career in England before coming back to the continent to play for the defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny. Also a defender, he represented Canada at the international level 52 times.

Unlike Doyle, Yallop has been relatively successful as a coach. He presided over both of San Jose’s MLS Cup wins – making the brilliant tactical move to insert golden goal scorer Dwayne De Rosario in the 2001 final and picking up Pat Onstad prior to the 2003 season, who made a crucial penalty save in the 2003 final.

But his career and his coaching ability has seemingly been on the decline since his departure from San Jose to lead the Canadian National Team. He was named coach of the LA Galaxy shortly before David Beckham came to the team, but his inability to manage such a high profile team as well as poor results led to his resignation, just in time for expansion side San Jose to buy out the remainder of his contract from the Galaxy, hoping to capitalize on his past record with the team.

Tactically, this team has not been sophisticated. San Jose very often relies on physical play and long balls to generate attacking chances. Even during the 2010 season and playoff appearance, the ‘quakes were far too reliant on the crossing of Convey and the late far post runs from Wondolowski. Players like Khari Stephenson and Sam Cronin, who tend to play a more possession oriented game, are outweighed by their teammates, who don’t possess the skill or vision to play the same way. Yallop has his favorite players – the problem is that they are not very good players. Yallop cannot take this team any further without a tactical change, as the more successful teams in the league have evolved to play a less direct but more effective style of play.

Furthermore, the lack of proven goal scorers besides Wondolowski has hindered San Jose during the past two seasons. Fourteen games ended in ties this season – four more goals in four of those ties and the Earthquakes would be playing FC Dallas in the wild card round of the playoffs. Incidentally, San Jose beat Dallas 4-2 in the last game of the season. Too little, too late.

So how does San Jose solve this problem? Obviously the last four years have not been approached with much thought. In 2006, Sigi Schmid began work as the Columbus Crew’s head coach after having been fired as the then first place Galaxy’s head coach. The Crew at that time had some talented, young players, but little depth and few established veterans. Despite a last place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2006, Schmid managed to rebuild the team to his liking over the next two years, which culminated with the team winning the 2008 MLS Cup.

Clearly Schmid has a vision when he started the job. His track record is proof of his ability to coach and proof of the ability of management to influence a team. He has been successful with three different MLS teams – LA Galaxy, Columbus and the Seattle Sounders. His ability to compose a team with draft picks, trades, and existing parts is remarkable. He shows no unreasonable favoritism toward players – even cutting veterans when needed and benching star players.

Yallop and Doyle, on the other hand, have done no such thing in San Jose. Four years is enough time to learn that. Now it’s time for a change. Let’s find a coach and general manager who are willing to make the tough decisions to benefit the team.

Dylan: 49-41

Evan: 63-27

Nick: 48-42

Will: 57-33