Superliga 2008: Some Thoughts

Photo by Thomas Shea from Superliga 2008 website

As we enter the knock out stages of Superliga 2008 let me state that while the intensity level was as high for these matches last year the football has been much better this year. No offense to anybody but an LA Galaxy side featuring Alan Gordon and Edson Buddle as starting forwards and an injured David Beckham would not have advanced to the knock out stages of this year’s tournament. That having been said MLS has a lot to live up to in the performance of the Galaxy in last year’s knock out stages. David Beckham’s free kick to sink DC United was a thing of beauty, and Chris Klein’s stoppage time bicycle kick was the type of magic that MLS sides have rarely if ever produced in a critical moment of a match of international significance. Had the Galaxy won the pk shootout that moment would have been etched in stone as one of the greatest in the history of Major League Soccer. I still a year later feel a tinge of sadness that the Galaxy did not win that match. That night they were a credit to MLS and to the game of football even if too often last year they were simply a traveling circus without an effective ring leader.

Alas, the Galaxy did not win the tournament the year FMF sides used the competition as a pre-season warmup. Now the event is being taken seriously, and every participating side came to play, and came to win. Atlante was humbled 4-0 by the Houston Dynamo in the first match but manager Guadalupe Cruz told Telefutura after the match that his side psychologically had been beaten down and he wouldn’t let that happen again. The match which was the first decided by more than one goal in Superliga history actually provided the impetus for the Cancun based side to play some of the best football of the tournament in their next two matches sweeping away DC United and Guadalajara.

For the second consecutive year , CD Guadalajara (Chivas) needed only a draw against a fellow FMF side in the final group match to advance to the knock out stage of the Superliga, and for the second consecutive year Chivas got beat and saw their opponent celebrate advancement. But this year Chivas looked more willing to take chances against Atlante than they did last year against Pachuca and tried to make a game of it. But the reality was Atlante was just too good, and Chivas’ backline suspect. When you consider that Guadalajara got some great breaks like facing Houston with Franco Carracio as the main scoring threat two days before he was waived while Dwayne DeRosario severed a suspension and having three DC United shots hit the post in their victory at RFK Stadium, any whining about not going through to the semifinals despite having a superior goal difference than Atlante should be spared here. Atlante showed the character that allowed them to win the fall Mexican Apertura in their first competition since picking up and leaving Mexico City for Cancun by crushing Chivas in the winner take all match.

In addition, Johnny Magallon who is Mexico’s starting central defender surely did not impress Sven Goran Eriksson who has taken in many Superliga matches with his poor display of positioning and defending. Eriksson who took in many of the matches in person during this competition had to be impressed however with Edgar Castillio and Fernando Arce of Santos Laguna, who could feel hard done by only achieving a draw in a tournament where they seemed to lack the type of luck that Guadalajara received.

However when it comes down to it Pachuca is still the team to beat in these competitions. An indifferent Clausura season in Mexico has not prevented the defending champions of this event from coming to the USA and playing some outstanding football. Despite my pre tournament concerns about the age of Pachuca’s midfield, they have not only held up thus far but essentially controlled the bulk of the two of the teams three Superliga matches. They next face a familiar foe: Houston

We’ve seen Pachuca take care of Houston on two previous occasions at this stage of a tournament including last year’s Superliga. While Houston will have revenge on their mind and will no doubt play lights out to win the semifinals would it be smart to actually pick against Pachuca at this stage against an opponent who completely lacks confidence when facing the likes of Christian Gimenez, Gabriel Cabbalero and others? Not having Stuart Holden, the leading goal scorer in Superliga 2008 who is currently with US Olympic Team preparing to face the world in Beijing is not going to help the Dynamo’s cause.

New England has been outstanding in this tournament. Mexican teams are getting a dose of what it’s like to face a disciplined, tactical European side when facing Steve Nicol’s team which features Shalrie Joseph and Steve Ralston in the midfield. In addition, the speed of Nyassi, Mansallay and Dube gave both Santos Laguna and Pachuca fits. The Revs use patient buildup instead of the frantic going forward without rhyme or reason style many Mexican sides play to break down their opponent and achieve results. Atlante has been outstanding in their last two matches but again having watched New England in this tournament who’d bet against them?

Chivas USA’s performance was a credit to their manager Preki and to the determination of Ante Razov who even at 34 is probably the best striking option for the US National Team. Razov scored in all three Superliga matches and has in fact scored a goal in six consecutive competitive matches for the Goats. However, no other Chivas player has scored during that stretch and in this tournament Sacha Kljestan, another US Olympian was frustrating. He mixed moments of absolute brilliance with moments of stupidity while his team mate Pablo Nagumura, normally steady seemed reckless in this tournament. Chivas was good, but not good enough in a tough group.

That leads us to the one team that hasn’t been discussed in this post to this point. The one team that doesn’t deserve to be discussed, DC United. The performance of United who entered the tournament never having once lost a match to an FMF side at RFK Stadium and three days later had two losses to FMF sides defies all explanation and logic. Sure Marcello Gallardo and Gonzalo Peralta were hurt and Tom Soehn seemed to aggravate Santino Quaranta’s injury by playing him when the team was desperate for a result against Atlante. But the red and black have historically always had a standard in these competitions you could count on regardless of who dawned the jersey. But this week was certainly forgettable in the proud history of DC United, and was culminated by a smashing defeat at the hands of Houston in front of one of the smallest weekend RFK Stadium crowds I can recall going back to 1996. DC was in a word embarrassed and whether or not you take Superliga seriously, their effort didn’t bring any credit to themselves or to MLS.

The TV coverage for these matches on Telefutura has been outstanding. Like last year, the network is utilizing a two man booth and sideline reporter at the matches as well as a studio host. This pales in comparison to the typical Telefutura MLS broadcast that is done at the low end with commentators calling the matches of a TV monitor, and not providing much in the way of pre game or post game analysis.

Superliga is a big event when you base it on how Telefutura covers it compared to its weekly MLS or FMF matches. Only in the Mexican playoffs do their production quality or overall game packaging approach that of Superliga. Then to add the HD component which Telefutura has offered for these matches in selected metropolitan areas (including Miami where I reside) and Superliga 2008 has been slam dunk event for the viewer. Let’s hope this continues in the knock out stages.

Comment here

DC United Crushes Galaxy; Why ESPN Should Have Stayed InHouse for Euro Coverage

In front of over 35,000 fans at RFK Stadium an ABC national broadcast audience, Luciano Emilio and DC United crushed the LA Galaxy 4-1. The scoreline was if anything flattering to the Galaxy who benefited from the individual brilliance of the sometimes maligned Steve Cronin to keep United from pilling in goals. Emilio who scored twice actually had eight attempts at goal in the match. The match also marked the surprising return of Ben Olsen whose injury plagued career appeared to be over just a month or two ago.

Despite the scorching summer heat, United controlled the tempo and played at a rapid pace and quite frankly gave us more entertainment if not technical skill and drama than the Euro 2008 final afterwards.

Some other thoughts:

I am thrilled that Andy Gray won’t be seen on these shores until World Cup 2010 at the earliest. For all the accolades given him by a generally Premier League affected oriented soccer blogger community, I feel he was exceedingly biased, poorly prepared for matches that did not involve many players in the Premier League and condescending to boot. ESPN has plenty of good soccer commentators in its midst to not have to pull Gray from Sky Sports. Perhaps Shaka Hislop or Robbie Mustoe would have been better suited to cover the event if it was British accents the powers that be at ESPN were looking for as the New York Times Jack Bell feels in this piece. In fact Mustoe and Hislop both meet my litmus test for foreign commentators: they understand the American game and the American soccer audience. Hislop went to college in the US, and Mustoe now coaches college and runs coaching clinics in the U.S. Moreover, neither player has the obvious biases that Gray demonstrates.

Rece Davis was outstanding in the studio today on ABC as he always is on ESPN for Soccer and College Sports. I’d love to see him on more MLS telecasts, but that seems to be the exclusive domain of Rob Stone.

David Beckham looked totally gassed after 60 minutes today. I’m sure despite the heat, Ruud Gullit is going to have a few things to say to Becks about his conditioning.
Landon Donovan should have been sent off for shouting expletives at the official.

Marcello Gallardo showed his class today. He’s matched up with Beckham a few times in internationals, and twice in the Champions League. To my knowledge the only time Gallardo had previously beaten Beckham was in the 1998 World Cup. In that match Beckham was sent off, and Gallardo converted a pk in the shootout.

MLS Rumors is reporting that Jorge “Zurdo” Rojas has signed with the Red Bulls. This is the kind of signing MLS needs, and if RBNY has indeed signed Rojas without using a DP spot, that’s even better. For those that don’t know Rojas he is arguably the best Venezuelan footballer of the last fifteen years. At 31, he still has a few years left and can essentially do for the Red Bulls what Claudio Reyna seems incapable or unwilling to do for the club.

Comment here

Mr. Commissioner, You are Kidding, Right?

Commissioner Don Garber should know better. As the man most personally responsible for growing MLS into a palatable product in the United States, he should understand something very basic. As we discussed on today’s Daily 2Gs show on CSRN, the league is only where it is from an international standpoint thanks to DC United. For Commissioner Garber to make the following comments smacks of an appalling lack of respect for the signature club of the league he is the head of:

"For this league to win over the core audience, we’ve got to be able to be among the best clubs in N. America. DC United talks about their goal is to win a spot in the World Club Championship. They want to be the best team in the region. They really struggled the other night at Pachuca.”

DC United Manager Tom Soehn responded with the following:

“I want to thank our commissioner for motivating us for some slighted comments he had against us in the papers. I appreciate his TV analysis.”

Perhaps Mr. Commissioner if you weren’t so busy over selling and over promoting your league and certain teams in the league you could focus a little bit on making MLS more successful in these sorts of events. It’s quite ironic that despite all the bluster from the league office and certain executives about the Los Angeles Galaxy and David Beckham, when the rubber meets the road and our little league has prove it has grown up in legitimate competitions, the Galaxy and their $9.1 million payroll are never to be found. (The SUM created Pan Pacific Cup and Superliga are events meant to showcase MLS and make money, not true international championships of any sort)

You mention, Mr. Commissioner that for the league to win over its core audience our teams must be among the best clubs in North America. If that is the case, which I believe it is, why has the league spent so much time trying to market to casual sports fans via David Beckham and other vehicles who don’t share this perspective or even understand it in the least? I applaud the leagues newly stated goals: they have been my goals as I have editorialized time and again on this site for years now. However, if that is in fact your goal, and the goal of the league, why when a team such as DC United or Houston have injuries to key players like Ben Olsen or Eddie Robinson are they not able to sign a replacement player that doesn’t count against the salary cap or the 18 man senior roster limit?

Hasn’t occurred to you Mr. Commissioner that DC United at one time was arguably the best club in North America and then quickly slipped behind about twelve Mexican league teams because of the MLS salary cap and the number of quality players DC United was forced to let go of? Didn’t it embarrass you when A.J. Wood, Micah Cooks and Carey Talley were starting for DC United in the Champions Cup instead of players like Roy Lassiter, Jeff Agoos and John Harkes who had qualified them for the event? Do you recall that? Was that the fault of DC United? (no disrespect intended towards Wood, Cooks and Talley but my point is DC qualifed for the event with superior players and were forced to dump them because of the salary cap)

How about last night when Houston was forced after the fourth minute to play with several non regulars and several players out of position? Dom Kinnear knows the rules of MLS and did a great job developing more depth for the Dynamo last season, but to ask him and his players to do the impossible and then imply the league won’t win its core audience is to say the least irresponsible.

Instead of creating loopholes for the LA Galaxy who finished 11th in a 13 team league to circumvent the salary cap, why don’t you, Mr. Commissioner focus on helping teams like DC United and Houston who have stated a desire to be among the best clubs in the region and are closer due to their actions than the LA Galaxy who simply has the bombastic rhetoric of its front office to fall back on? Why don’t you look at ways to help top MLS sides (a group which again does not include the Galaxy) gain exemptions so they can compete hard in top competitions. Last season, DC United lost to Chicago in the playoffs largely because of their participation in the Copa Sudamericana. This year, with a similarly tight schedule, United may be inclined to decline an invitation to COMNEBOL’s second most prestigious event or worse yet send a “B” team to compete because the squad rules and salary cap are too restrictive.

We all want MLS to succeed abroad in these competitions. I have stated time and time again on this site that these events are how MLS’ success is measured, not by some superficial standard the league employs. Yet the league office much as it did with expansion holds different teams to different standards.

Comment here

DC United: The Pride of MLS

Marco Etcheverry was the symbol of United’s early dominance of MLS

No offense to our readers who support MLS’ other thirteen and soon to be fifteen teams. These franchises are developing the persona to be considered a “club” by international standards as we speak. In some cases like Houston the process is quicker than in other places like New York. However, DC United reached “club” status very early in MLS’ existence and have led the way for years in the league. Wearing the DC United badge and colors means something to most players: it’s not just another MLS team, when you suit up for the Black and Red you inherit all the pride and luster that has been developed in that uniform. You play for the shirt, not just for a paycheck and championship with an assorted group of players.

DC United is one of only two franchises that have been existence since MLS’ inception that have kept a reasonably similar looking crest and color scheme since the beginning. (DC had a very early flap with it’s original crest that was quickly replaced, although I still have a souvenir of the original that reminded some people of a Nazi WWII symbol) In addition, for years United was the only team that could count on a core audience for a midweek game, perhaps owning itself to RFK’s location on the Metro blue and orange lines. During this period DC United seemed to be the only club that had a really developed and sophisticated scouting operation. Kevin Payne unlike some others who run MLS clubs isn’t a publicity seeker. He simply knows how to put, year after year a winning product on the pitch. Agents in Latin America would often times laugh off any suggestion that their client go play in the backwater MLS, unless it was of course for the one recognizable club in the league: DC United.

CSRN’s Peter Brown and I recently had a conversation about RFK Stadium. Through the years I’ve been able to enjoy a number of matches at what is a hallowed ground, and believe as does Peter than any move by United to Poplar Point or worse even Maryland would strip the club and its supporters of much of their respective identities. Sure I understand revenue streams and needing to make money, but passion is football, and long term passion is found more at RFK than anywhere else in MLS. From the get go in MLS, RFK Stadium has provided the backdrop for United’s immense local fan base, a base that is able to use public transport at all times of the day to get to and from the stadium. RFK’s location has made DC United more accessible to the local populace and United’s success has long made the franchise the one truly mainstream MLS team in a local sporting culture. In Washington DC, United isn’t brandished to the back pages of the sports section or off the local broadcast news entirely as most MLS teams are in their respective markets. Playing in the city and winning have had its advantages but so has smart marketing and even smarter player personnel decisions by Kevin Payne and Dave Kasper. As an MLS fan in the early years, watching the league was sometime tough, but it was always easy to get up for a game, any game at RFK whether in person or on TV. The Washington Nationals Baseball franchise began play in 2005 and briefly ruined RFK for the beautiful game, but now the Nats are gone and RFK once again gleams a light that few soccer stadiums have in this country.

When internationals come to MLS to play for another club, they are simply coming to raise the profile of the league as a whole, or in many cases improve their respective clubs. When foreigners like Marcello Gallardo come to DC United they know why they are here: to continue a tradition of winning trophies, playing for the crest/shirt and to further the tradition created by “El Diablo” (picture above) and others who have made United unquestionably the league’s most recognizable club outside the borders of the United States in the rest of the Western Hemisphere.

DC United’s pride and recognition have taken MLS to its greatest heights outside the United States: The first league triumph in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the Inter-American cup title, three absolute demolitions of top British clubs in friendlies at RFK, the only MLS side to play in the Copa Sudamericana and the only triumph ever for an MLS club on the ground of an English Premier League club against the home standing side. All the while, DC’s fan base and fan support is deeper than just about any other club around. The LA Galaxy claim they want to be a North American superclub but they have way to go to ever match DC United’s level of local interest and respect (not just name identification) abroad.

Against this backdrop I made an audacious prediction last week. I felt DC United could beat Pachuca and advance to the finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup while Houston had no chance (or a 5% chance as I put it) against Saprissa. Both teams lost but obviously DC United’s fighting spirit was on full display Wednesday night, and the failure of the black and red to advance could be chalked up as much to bad luck as anything else. But I’ll admit, I have thirteen years of MLS watching to fall back on and that is tantamount to cheating in this instance. The other MLS teams as discussed above are simply professional sports franchises in a North American sense. They don’t really have an identity. As much as Houston fans love the Dynamo, that team was the Earthquakes and they have yet to develop the aura of a super club (although they are further along than most MLS teams including the aforementioned LA Galaxy who are on what seems like color scheme number thirteen to match the number of years they have been in existence) that DC has. You can put any respectable signing in a DC United shirt for an international competition and know what to expect. In all the years where MLS has failed to achieve international glory, the signature club of MLS has despite not winning silverware never disgraced the league in the same fashion as so many other sides, even more successful sides in an MLS sense have. You can never watch a DC United match against foreign opposition be it a competitive match or friendly and mock the standard of MLS. United is even in defeat still miles ahead of the rest of the league in ways that many fans and commentators don’t understand and some don’t care to understand. United is MLS’ leading light and continues to be consistent

Comment here

DC United: The Empire Strikes Back

For all the hullabaloo about the single entity structure of MLS through the years one club has always seemingly gotten it right- always seemingly done better than everyone else with regards to scouting and securing Latin American talent, developing a brand name south of the border and making significant inroads in the mainstream media at home. That club is of course DC United.

For many of our readers and listeners DC United is known by a four letter acronym: SCUM. They are the only MLS team to elicit such hatred because in-spite of the efforts of other clubs like the LA Galaxy to put themselves on a similar pedestal, DC United is the only club that’s earned both the envy and respect of its opposition since the league’s inception. The bottom line is this: Not only has DC won more MLS Cups and Supporters Shields than any other club, but they have won more truly meaningful international matches than the rest of the league combined. DC United is the only American club to have defeated a reigning South American club champion, the only club to have defeated an English Premier League club in England and the only club to have won more than a single road match in the history of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Now after back to back supporter shields coupled with early playoff exits, United wants more. Led by Kevin Payne, the most seasoned executive in the league, and Dave Kaspar whose scouting network is fully developed in Latin America, unlike many other MLS clubs who are just now taking scouting seriously the “Empire” (sorry Red Bulls fans- I know your SC is the Empire Supporters Club, but they not you are the real empire) is retooling and unlike other MLS clubs who have to sell the potential of the American market to players being sought, United can show off its trophy collection and its record of utilizing Latin players in a Latin oriented style better than anyone in MLS.

Yesterday’s massive signing of five players, four of whom come per the usual DC United scouting operation of finding Latin diamonds in the rough is a message to the league. Based on the history of Marco Ethceverry, Raul Diaz Arce, Christian Gomez, Facundo Erepen and Luciano Emilio, the rest of the league ought to be trembling in their boots about these acquisitions. The fifth signing, Designated Player Marcello Gallardo is a bit riskier. Gallardo, unlike many MLS stars has actually had a good club career in Europe and was outstanding for River Plate. Gallardo also was a force for Argentina. However by signing Gallardo, the Black and Red have parted ways with Christian Gomez, something I feel is risky. Gomez fit DC United like a glove and even though he is now 33, Gallardo whose club football has always been played for big clubs in big leagues (River Plate, Monaco, PSG) may or may not adjust to MLS. When you sign player straight away from Latin America, they often times acclimate themselves better than players coming from Europe, even if they are Latin. I cannot properly explain this phenomena, but based on twelve years of watching MLS I am sure it exists.

Regardless of how Gallardo works out in Washington, the other four signings indicate again that DC’s scouting network and reputation south of the border deemed the club ready to take advantage of the liberalized rules regarding international players in MLS, while the rest of the league scrambles to fill their squad.

Comment Here

Esky Returns to DC

DC United has reacquired Alecko Eskandarian from Real Salt Lake according to Bobby Boswell's personal website.

DC United Falls Victim to Salary Cap

While the salary cap for American sports leagues such as the NBA and NFL have been smashing successes testing the skill of most clubs front office, the same policy which so many in England want placed on Premier League clubs would lead to nothing short of a major competitive advantage for smaller clubs. Let me state that I have always supported salary caps in American sports leagues, because unlike international football they do not have a system of transfers and unlike international football they do not have a varying number of fixtures based on the number of competitions a club either enters or qualifies for. As someone who leans to the left politically I have always looked for the fair approach, even if it meant as it does in the case of the NFL imposing a socialistic system on the league. It's not just socialism from an economic sense, but also from a societal sense in trying to promote smaller market clubs, and the have nots of American Football. As someone who saw the Green Bay Packers inability to compete in the 1980s, the 1990s and the salary cap coupled with the genius of Ron Wolf led to a rebirth of American Football's most classic franchise. But sadly this could never work for Blackburn or Wigan in the Premier League because European Football is so different than the NFL.

Major League Soccer was perfectly American in its approach to a salary cap imposing the same hard cap that the NFL does, but then allowing bigger market teams to hide money and essentially misreport the salaries of top players who may have better offers to play elsewhere. However the MLS Salary Cap had a huge victim Thursday night and further evidence that it can never work in International Football. DC United is the crown jewel of MLS. They have more international trophies than the rest of the league combined and have continued to develop good players and scout well despite the restrictive nature of MLS. It is DC United that has single handily saved MLS' reputation in Latin America where much skepticism prevails about the quality of football in the US. Without DC United, MLS would likely be called Much Lousy Soccer by far more than just Martin Samuel.

DC United subject to the same salary cap rules as the Chicago Fire, their slayers in the MLS Playoffs, played in three more competitions this season. While the Fire never left the United States to play a match, DC United had to travel to Honduras and Mexico twice. United all toll had played in eleven more competitive matches than the Fire and had logged far more frequent flier miles than the Fire as well, with midweek international matches coupled with weekend league matches. Yet unlike in Europe where the bigger clubs that participate in UEFA competition have a higher payroll, DC United did this with the same restrictive squad rules the rest of MLS including Chicago face. Making matters more complicated, DC United's signature player, Jaime Moreno had to twice fly to South America for National Team duty down the stretch run of matches, again something no other MLS club had to deal with.

Another aspect of the MLS salary cap is that the transfer fees that help to sustain so many small clubs abroad are kept largely by the league under the cap system. So in other words no incentive financial or otherwise exists for clubs to actually develop players and then sell them off to more prestigious leagues abroad.

Thus we have in a nutshell what would happen in Europe if a salary cap were imposed. While in concept I want to look for ways to reign in the G-14 clubs that seem to be running amok and making football rules for themselves, MLS has taught us a salary cap is not practical in international football.

Chicago-DC United Live Blog

Johnathan Starling has all the action at http://the3rdhalf.blogspot.com

DC United Eliminated from Copa Sudamericana

A bitter disappointment I must admit for those of us hoping for a deep run from MLS' lone representative in the competition. United fought valiantly but was eliminated 2-2 on away goals. I can't help but wonder how ironic it is that this event used the away goal rule which could have advanced Houston instead of Pachuca in the Champions Cup.

Ten Man United Hold On

Clyde Simms second half goal gave United a 2-1 victory of CD Guadalajara in the Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 despite being reduced to 10 men late in the first half. The 2nd leg will be played at Estadio Jalisco next Wednesday Night.

United Grab Lead

Benny Olsen hit the mark in the 23rd minute to give DC United a 1-0 half time lead over CD Guadalajara (Chivas) in a Copa Sudamericana tie at RFK Stadium. However, Marc Burch has been sent off just before halftime. It is absolutely critical for DC United to win this first leg at home to stand a chance of advancing. The game will be shown on Fox Soccer at 11:30 pm ET on tape delay.

DC United Begins Copa Sudamericana Campaign

Wednesday Night RFK Stadium will host one of the biggest matches of the year to this point involving an MLS club. DC United will host Chivas of Guadalajara in the opening round of the Copa Sudamericana. In March United drew 1-1 with Chivas in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup at RFK before losing at Stadio Jalisco 2-1 thanks to a late Chivas goal.

The game will be broadcast nationally on HDNet.

Razov Closing in on Record

For all the hype around Major League Soccer regarding Jaime Moreno's quest to become the leading goal scorer in league history his record is likely to be very short lived. Moreno finally broke Jason Kreis all time scoring mark just over a month ago but now very quietly Ante Razov has closed to within one goal of Moreno's current mark of 110. Expect Razov to pass Moreno and become the all time leader by the end of the season. Razov was part of MLS Inaugural College Draft being selected by the Galaxy, but after several good seasons in Chicago he moved to Spain's Racing Ferrol for two seasons, thus has played in fewer MLS games than Jaime Moreno.

Razov's 109th goal of his MLS career, a beauty that lifted Chivas USA atop the Western Conference was one of the certain candidates for goal of the year. Chivas defeated Kansas City 2-1 with two Razov goals, the winner coming three minutes into stoppage time.

East Race Tightens

Never count out DC United. Behind two outstanding Luciano Emilio goals and some sloppy goalkeeping by Matt Reis, United crushed New England 3-0 in front of a small crowd in Foxborough. Our friend BC John pointed out to me earlier today that a one touch passing team like DC United seems to have suffered with Fred, a classy winger who likes the hold the ball in the lineup. Today without Fred and Christian Gomez, and with a partially healthy Jaime Moreno (who come on at halftime and looked like he should have come out five minutes later), United reasserted that despite the current table in the East they are always the team to beat in MLS. Later in the week I want to take a good look at attendance for some big market venues in MLS and discuss why the current situation is unacceptable irrespective of whether or not certain places have soccer specific stadiums already.

Superliga Final Group Stage Night

In perhaps the least entertaining match of the Superliga, Houston defeated DC United to win Group B and advance to the semifinals. The second match between Moriela and Club America on the other hand was very entertaining. The papers back in Mexico City have been exceedingly critical of America's poor performance in this tournament. Moriela was reduced to ten men when a penalty was called in the box which gave America a 2-0 lead, but Moriela as has been the case throughout this tournament rallied and scored two quick goals down a man. Late in the match Federico Insua beat the ten man Moriela side to secure the win for America' 3-2. Despite the result, and the failure to advance Moriela's grit and determination (and 3 shorthanded goals) have to be considered one of the stories of Superliga 2007. Later today I'll have my thoughts on what Superliga needs to do to improve as an event for 2008 and beyond.

Superliga: Night Two

Well my predictions about this competition at least to this point look laughable. Pachuca my pick to win the Superliga controlled the match versus L.A. Galaxy but some fantastic individual play by Landon Donovan and Cobi Jones cost them the game. Then last night, DC United the team I picked to face Pachuca in the August 29th final struggled at home and finally ended in a draw with 10 man Moriela. Recall, that I said that both Moriela and the LA Galaxy did not belong in this event and that both had been included solely for marketing purposes.

Match two last night had a great atmosphere at Robertson Stadium as we saw Houston really take the match to Club America. A great piece of work from Stuart Holden set up an easy finish for Nate Jaqua, and Dwayne DeRossario and Joseph Ngwenya really frustrated Club America's defenders all night, capping off what was a dominant performance in a 1-0 victory. Eddie Robinson and Craig Waibel also deserve praise for an outstanding night for the Dynamo.

The Model Foreign signing for MLS?

Juan Toja/ MLSnet.com

With all the hype about David Beckham coming to MLS, the media seems to have missed perhaps the biggest impact foreigner to sign with MLS in past several seasons. I am of course speaking of Juan Toja, the 22 year old midfield dynamo for the Hoops. Toja is probably the most skilled foreign player I have seen this season in the league. This includes such big name signings as Juan Pablo Angel and Guilermo Baros Scheletto both of whom have had a remarkable impact on the league.

Toja's performance in last night's dramatic 3-3 draw for FC Dallas versus DC United was a case in point. DC United took a 3-0 lead behind two excellent goals from another skilled foreign newcomer, Luciano Emilio. At that point Toja took over the match and dictated the tempo in midfield. Toja scored two goals and helped set up Carlos Ruiz for another as Dallas scored three goals in 29 minutes to escape RFK Stadium with a draw.

Toja's outstanding performance has allowed FC Dallas supporters to not fret over the dumping of Ronnie O'Brien and Richard Mulrooney after last season. Toja, at just 22 provides a model for MLS contrary to that of Beckham, Angel and Scheletto. Those players all enhance the profile of MLS overseas, but Toja like Ryan Nelson and Stern John before him could be the type of player MLS scouts from smaller leagues (or in Nelson's case from US colleges) and then sells to European clubs for a big profit. Since MLS is intent on spending money on the Beckham's and Angel's of the world, it is wise to have a financial safety net which can be achieved by good scouting of young Latin American talent.

The Good Ole' Days of MLS

Many forget that the days before MLS' became solely dedicated to spreading parity across the league that DC United had emerged as a "super club." Not only did DC United reach the MLS Cup finals in each of the league's first four seasons, but they provided MLS some much needed credibility on the international stage. After surprisingly winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup DC United shocked the world with an aggregate 2-1 victory over legendary Brazilian club Vasco De Gama. After losing the home leg 1-0, DC United won the away leg 2-0 on goals by Tony Sanneh and Eddie Pope. Sanneh's performance was so impressive that Bundesliga Club Hertha Berlin signed him within weeks despite the fact that he was not even a regular for the US National Team. In addition, DC United got a full write up in World Soccer magazine, a first for an MLS club. The article dubbed United "Champions of the Americas." All of the international competition did put a clamp on DC's MLS Cup aspirations as they lost the cup final to Chicago in between the two legs of the Inter-American cup.

Moreno to Play Copa for Bolivia

Jaime Moreno will not become the MLS' all time leading scorer in the next month. That's because the DC United Forward who is tied with Jason Kreis for the league's all time scoring lead (with a 106 MLS goals) has been called up to Bolivia's Copa America team. Moreno had been discgarded by Bolivia in World Cup Qualifying for 2006 and last played in a major tournament for his nation in 2001. This is a big PR coup for MLS as many had speculated that Moreno had been dropped because of the perceived declining standard of the league in South American circles, following the retirements of well regarded South Americans, Carlos Valderrama, and Marco Etcheverry.

DC United to Play in Copa Sudamericana

Once again DC United has been invited to play in the super prestigious Copa Sudamericana, which along with the Copa Libertadoras serves as the continental club championship for South America. DC United participated in the 2005 edition and was defeated 4-3 on aggregate Universidad Catolica of Chile after blowing a 2-0 lead in the away leg. The Tournament takes place this fall right after the MLS Cup Final. DC United is the only MLS club ever invited to play in the event.