SORE LOSERS

From Superliga 2008.com

Nobody that I speak with will claim that Superliga has in anyway proven that MLS is somehow on par with the FMF. The gap that exists between the two leagues is still obvious though it appears the gap may be closing quite rapidly. But what this year’s Superliga has demonstrated is the sense of entitlement Mexican clubs, players and commentators have towards dominating their American counterparts.

This Superliga has been an unfortunate event that most of the controversial calls have gone against FMF sides. But I would argue in the last two CONCACAF Champions Cups the matches between FMF and MLS sides have been highlighted by officials calls that have gone against the MLS sides. The controversy that sunk Pachuca Tuesday night was a case of turnabout being fair play after what happened last year at Estadio Hidalgo in the Champions Cup.

In that match the Houston players after their defeat did not try and start numerous fights after the match or to injure opposing players at the end of the match. What we see is a pattern in Mexican Football: a pattern based on the sense of entitlement instilled by the Mexican media and commentators on Spanish language television here in the United States. The sense of entitlement states that FMF sides must always beat MLS sides and that every US victory over Mexico at the international level is somehow illegitimate and unworthy.

The behavior of the Atlante players at the end of Wednesday night’s game is clear example of the bitterness and anger Mexican players feel when shown up by American counterparts. The continued attempts to injure Shalrie Joseph, one of the best players perhaps ever produced by the US college system and our domestic league were pathetic but reminiscent of the attempt by Osvaldo Sanchez to injure Eddie Johnson late in the 2-0 US win over Mexico in Phoenix. They were also reminiscent of the classlessness shown by the Mexican National Team players towards the end of the 2002 World Cup 2nd round match where Cobi Jones and Eddie Lewis were both consistently abused by rough, unsporting play after the second US goal. When the tables turn on Mexican footballers and their faults are shown, they react like little spoiled children whose egos have been bruised and whose self concept has been so damaged almost out of fear of what the delusional media back home will say about them. In a word it is pathetic.

CHICAGO BEATS EVERTON 2-0

Pre-season friendlies don’t mean a whole lot but nonetheless this is a nice scoreline for MLS. Chris Rolfe and Tomasz Frankowski scored goals for Chicago as Everton played many of its first team players for most of the match.

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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.

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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.

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The Pride of American Club Soccer

On a night when the LA Galaxy despite a herculean effort from one David Beckham managed to embarrass themselves yet again and legitimately call into question the standard of play and development in the United States, the reigning league champion Houston Dynamo did to Sydney FC exactly what the Aussie club had done to the Galaxy a few months ago: humiliate them in the first half and in the process rescue some measure of pride for an embattled league.

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Unfortunately some in the European press do not pay attention to MLS beyond the circus that is the LA Galaxy. So as the Galaxy continue to struggle in foreign competitions it will be easy to pick on the MLS for many of its detractors both home and abroad. Ruud Gullit himself may have been guilty of this in the past. But Gullit should have taken in the second match of the semifinals as a scouting operation. If he did watch the second match he now knows how wide a gap exists between the bottom feeders of MLS, like the Galaxy and the top like Houston. Dom Kinnear has a system in place where he can plug in just about any player of his choosing around the core of Dwayne Dersorio, Brian Ching and Wade Barret (yes he is a core player as he was in San Jose) and make the thing work. LA, and other MLS teams save New England do not have that luxury.

How can a team coming off a three month closed season look so scary good, as the Dynamo did last night? How can a team that hasn’t played a competitive match since November and has lost several players this closed season have such chemistry and flow to where from minute one it looked like they were in midseason form? Dom Kinnear is not only a brilliant coach, but his players have a pride in the shirt, a pride in the club that most MLS players never develop for their club.

The Dynamo were simply scintillating last night. Sydney FC did not win the A-League this season, but were one of the better teams. But the gap in class between the Dynamo and Sydney is what you would expect between a LaLiga or Premier League side and a lesser side in a smaller league in Europe, or according to some critics an MLS side. The gap in quality, technical and tactics was striking, after watching a first match (which I missed part of because of my other sporting obsession: Miami Hurricanes Basketball) with very little to offer in the way of compelling football, the Dynamo rescued everyone’s night and the image of MLS for those who bothered to stick around for the second game.

Dynamo Advance to MLS Cup

More on the rematch of last year's MLS Cup this season later today.

Dynamo Advances

FC Dallas continued its history of stumbling through the MLS postseason, blowing a second half two goal aggregate lead in a 4-2 ET aggregate loss to the defending champion Houston Dynamo. This intra-state rivalry continues to get chippier and chippier with each passing fixture as today's outing resembled a rugby match, with Arturo Alvarez being sent off for kicking Brad Davis, and several other yellow cards being issued for violent conduct. Keep in mind Rico Clark of Houston is serving an MLS record suspension for kicking Carlos Ruiz last month when the two teams met.

Steve Morrow has to be complimented however for his tactical approach to the match which saw FC Dallas in control before Alvarez's sending off. Denilson in what will probably be his last game in MLS played fairly well until being replaced by Pablo Richetti after Alvarez was sent off.

So FC Dallas, one of the most consistent winning franchises in MLS history still only has one piece of silverware: the 1997 US Open Cup to show for its success. We'll see if this changes next year.

PODCAST NOTES:

• Episode 31 of the podcast is now online. It features a now dated preview of the FC Dallas-Houston match with Bryan Zygo of the World Soccer Wrap podcast, and a look back at the epic Chicago-DC United match from Thursday night.
  
• Episode 32 featuring a wrap up of all the first round playoff series will be available late Monday afternoon.
• Episode 33 featuring a look at Americans playing on the European continent with correspondent Mario Valdez will be available late Thursday or early Friday.

Chivas Win West; KC Clinches

Nill-Nill draws aren't always as lifeless and dull as the scoreline indicates. That was again the case last night as the passion of the match overwhelmed both sides in Chivas nill nill draw with Houston. The winner take all match for the Western crown led to some heated exchanges between players, a red card for Lawson Vaughn, hard tackling, players in the refs faces and finally at the end a near shoving match between the two Head Coaches. But Chivas got the draw they needed and they will be seeded #1 in the Western Conference playoffs.

Elsewhere Kansas City clinched a playoff spot with a 2-0 win over struggling FC Dallas. Colorado was eliminated by Robbie Findley's late strike which gave Real Salt Lake the satisfaction of having ended their rivals season. Look for Salt Lake next season to make a real push towards the upper reaches of MLS.

Today the winner take all match between the LA Galaxy and Chicago Fire will be seen on Telefutura at 3pm ET.

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.

Emilio Does It Again in CONCACAF Champions Cup Semis

Luciano Emilio who we have already hailed as the best foreign signing by an MLS club not named David Beckham scored on a stoppage time header to give DC United a hard fought 1-1 draw with Chivas in the home leg of CONCACAF Champions Cup. In the other match Houston defeated Pachuca 2-0 with a finally fit Brian Ching scoring a goal for the Dynamo. The second leg will be played at 8,000 feet so Houston may need that two goal edge to have any sort of chance of advancing.

MLS Teams Advance in the Champions Cup

Scottish International Paul Dalglish (yes he is Kenny Dalglish's son!) scored a critical goal and helped set up another as Houston defeated Puntarenas FC 2-0 in the home leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinal held in College Station. This game was noteworthy partly because the atmosphere on the Texas A&M campus seemed far more lively than any Dyanamo game I watched last season from Houston. This was the first win for an MLS team over a Costa Rican team in the Champions Cup since the Galaxy defeated Saprissa in 2000. Over the past six years Costa Rican teams have dominated MLS sides in the competition. The Dynamo will now face Pachuca in the Semifinals.

DC United cruised behind two more goals from Emilio, who appears to be the best International signing for an MLS club this year (besides David Beckham) to a 7-3 aggregate win over CD Olimpia and now will face Chivas in the Semifinals.