Rapids still rising, but will champ Chicago rebound?

Heading into the stretch run, the leaders look strong, a few contenders are falling off the pace, but at least one long shot looks poised to make a late charge. The last two months of the season could be tainted by a tepid race for playoff space. The top four teams in the West are pulling away from the bottom feeders, and the Metros could be out of it by Labor Day. In assessing each of the 12 MLS teams, Soccer America has weighed performance on and off the field.

1. D.C. UNITED

Stiff tests ahead

The top team on the field historically leads the way at the gate: Overdue, yet commendable. A strong marketing push, designed to drive up the team’s value as a buyer is sought, has boosted attendance to an all-time franchise high. Coach Thomas Rongen has done well, but his stiffest tests lie ahead. There’s an MLS title to be reclaimed and a trip to Las Vegas, for the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Rongen has honed his fleet of younger players into dependable backups and spot starters. A tough core of Eddie Pope, Carlos Llamosa, Richie Williams, Marco Etcheverry, Jaime Moreno, and Roy Lassiter should keep D.C. atop the Eastern Conference. Its 10-1 mark in the East make it odds-on to reach the final, but a heavy slate of games in the autumn could cause attrition.

2. COLORADO

The most improved

The most improved team in the league by far, the Rapids show modest attendance gains and are nearing desperation time in regards to Mile High Stadium. GM Dan Counce has gone the concert route to build his crowd figures, for selling soccer is still tough in Broncoland. The midweek totals are depressing, and a supposedly important showdown against Chicago on June 26 drew only 10,895. The following week, more than 51,000 watched fireworks ù and an embarrassing 3-0 loss to the Crew. Sharp upgrades in the back and its foreign allotment has propelled the Rapids to the West’s top spot. Marcus Hahnemann’s departure leaves a hole in goal that Ian Feuer can’t quite fill. Trade? Three games against Chicago and Los Angeles might decide who captures the division title. By sweeping Los Angeles and Dallas without conceding a goal July 28 and 31, the Rapids opened up an eight-point lead.

3. CHICAGO

Slumping champion

Two possible scenarios for the defending champs: Either the old war-horses shake off their lethargy in the stretch run, or they stumble to the wire and topple in the playoffs. The spirit, teamwork and cohesion that drove Chicago to the top last year just aren’t there, although a few glimmers surfaced in a 1-0 loss to the Galaxy July 31. Squandering a 2-0 lead at home to San Jose July 23 and falling to Los Angeles is a clear indication of significant problems. Those losses drop-ped the Fire’s home mark this season to 7-6. It was 15-3, including playoffs, at Soldier Field last year. Defensive collapses and atrocious finishing has plagued the team. None of the Eastern Bloc has excelled. To add some bite in midfield, Coach Bob Bradley traded for Paul Dougherty. The return of Chris Armas, in late August, will help, and C.J. Brown’s ferocity has also been missed. Chicago is holding firm at the gate, despite squabbles with the Park District and incidents of Soldier Park security zealots roughing up fans for nothing more than their exuberance. It has topped the 20,000 mark four times.

4. COLUMBUS

Under-achievers?

A two-year contract extension for the coach of what many observers feel is an under-achieving team muddies the future. Early in the season, players privately met several times to hash things out. Crew management has lengthened the contract of Tom Fitzgerald, whose team’s streakiness taints its considerable talent. With his presence assured, perhaps he can extract the missing element of consistency. He’ll have a decision to make in goal this month when Juergen Sommer finishes his rehab. Jeff Cunningham is too talented to sit, but too erratic to depend upon. And will Tom Dooley have enough ù or any ù spring in his step come October? A hat trick against Miami Aug. 1 confirmed that Stern John is heating up at the right time. On his scoring, and with consistent play in the back, the Crew can be tough to beat. At the gate, the Crew rakes it in. A run deep in the playoffs could mitigate the probable loss of John to a foreign club and spur season-ticket sales for next season in the 12,000 range.

5. LOS ANGELES

More goals needed

This fiefdom of the Philip Anschutz empire has done nothing to rectify roller-coaster attendances. Perhaps 3,000 fans actually viewed the 2-1 win over Kansas City at the Rose Bowl July 25, and had the announced crowd of 8,929 been a true figure, it would still be an embarrassing one. More than 61,000 showed up on its previous home game July 4, but even counting the Fireworks Factor, the Kansas City encounter was its only Rose Bowl match between July 4 and Aug. 14. A new stadium is at least two years away. A few more goals might help more. Low-scoring wins don’t seem to draw fans. Clint Mathis has shrugged off a poor patch and is no longer trade bait, yet this team needs more toughness to reach the final.

6. DALLAS

Can Burn rise above .500?

Colombian striker John Jairo Trellez has apparently flamed out after an explosive launch, so once again the Burn is in a striker crisis as the robust yet fragile Dante Washington hobbles along and Jason Kreis carries the scoring burden alone. Dallas has tried to extract Wolde Harris from Colorado, and has not bit at Kansas City’s dangling of Digital Takawira. A discouraging 2-0 home loss to a Colorado team missing six regulars July 31 left the Burn tied for third with Chicago. It has no fears of missing the playoffs, yet can’t help but be haunted by its chronic inability to rise above the .500 mark. Modest attendance improvement has been garnered, although the Burn is 10th of 12 teams at the gate.

7. TAMPA BAY

A Diaz Arce boost

Fate may be repaying the Mutiny for its off-loading of Roy Lassiter last year, much to the chagrin of the Clash. A move to Tampa Bay has rekindled the Raul Diaz Arce scoring touch. By feeding off the service of Carlos Valderrama and Steve Ralston while playing off Musa Shannon, Diaz Arce scored five goals and tacked on four assists in his first four games. That production exceeds the four goals and two assists Diaz Arce logged in 18 games for San Jose. Ghanaian defender Joseph Addo will add plenty of steel, toughness and leadership in the back. Ralston is the league’s top assist man and has owned the right flank in recent games. Tampa Bay shows gains at the gate, and signing a two-year extension on its Raymond James Stadium lease should build on its attendance figures. It might get a further boost by landing the 2000 MLS Cup.

8. NEW ENGLAND

Fans losing patience

The Foxboro faithful has lost patience, and the mood isn’t brightened by persistent rumors that another coaching change is imminent. Denials from Walter Zenga notwithstanding, the Revs’ future is clouded by the prospect of yet another coaching search on the horizon. Zenga has torn off a few tirades but the team continues to sputter, and it looked pathetic in a 4-0 romp by the Mutiny July 31. New England has tough road trips to Colorado and Chicago coming up, but does have winnable home-and-away games with San Jose and the Metros. John Harkes and Joe-Max Moore have to be solid the last two months, consistent play from Jair would help, and goals by new signing, Ecuadoran international Ariel Graziani, would be a welcome signpost on Route One. A playoff appearance would only prolong the agony. GM Brian O’Donovan is a master at game operations and marketing, yet has shown no acumen for the vital soccer elements.

9. MIAMI

Still in trouble

A modest four-game winning streak slammed to a halt in a 4-0 rout at Columbus Aug. 1, so again Coach Ivo Wortmann must rebuild his players’ psyches. A flurry of trades hasn’t done enough to deepen the Fusion’s roster. It is still thin in midfield and at the back. Edwin Gorter is a good player but a terrible tackler, and has been exposed repeatedly in one-v.-one situations thanks to the statuesque ù as in immobile ù Arley Palacios. And how does Jay Heaps often wind up wearing the playmaker’s hat? Attendances are pitiful. Those few fans who do show up do their best with music and chants, but this franchise reeks.

10. SAN JOSE

Time is running out

For the third straight year, the Clash players are faced with pressing their noses against the glass trophy case, for that’s as close as they will get to touching the MLS Cup. Coach Brian Quinn took over more than two years ago. He’s been successful in imposing a system of play, but some of his personnel decisions have cost him dearly. He flipflops defenders, he changes goalies, he trades Diaz Arce ù and still the Clash can’t win in regulation. Diaz Arce had scored 60 goals in his MLS career prior to being swapped for Alejandro Sequeira, who had scored two. The man penciled in as playmaker, Mauricio Solis, is still getting his feet in MLS, and time is running out. The Clash’s only glimmer of hope is a schedule laden with seven home games out of the remaining 12. Attendances at Spartan have been somewhat spartan, though, and a shootout-inflated record in hasn’t enticed many fans.

11. KANSAS CITY

Even worse than 1998

At the start of the season, it didn’t seem possible the Wizards could do any worse than they did in 1998. Ha. They’re giving it their best shot, and will need a real push to match last season’s dismal 12-20 record. Alex Bunbury has been a fine addition, and Preki is starting to sweeten his numbers after a sour start. But the trade of Matt McKeon and a serious injury to Tony Meola has carved open a huge gap in the middle that Alexi Lalas can’t plug by himself. Attendances, at the bottom of MLS, lag behind the NPSL Attack. A new stadium, or a move to a new city, would seem imperative. Neither will happen, for in the eyes of operator-investor Lamar Hunt, soccer in KC means Arrowhead Forever.

12. METROSTARS

Problems all-around

Why bother talking about a new stadium or Lothar Matthaeus when the entire franchise is a joke? Disgruntled Metros fans picked the perfect forum to voice their disgust. They turned out for a U.S. Open Cup game against the D3 Staten Island Vipers, and all of their horrors came true when the Metros went down. Charlie Stillitano is a grand fellow, but on his watch, this franchise has run aground. After a proposed sale of Eduardo Hurtado to Swiss club FC Zurich broke down, Stillitano talked about getting an “impact player” as compensation had the deal gone through. In MLS? In August? The man lives in a dream world. Vice president of marketing and sales Jim Leahy, in just a few short months, has irrefutably proved that he can’t attract fans to watch club teams from any country, most notably that of his own. When his failures are pointed out, he points fingers. Under the aegis of Bora Milutinovic, the Metros have the league’s worst record this season, and have won only two of 21 games in regulation since he took command. Operator-investor Stuart Subotnick engineered the removal of Sunil Gulati, now it’s time to put his own house in order. by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney