Author Archives: Ridge Mahoney

[HEXAGONAL] Unlike people in many professions, soccer players seldom sulk or mope after a disappointing game, usually because there’s another one right around the corner. Except for those rare occasions when a season or cup run ends in excruciating fashion, players must get on with it. After scraping out a 2-2 tie in San Salvador Saturday despite being outplayed for most of the match and falling behind, 2-0, the U.S. players can’t wait to rectify their reputations.

[HEXAGONAL] Nobody, including the player himself nor Coach Bob Bradley, is sure when and at which position Jonathan Spector will return to the national team. Yet he’s one of those players based overseas that the coach is tracking closely. Summoned to his first U.S. camp since last summer in advance of qualifiers against El Salvador (Saturday’s 2-2 tie) and Trinidad & Tobago (Wednesday, ESPN2, Galavision, 7:30 pm ET), Spector has edged his way into the scene at West Ham United, making six appearances since late December following a six-month injury absence.

[MLS] Two days after the normally stingy Houston defense surrendered three goals in a 3-2 loss at San Jose came official word of a signing to bolster the team’s attack. Ade Akinbiyi, 34, who has played for numerous clubs in several divisions of English soccer, visited Houston last weekend to take a physical and finalize contractual details. He was introduced to local media at a press conference Monday, then flew back to England to formally sever his ties to Burnley of the League Championship (second division) with a buyout.

[EL SALVADOR-USA REPORT CARD] Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney grades the U.S. players and comments on their performance in Saturday’s 2-2 tie with El Salvador. …

[HEXAGONAL] Last year, the USA began the semifinal round of Concacaf 2010 World Cup qualifying by winning in Guatemala for the first time.
Its first away test in the Hexagonal comes Saturday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2, TeleFutura) in San Salvador, a city in which it has won and tied in two previous qualifying visits, so a victory won’t be as historic. But it will be no less important, especially should Mexico, which lost 2-0 to the USA in Columbus last month, fail to beat Costa Rica in Azteca Stadium.

[PREDICTIONS] Seattle gets to host another game after its thrilling start and the next victim is Real Salt Lake. D.C. United’s clash with Chicago promises the most goals. For all the predictions, as well as TV viewing information, and to see how we fared last week …

[MLS] When the Red Bulls lined up at Home Depot Center last fall to play Columbus in MLS Cup 2008, rookie midfielder Luke Sassano took a spot in central midfield to start his fourth straight playoff game despite a sore ankle to which had been festooned a big bag of ice during the week. Last weekend, as the Red Bulls opened their 2009 season in a rowdy, boisterous Qwest Field against the expansion Sounders, he watched from the bench as everything New York accomplished in October and November seemed to vanish in a 3-0 defeat. Sassano looks set to return to the Red Bulls lineup for this weekend’s home opener.

The schedule for the World Football Challenge that will feature four international club teams in six U.S. cities this summer is one piece of a busy calendar. Returning for 2009 is SuperLiga, the annual exhibition tournament contested by that MLS Commissioner Don Garber says is important because it gives MLS teams a chance prove themselves against their Mexican counterparts.

During a conversation last week MLS commissioner Don Garber refuted a suggestion that the international calendar in 2009 was so crowded with World Cup qualifiers, Confederations Cup, and Gold Cup commitments there wouldn’t be much room left for club matches. “Believe it or not, it seems the consumer has an insatiable appetite for international exhibition matches,” said Garber. “There will be many, many played in the U.S. this summer, with [Guadalajara], Barcelona, Chelsea, [AC] Milan. It will be very busy.”

[MLS] Obviously, the Galaxy shouldn’t have been awarded a penalty kick when a ball bounced off the underside of defender Rodney Wallace’s leg and not his arm in its 2-2 tie with D.C. United Sunday, but should referee Jair Marrufo have given a penalty earlier when Christian Gomez and Dema Kovalenko got tangled up at the edge of the penalty area?

[MLS] FC Dallas signed goalie Dario Sala to a new contract last year, yet backup Ray Burse will be the starter for the short-term.

[MLS] Not for a few years will it be known if aggressive expansion by MLS owners in the five-year period from 2007 to 2011 is brazen or brilliant, or both. By adding Toronto, San Jose, Seattle, Philadelphia, Vancouver and Portland in that span, assuming all goes as planned, the league will have increased its membership sharply from 12 to 18 teams. It will have banked more than $150 million in expansion fees, greatly expanded its national TV footprint, and added some of North America’s largest markets. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney spoke to MLS Commissioner Don Garber about the league’s growth amid economic crisis.

[MLS] Considering its lowly finish in 2008 – tied at the bottom of the Western Conference with expansion San Jose with 33 points – it’s not surprising that of the seven Western teams (in 2008), only the Galaxy had a losing record last year against the East.

[MLS] The first weekend of play featured five interconference matchups hosted by Western teams, and of those only expansion Seattle came out on top by thrashing New York, 3-0, in the opener Thursday night.

[MLS] The spectacular Fredy Montero dominated coverage of Seattle’s rousing win, yet defender Jhon Hurtado played impressively alongside veteran Tyrone Marshall in his first MLS game, as did USL-1 Sounders graduate Oswaldo Alonso

[PREDICTIONS] The MLS moves into full swing with six games on tap for the weekend. We like the Galaxy to beat D.C. United in a goalfest — neither defense looks ready — and Houston and Columbus to play to a stalemate in a battle of the last two MLS champions. For all the predictions as well as TV viewing information …

[MLS] He’s only played 89 minutes, but MLS has a new superstar. On a night when everything went right for Seattle and every went wrong for New York, Colombian wunderkind Fredy Montero stole the show with two goals and an assist on the third as Seattle pummeled New York, 3-0, amid a raucous celebration at Qwest Field.