Author Archives: Ridge Mahoney

[MLS/VIDEO] The momentum and the misery continued for Chicago and D.C. United, respectively, Thursday night at RFK Stadium in a game that included a brilliant long-range goal from the Fire’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

[MLS] A week ago, Chivas USA forward Alecko Eskandarian came back from Germany. Next week, FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty will head over. With luck, both of them will be training and playing full-time within a few weeks following examinations by noted German surgeon Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck, whose proficiency in treating sports hernias affects athletes of different sports all over the world.

Shifting to a three-man back line is the most visible difference between last year and this year for FC Dallas, yet another, more subtle change may have even greater long-term effects. A flank midfielder for most of his five-year pro career, Arturo Alvarez is playing up top for FC Dallas as a speedy, raiding foil for the burly Kenny Cooper and attacking midfielder Juan Toja.

[REF WATCH/VIDEO] A blatantly blown offside call in a 2-2 tie with the Galaxy last Saturday that cost Real Salt Lake a goal triggered a riposte from Coach Jason Kreis regarding officiating decisions that had gone against his team.Without passing judgment on Kreis’s timing or rhetoric, examining a few of the incidents and decisions reveals how a simple case of inadequate positioning can lead to a bad call, and how coaches and players may not be aware of instructions by which officials are directed to interpret certain situations.

The most recognized and most successful team in Major League Soccer has joined the ranks of the sponsored jersey. Commissioner Don Garber is in Washington, D.C., Tuesday for the formal announcement of a front-jersey sponsorship deal for D.C. United. Volkswagen will pay United between $3.1 million and $3.7 million per year for the next four years to display its logo on the front of the D.C. jersey, which will otherwise remain essentially the same, with the D.C. United crest and four stars – representing its four MLS titles – remaining. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney provides the details on shirt sponsorship income around the league.

On FieldTurf whipped by wind and rain, keeping your footing can be harder than keeping the ball, and neither the Red Bulls nor Toronto FC gained much traction as they battled to a 1-1 tie Thursday night at BMO Field.

Defenders Jay Ayers and Ryan Cochrane, injured in a collision Wednesday night playing for San Jose in the U.S. Open Cup, won’t suit up Saturday when the Quakes play their first game at Buck Shaw Stadium at Santa Clara University. Both players suffered concussions when they collided in the 15th minute and needed several minutes to recover before they were able to walk off the field.

Turnarounds in Toronto and Columbus, optimism in Salt Lake City, (more) turmoil between Chicago and New York, confusion in Houston, and a slam-bang SuperClasico at Home Depot Center marked the first month of MLS play. Here’s Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney‘s Best XI for those first five weekends of play, including a head coach and a few substitutes.

[MLS] Whether it stems from spite or sporting interests, the Chicago Fire’s stubborn adherence to signing Lider Marmol has finally been rewarded. Ridge Mahoney analyzes the controversy.

[MLS] The first MLS game at Buck Shaw Stadium is still a few days away, and already the cost of renovations and upgrades has gone wildly over budget.Or, because operator-investor Lewis Wolff wants these things done right, the project is right on the money, so to speak, for the Saturday opener against FC Dallas.

Not to blame all of Chivas USA’s defensive problems on one guy- there’s plenty of folks at fault – but what is going on with Brad Guzan?

So blinding has been the glare from the marvelous solo goal Jozy Altidore scored April 19 in a 1-1 tie with New England that much of his otherwise listless play has been overlooked. In several games, he’s looked slow and not all that motivated. That changed in the second half of last Sunday’s game.

[MLS] As showcases of brilliant soccer go, it wasn’t much, yet New England’s 1-0 victory that knocked FC Dallas off its unbeaten perch at Pizza Hut Park Thursday night typified how a depleted team that knows how to win can beat a stronger team lacking such clarity.

D.C. United has signed former Red Bull striker Francis Doe and a San Jose deal to acquire former Rapids and MetroStars striker Jean-Philippe Peguero could be completed by Thursday as the Quakes seek to beef up their front line.

Before the Wizards use the comments of Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear to fire up their team and specifically Claudio Lopez, it should be pointed out that he made those remarks strictly in reference to how difficult it can be for a player, any player, to cut it in MLS.