Author Archives: Ridge Mahoney

Only one MLS team will face Mexican opposition in the Concacaf Champions’ Cup semifinals this year, with D.C. United drawing the short straw to face defending champion Pachuca on Tuesday. Houston, which was eliminated by Pachuca in last year’s semis, opens its two-game semifinal series against Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica Wednesday at Robertson Stadium, which is a formidable enough task. Yet D.C. is facing a tough opponent that plays at altitude and has been winning domestic and international trophies regularly for the past two years.

The first MLS opener for David Beckham turned into the worst drubbing of his brief Galaxy career, two young Gambians led the Revs to a spanking of Houston in a rematch of MLS Cup 2007, and the ballyhooed offseason FC Dallas signing turned victory into disappointment. For the first week of MLS 2008, we’ll examine how much impact was wielded by some of the players signed for that purpose.

[MLS] The new season starts off without its newest team, as San Jose — and the New York Red Bulls – don’t commence league play until next weekend, but the slate includes a rematch of MLS Cup 2007. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney previews Week 1 games.

For the second straight year, MLS has welcomed a good number of exciting players from abroad — and the league expects more signings within the next few months. In an exclusive interview with Soccer America, MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis explains how the league has altered its approach as it enters its 13th season, which kicks off this weekend.

[MLS COUNTDOWN] Only three Western Conference teams qualified for the playoffs last year and only one made it through the first round, but again it was Houston that went all the way and repeated as MLS Cup champion. Counting Kansas City’s triumph in 2000 before it changed conferences, seven of the last eight titles have been won by western teams. The Dynamo has lost a few players from last year’s squad, yet faced the same situation in 2007 and still prevailed.

[MLS COUNTDOWN] Parity may reign in MLS, at least theoretically, but in the past three seasons D.C. and New England have finished one-two atop the Eastern Conference, in either order. The Revs have reached MLS Cup in each of those seasons, only to lose each time. D.C. – which finished second to the Crew in 2004 yet prevailed in the playoffs to win its fourth championship – hasn’t returned to the final despite posting the best regular-season record in two of those three seasons. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney offers a team-by-team preview of the Eastern Conference

[MLS COUNTDOWN] Last year, Kansas City pounded D.C. United, 4-2, to start a season that eventually produced the Wizards first postseason appearance in three years. The Wizards will open against D.C. again when the 2008 season kicks off this weekend, and tuned up for their repeat performance by beating Real Salt Lake, 1-0, Saturday at the Saturn Cup in Norman, Okla.

San Jose and Red Bull New York were supposed to meet Saturday on the opening day of the season but renovations to the Quakes’ temporary home, Buck Shaw Stadium, couldn’t be completed in time, and so both teams instead will have a bye this weekend. They did meet in late March regardless.

Building depth is one of Toronto FC’s tenets for its second MLS season but based on results and the comments of Coach John Carver at the Carolina Challenge Cup just having enough bodies doesn’t mean you have a deep squad.

[MLS] Four different players scored for Chivas USA in their preseason finale, a 4-1 triumph over Honduran club Real Espana at Cal State Fullerton Saturday, and all four, in a way, were newcomers.

The new Quakes may be shorthanded but they aren’t short on ability, at least in preseason. San Jose fell behind its host of the Carolina Challenge Cup, the USL Charleston Battery, Wednesday but rallied to score two goals and clinch first place in the competition with a 2-1 win.

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP] Stymied in the first half, which like the entire first leg was goalless, Houston faced a possibly tricky second half of the second leg of its Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal against Municipal of Guatemala Wednesday at Robertson Stadium before a crowd of 14,348 .