Author Archives: Ridge Mahoney

[MLS WEEKEND TV PREVIEW] Five intra-conference games are featured this weekend, with the only crossover game sending Columbus to Western leader Houston. In the East, D.C. heads north to Canada where FC Toronto could set a league record in scoring futility, first-place New England hosts New York, and Kansas City plays Chicago for the second time in four days. Chivas USA stays at HDC to play Real Salt Lake, and the Galaxy Futility Tour heads to Colorado.

Not for the first time, the man who’d survived the most arduous journey to reach Home Depot Center stole the show. Maykel Galindo came to Chivas USA via Seattle and all the piles of paperwork necessary to properly process a Cuban defector who’d left his national team 2 ½ years ago during the Gold Cup. He put away two goals of exquisite class as Chivas USA (10-6-3) embarrassed Los Angeles, 3-0, to cast the Galaxy’s playoff hopes deeper in doubt. David Beckham lasted the full 90 after going the distance the day before in England’s loss to Germany. It was Beckham’s third full game in a six days, a stretch that began with Saturday’s loss in New York, and he was limping by the game’s end.

Jaime Moreno set a league goalscoring record as D.C. United won a crucial conference match over New York. Many of his goals (33) the past few years have been penalties, yet on the historic night of his 109th MLS goal, Moreno did much more than just convert from the spot. His flicks and touches and dummies unhinged the Red Bull New York backline as D.C. (11-6-3) rolled to a 3-1 victory at RFK Stadium.

The Wizards scrambled to contain Cuauhtemoc Blanco, whose passes led to a pair of goals, but produced three goals of their own thanks to Jose Burciaga Jr. to beat Chicago, 3-2.

[TV PREVIEW] U.S. coach Bob Bradley did his MLS counterparts Frank Yallop and Preki a favor. England coach Steve McLaren wasn’t so accommodating. Bradley pulled off Landon Donovan and Jonathan Bornstein during the USA’s 1-0 loss to Sweden, but McLaren played David Beckham the full 90 minutes of England’s 2-1 home defeat against Germany. All three are expected to be back at Home Depot Center for this edition of the Los Angeles-Chivas USA derby; yet to be determined is how much, if at all, they can play.

[TV PREVIEWS] Two months remain in the regular season and only Real Salt Lake is without a real chance to make the playoffs. A nine-game slate of league action this week gets underway with Big Wednesday: a pair of crucial Eastern Conference matchups. D.C. United-New York and Kansas City-Chicago.

Houston keeper Pat Onstad earned his eighth shutout and the Dynamo regained first place in the Western Conference by beating in-state rival FC Dallas, 1-0, Sunday, yet a few times the Dynamo escaped despite soft defending in the middle.

Chicago coach Juan Carlos Osorio has brought a new player who should shore up one of the team’s weak spots. Colombian international defender Wilman Conde, 24, comes to MLS from Colombia’s Millonarios, which Osorio coached for 18 months prior to joining the Fire in late June. Conde takes a senior international slot on the team’s roster and in exchange, a youth international slot has opened up with the release of Brazilian Willian Oliveira.

Here’s Kansas City coach Curt Onalfo‘s take on New York’s Juan Pablo Angel: “He’s been an unbelievably great addition to the league.” Angel earned the Red Bulls three points in their incredible 5-4 win over the Galaxy Saturday with hustle, desire and skill.

[MLS WEEKEND REPORT] David Beckham, Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Juan Pablo Angel deliver on a great day for the Designated Players: The Red Bulls outlast the Galaxy in a nine-goalapalooza; Houston beats Dallas to regain top spot in the West; New England widens its Eastern lead by beating Kansas City again; Chicago wins in Utah to tighten up the playoff race; D.C. dumps the Crew; and Chivas USA extends Toronto’s drought.

Don’t write off the Rapids just yet. Jovan Kirovksi scored twice and Colin Clark sliced up New England in a 3-0 romp that pushed Colorado to within two points of a playoff spot. Kirovksi smashed home a rebound in the 10th minute and later in the first half tucked away a penalty resulting from a Jay Heaps foul on Clark, who in the second half hit a long ball that Omar Cummings blasted into the net for his first MLS goal.

The MLS debut of David Beckham harshly illustrated the incongruities plaguing his new team and what he perhaps can do to resolve its myriad problems. During a runout of about 20 minutes in a 1-0 loss to D.C. United at RFK Thursday, he swerved a threatening free kick that produced a good chance, and flighted another immaculate ball into space that on another night would have yielded a goal or a penalty kick rather than a spectacular defensive play. Sparked by Beckham and a fresh pair of forwards following a straight red-card to Kyle Martino for nailing Fred from behind, Team Beckham actually looked like a soccer team, much more so than it had without him while tying Toronto, 0-0, on Sunday. Play badly and tie, play better and lose, that’s soccer.