Author Archives: Ridge Mahoney

[TV PREVIEW] What does a stirring comeback in the debut of Jason Kreis as head coach bode for the future of Real Salt Lake? Real scored more goals in its first game under Kreis than it had in its first four games of the season when Coach John Ellinger, was still in charge. On Thursday, against Colorado (9 pm ET, ESPN2), upbeat Real hopes to continue its progress with by winning its first game of the season. Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney previews the “Rocky Mountain Cup” clash.

Just about one month into the season several prominent players are missing from MLS rosters, some by design, some not. Ridge Mahoney reports on new Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis’ prompt dismissal of its Panamanian striker and how MLS should treat Amado Guevara’s flight from Chivas USA.

D.C. United finally got its first win of the season and its first under Coach Tom Soehn. Defending champion Houston awoke at the expense of Colorado. New England repaid the only team to beat it this season, and Jason Kreis‘ debut as Real Salt Lake head coach was a thriller with the Red Bulls. Soehn had raised some eyebrows, especially the bushy ones of Jaime Moreno, by benching the Bolivian star for the first half of Thursday’s 1-1 tie with the Revs. Soehn invoked further changes for the visit of Chivas USA (2-3-0) Sunday and United (1-3-1) won 2-1 with goals by Moreno and Christian Gomez.

[TV PREVIEW] Jason Kreis, the man who has scored a league record 108 goals, retired on Thursday and immediately launched a new career. He’s leaving the Real Salt Lake captaincy and replacing his boss, John Ellinger, after RSL started the 2007 season with an 0-2-2 record. Ellinger, who failed to guide Real Salt Lake to the playoffs in its first two seasons, lasted longer than any other coach in MLS history who had gone that distance without taking a team to the playoffs. When the 34-year-old Kreis steps on the sidelines Saturday against the New York Red Bulls, he will become the youngest person in MLS history to serve as head coach of a team. Real is keeping Ellinger, who was credited for Freddy Adu‘s arrival to Real this season, as Technical Director/Director of Soccer Operations. But General Manager Steve Pastorino has resigned.

In the run-up to Thursday night’s D.C. United-New England tussle, Revs coach Steve Nicol said whether or not it was a great match, it would be passionate and fierce and rugged. Was it? As Nicol might have replied if asked, “Aye.” Scuffles, hard tackles, aerial duels, a controversial penalty, a hotly disputed ejection, and an ESPN2 audience fueled a intense if inelegant 1-1 tie. The Revs struck just seconds into the second half when Andy Dorman slotted the rebound of a Taylor Twellman shot, and D.C. equalized five minutes later with a Jaime Moreno penalty kick.

[TV PREVIEW] Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney talked to New England coach Steve Nicol on the eve of the Revs’ Thursday night (ESPN2, 7 pm ET) clash with D.C. United, the preseason favorite that has lost its first three games.

The good, the bad and the ugly marked the first month of MLS play in 2007. Two new stadiums staged their first matches, harsh weather curtailed attendances in some cities, and the two teams picked by many to reach MLS Cup 2007 staggered out of the gate. So what’s wrong with preseason favorites D.C. United and Houston, and how’d the Red Bulls get hot?

A rare Monday night MLS game was the same old story for host Real Salt Lake, which lost to its Rocky Mountain Cup rival Colorado, 2-0. Moved out of Rice-Eccles Stadium for the weekend by the NCAA gymnastic championships being staged by the University of Utah, RSL (0-2-2) labored through a scoreless first half before Roberto Brown and Kyle Beckerman scored four minutes apart to give Colorado (2-1-1) the victory and a share of the Western Conference lead.

The Crew is still unbeaten, D.C. United is still pointless, and Toronto FC is still goalless after the fourth weekend of MLS play. (Colorado and Real Salt Lake play a rare Monday night match.) Taylor Twellman scored again and defending champion Houston again was shut out.

Real Salt Lake can’t be as bad as it looked while being thumped, 4-0, by Chivas USA last week, can it? It’ll a have chance to answer that question when it faces Colorado in a rare edition of Monday Night Soccer.

Toronto looks for its first goal in franchise history, D.C. United aims for its first win over the season, and the Home Depot Center heats up with the L.A. vs. Chivas USA clasico.

Juan Pablo Angel has yet to be issued a work visa, Clint Mathis was suspended, and the New York Red Bulls were playing on the road against a team coming off a 3-1 victory. Nevertheless, the league’s flagship of underachievement issued another statement of its capabilities.