Category: Soccer America Confidential

Frank Yallop seldom names names when his players disappoint him yet as the Quakes lost, 3-1, to Real Salt Lake last Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium he didn’t need to utter a word: the look of resignation on his face as he sat on the bench said it all.

Frank Yallop seldom names names when his players disappoint him yet as the Quakes lost, 3-1, to Real Salt Lake Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium he didn’t need to utter a word: the look of resignation on his face as he sat on the bench said it all.

In the two 2008 meetings of state rivals Houston and FC Dallas there have been 10 goals scored (including two stoppage-time equalizers), 49 fouls committed, and two players ejected.

This isn’t yet another diatribe in what is fast becoming a weekly recurrence: to dump on D.C. United. But in yet two more ways D.C. deflated its fans and embarrassed its crest yet again last Saturday by squandering a 1-0 lead and losing, 3-1, to Chivas USA at Home Depot Center.

On a night San Jose christened its temporary home in an environment that buzzed despite a lack of goals, MLS commissioner Don Garber answered questions about the team the new Quakes replaced and its struggles to find a new home.

Fortunately, both Vancouver and Portland are in the running for MLS expansion slots as we gaze at the horizon beyond 2009 entrant Seattle and 2010 rookie Philadelphia.

By beating San Jose 2-0 at the Meadowlands Sunday, New York further tightened a logjam atop the Eastern Conference standings and tilted more sharply the balance of power toward the Right Coast.

How tough a battle has it been for Chivas USA to carve out an identity in Southern California?

The two MLS Sunday matches offered the second- and third-place teams in each conference a chance to take over the top spot by winning, and in both cases, the home-field advantage meant nothing.

Revs coach Steve Nicol let loose a bitter tirade against referee Baldomero Toledo after he punished a clumsy tackle by Jeff Larentowicz with a straight red card in the seventh minute of New England’s 4-0 loss at Chicago last week [VIDEO].

Nicol ranted after the game, claiming such tackles don’t warrant reds anywhere else in the world.

I know we’re only two weeks into the 13th MLS season, and declaring detections of trends at this stage is a fool’s game, but I do see glimmers of a subtle yet critical phase in the maturation of America’s soccer league.

As poor crowds in Chicago, New England and Columbus for their opening games indicated, MLS isn’t anywhere near ready to move toward a schedule modeled along European lines.

Players, executives, coaches and fans want the same thing on opening weekend that they want every week: preferably wins, but a tie if nothing else. Joe Machnik and Paul Tamberino want the same thing every week also, but rarely can they and their colleagues settle for a tie.

So spoke Galaxy president and general manager Alexi Lalas in January, while David Beckham trained with Arsenal and speculation swirled regarding his possible selection for a friendly against Switzerland and possibly his 100th cap:

For MLS coaches, like the rest of us, much of life is one deadline after another. Next up is the date by which teams must be complaint with the salary cap, precise figure unknown, and the limits for the regular (18 players) and full (28) roster limits.

Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney examines MLS preseason player movement.

From fan to photographer to investor, entertainer Drew Carey has steadily increased his emotional – and financial – commitment to soccer. He’s a minority partner in the Seattle MLS franchise, intends to attend as many matches as his schedule allows, and vows not to thumped again by Landon Donovan when they tangle on the video screen. Carey took time from his work on the “Power of 10” and “The Price is Right” television programs to answer some questions by e-mail.

Two possible foreign imports added to a trio signed last season, several candidates to replace veteran defender Eddie Pope, a pair of first-round draft picks, and the prospect of a new stadium perhaps being ready by September mark the fourth preseason for Real Salt Lake.