By Ridge Mahoney
Senior Editor, Soccer America
Two home teams held serve and two didnÆt in the first leg of the MLS conference semifinals, and the two that didnÆt need monumental efforts to overturn their series next weekend.
Yet the performances of Colorado, a 2-1 loser to FC Dallas, and the New York Red Bulls, toppled 1-0 by D.C. United, had little in common other than the expected outcomes of the No. 4 seeds failing to beat the No.1 seeds in their home legs.
The matchups of the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, on the other hand, were just about as tight and hard-fought as anticipated. New England, beaten 1-0 in Chicago, and Houston, nicked 2-1 by Chivas USA, have realistic hopes of reversing those deficits in the return matches.
HIGH DRAMA AT HOME DEPOT. Along with D.C., Houston and Chivas USA are regarded as the most skillful teams in MLS, and they generated some magical moments and not a few controversial ones in Chivas USA's 2-1 win.
Brad Guzan saved a Dwayne DeRosario penalty kick that would have tied the match 2-2 with five minutes to play; that PK was questionable, but perhaps it was a make up for a flying Guzan challenge on Brian Ching that was ignored by referee Jorge Gonzalez.
Ching, after shaking off the effect of his full-length dive to avoid contact as well as his disbelief, had narrowed the deficit to 2-1 by stinging home a low Brian Mullan with 15 minutes left.
A darting header by Francisco Palencia gave substitute Sacha Kljestan an assist with his first touch, a swerving free kick that Palencia nailed just inside the near post for the 2-0 lead. Kljestan had replaced Juan Pablo Garcia, who stormed off the field and slammed down a towel in frustration.
Speaking of free kicks, a nicely curled one by Ante Razov as the first half was about to expire completely befuddled Houston keeper Pat Onstad, whose furious protest after the ball landed in the net was in regards not to a Dynamo foul that yielded the free kick, but a collision in midfield a few seconds earlier that triggered the Chivas attack.
Game two will be a clasico.
FIRED UP. Chicago goalkeeper Matt Pickens came into the 2006 postseason with just 13 regular-season games to his credit yet, like Guzan, steeled the nerves for his playoff debut, a 1-0 Fire win.
He pulled off eight saves, including a point-blank block of Taylor TwellmanÆs header in the second half and a stop of Steve Ralston in the second minute. Justin Mapp whipped a free kick through a New England defensive wall and past keeper Matt Reis to separate the two teams.
New England held a 12-8 edge in shots yet the FireÆs Chris Rolfe and Andy Herron buzzed the RevsÆ goal often. Herron was cautioned for his rather reckless kick at a loose ball that instead caught Revs keeper Matt Reis in the face. Reis also received assistance from the crisp tackling of Michael Parkhurst and vital clearances by Jay Heaps and Avery John.
The Revs could rightly claim luck didnÆt go their way. Clint Dempsey inadvertently blocked a Jay Heaps header from a fine Ralston cross, and later Dempsey hobbled off with a sprained ankle incurred while shooting just wide as C.J. Brown crunched him.
As for the return leg, see above.
BULL SESSION. A moment of brilliant interplay between Christian Gomez and Jaime Moreno produced the only goal at the Meadowlands, but the sequence was set up by a typical piece of gritty work that is a staple of UnitedÆs game yet often gets overlooked.
Ben Olsen dug the ball out of a tangle, got it under control, and stroked it to Gomez, whose give-and-go with Moreno sent him clear to tap a shot into the Red Bull net with 13 minutes to play for D.C. United's 1-0 win. Alecko Eskandarian pierced the Red Bulls' back line several times and his mobility and aggressiveness opened up space for his teammates to exploit.
Youri Djorkaeff and Amado Guevera played well enough in spurts to provide the Red Bulsl enough chances to garner at least a tie, but it was left back Todd DunivantÆs cross that dropped perfectly for the inexplicably unmarked Markus Schopp to head way over the bar. Wide runs by Dunivant, Marvell Wynne and Dema Kovalenko stretched UnitedÆs defense but their servicing balls usually misfired.
BIG æDÆ FOR DARIO. The Rapids dynamic frontline duo of Nicolas Hernandez and Thiago Martins ruthlessly exposed the Dallas defensive deficiencies as they outshot their foe 17-6, but keeper Dario Sala stonewalled Colorado enough times that the other striking partnership — Carlos Ruiz and Abe Thompson, with a goal apiece û carried Western Conference champion Dallas to its 2-1 victory at Invesco Field.
Sala saved spectacularly from both Hernandez and Martins on several occasions and was beaten only when a shot he deflected onto the post fell for Terry Cooke to drive in from a sharp angle. Colorado keeper Joe Cannon saved well a couple of times but couldnÆt prevent Ruiz from steering a shot past him û after Ruiz had used his arm to settle a bouncing ball û and had no chance when a wide-open Thompson chested down a Ronnie OÆBrien cross and lashed his shot low inside the far post.
A late equalizer by Martins was disallowed for a questionable foul call on Hernandez as he shook off a challenge to center the ball. Three minutes later, an obviously seething Martins elbowed Clarence Goodson and was sent off, ruling him out for the second match at Pizza Hut Park.