Timbers and RSL rise in the West and reach conference final

The moment the referee called a penalty for the Timbers at Jeld-Wen field midway through the first half of the conference semifinal versus Seattle, you knew this game would be fun to watch. And also not into overtime like the other playoff games. For Salt Lake the moment came when the diminutive, 5'5" Sebastian Velasquez was left alone for a header that tied the global score.

The results now pit RSL and the Portland Timbers in a somewhat unprecedented Western Conference final with two of the youngest coaches in the league in Caleb Porter and Jason Kreis. Beating the establishment figures of Bruce Arena and Sigi Schmid speaks volumes for them and for the development of American soccer coaches.

Salt Lake imposed their game on the Galaxy but it was more the Galaxians' lack of cohesiveness, luck and missing pieces that assured the team would not threepeat in winning the tournament. Perhaps the Magee-Robbie Rogers transfer was the worst decision by Arena and Galaxy management and could arguable have cost them the title.

For Seattle the negatives are a bit more grave. For one, the Dempsey transfer has been a dud since he has only managed to score once in 11 days ever since his record-setting signing from Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League. Martins, Rosales and Johnson bore some of the brunt but still couldn't make it work for a heavy-spending and trophy-hungry fan base that continues to set records in attendance. Clearly, something must be done and Sigi Schmid is in peril. Bob Bradley, anyone?

The Portland Timbers have played their game. Caleb Porter's game. All offense and all defense in a perfect unit. Only five loses during the regular season and the only team to win both legs of the Conference semifinal and that didn't require overtime.

The key to Portland's success is their midfield: Diego Valeri, Will Johnson and Darlington Nagbe. Those three provide the spark and the goals. Chara, Alhassan and Zemaski contain the opposing squad while Kah and Danso outmaneuver attackers down the middle. Jack Jewsbury has found a nice spot for his new location at right back and is making the most of it.

Portland's win versus the Sounders was a tribute to their style. Will Johnson's well-taken penalty started things off right on time and Valeri's masterful goal added to Seattle's agony still in the first half. Danso's header early in the second half after a trademark fast-free kick played well with Caleb Porter. He nodded at the goal without much celebration as if saying "yup, I planned that."

Portland will need to be careful with lazy defending against RSL because Kreis's crew can punish you very fast, as was shown with Velasquez's go-ahead goal last night. DeAndre Yedlin's goal for Seattle, which sparked a 2-goal comeback, could have been averted by better positioning by Ricketts and the defense. Porter will need to fix these errors and prepare for a very difficult task in going to Utah this Sunday. They haven't defeated Salt Lake this season and now might be the time to do it.

Out and Forward: Robbie Rogers returns to soccer

Photo credit: ESPN

Robbie Rogers, Men's national team standout  and former Columbus Crew and Leeds United player returned to action last night with the LA Galaxy in a game versus the Seattle Sounders. Scarcely three months ago, Rogers shocked the American soccer scene when he announced early retirement at the age of 26 and revealed to the world that he was gay.

Soon after coming out and having returned to America after a one-year stint in English soccer, Rogers was training with the LA Galaxy. It became clear to the soccer media that there was a possibility for Rogers to return to the field in MLS but questions still remained, specifically with his rights being owned by the Chicago Fire.

Just this past week it was announced that Rogers had been signed by the Galaxy following a trade that sent Mike Magee to Chicago. It is worth remembering that Magee is LA's current top scorer and also a clutch player for them in the post-season for the past 4 years.

But Robbie Rogers stole the show in his debut not necessarily with his play--he needs time to be match fit. Instead, Rogers became the first gay pro-athlete in any sport actively participating in competition. In a time when gay marriage is gaining significant traction in many parts of the country and it has become mainstream for the great majority of young people, Rogers' adventure is all the more significant.

We now celebrate Robbie Rogers' accomplishments on the field and off. He is the young winger Bruce Arena has been looking for his team to provide width and enable Keane, Donovan, Zardes and Villarreal room to move. He is also a trailblazer for the LGBT community and society as a whole. We are all one people, friends, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, uncles and aunts, cousins and grandparents. We are humanity and are free to love whomever we desire, for that is our purpose in life and it makes us eternal.

No love for LA: USA falls to Costa Rica in friendly

Photo credit: Jake Roth / US Presswire

The United States Men's National team lost its first match under head coach Juergen Klinsmann in a friendly at the Los Angeles Area Home Depot Center. It was supposed to be a warm-up game for the much-anticipated friendly against Belgium on Tuesday. But through 30 minutes of scintillating 4-3-3 attacks and possession, no ball reached the back of the neck. Until Costa Rica scored.

Tonight's formation was a testament to Klinsmann's desire to play attractive, aggressive soccer. It may have payed off if Donovan, Altidore or Torres had scored. Rogers' empty runs and Shea's desire to play the ball up the middle prevented the wide attack that has made the US so dangerous in the past.

Credit (blame?) also goes to the back line. Castillo and Chandler had a great first half with constant forays to the front, leaving Bocanegra and Orozco Fiscal to deal with the counter. This worked while the US controlled the game. But after all the missed chances, Costa Rica built confidence and the back line was stretched and broken.

Orozco Fiscal was often in no-man's land and Bocanegra pushed the line further up to add to the attack. With Chandler and Castillo out of position, the Ticos were able to unleash lethal centers and through balls to open spaces. Maurice Edu had a largely quiet evening and this prompts us to ask if he's better alongside another center midfield.

The 4-3-3 formation left Donovan and Shea in retracted forward positions that also doubled as additional wingers. It played well with the industrious Torres and exploited the speed of Robbie Rogers early in the match. After the initial dominance of the team, Rogers became less efficient and Altidore was left alone.

Adding Kljestan to the mix came a bit too late in the game. His inclusion should have come at halftime for Rogers. Torres could have been sacrificed for Agudelo instead of Altidore so as to have two true forwards. Klinsi knows best, however, so benefit of the doubt for now.

So what is the diagnosis after tonight? Still a work in progress. Klinsmann is still learning about the players, their styles and imposing his own philosophy. His preference of Mexican-Americans on the pitch may have to take a hit if Orozco or Castillo fail to produce in the upcoming friendlies. With the addition of players like Dempsey, Bedoya, Bradley, Jones and Holden, the midfield could look quite different. Likewise for the defense. Waiting are Cherundolo, Ream, Spector, Lichaj, Loyd and, perhaps, George John. Up front we could still see Charlie Davies, Gatt or Adu. Maybe a 4-3-3 is only experimental and perhaps should be a change-up formation and not a starter.

Tuesday's match in Belgium is another special treat because there will be no Donovan. It's a great opportunity to test what a Donovan-less USA looks like. Having Bedoya in the mix would have been interesting but this game should be intriguing nonetheless.

Player ratings:

Howard....................6
Castillo.....................5.5
Orozco Fiscal..........4
Bocanegra................5
Chandler.................6
Shea.........................5.5
Torres......................7
Rogers.....................4
Edu...........................5.5
Donovan..................6
Altidore...................6

Subs: Kljestan (6), Agudelo (6.5)

Klinsmann Begins: USA ties Mexico

Photo credit: AP

It was a friendly tonight between Mexico and the US national team. But a friendly only on paper. As a "Clasico," this game never lost luster even when the Americans looked out of sorts in the first half. Today was coach Klinsmann's first game with Team USA and his calls were questionable at first, with a highly experimental 4-2-3-1. But we knew that this was a learning process.

The first half of play saw a very timid, disconnected Edson Buddle, and a largely non-existent Landon Donovan. Jose Fransisco Torres was charged with being the secondary creative force alongside Beckermann. Torres had his ups and downs and this irregularity has plagued him throughout his stint as a national team player.

The back line was extremely experimental, with only Cherundolo and Bocanegra as the usual stalwarts. Orozco Fiscal was the second centerback and Edgar Castillo had his shot at left back. Castillo was burned continuously by Barrera but still held up play. This position is still up for grabs. Orozco did well to contain the Mexican attack but was still caught ball-watching at times.

When the changes were made for a largely quiet Jermaine Jones and Edson Buddle, the Americans sparked into life. Juan Agudelo provided style with his passes and Brek Shea had a breakthrough game. The FC Dallas man has reappointed himself as a bona fide contender at the midfield in the future. Robbie Roger's goal came largely out of a play created by Agudelo and Shea.

All in all it was a good match for the US today. It might even have been a win if it weren't for poor finishing and some questionable referee calls. Klinsmann has begun to impose his style and it will be interesting to see what he does when players like Dempsey, Chandler, Edu and Holden are available.

Player ratings:
Howard.......................6
Cherundolo................6
Bocanegra..................7
Orozco........................5
Castillo.......................4.5
Jones.........................4
Torres.......................5
Beckermann..............4.5
Bradley.....................5.5
Donovan....................6

Subs: Roggers (7), Agudelo (7), Shea (7.5), Clark (N/A)

The US Gold Cup team: Missed opportunities?

Photo credit: Sports Illustrated

On Monday of this week we learned the names of the players chosen by Bob Bradley to represent the United States at the Concacaf Gold Cup. There were certain omissions and also some surprising additions. Out: Timmy Chandler, Alejandro Bedoya, Mixx Diskerud, Teal Bunbury, Charlie Davies, George John, Herculez Gomez. In: Robbie Rogers, Jonathan Bornstein, Freddy Adu, Chris Wondolowski, Oguchi Onyewu, Juan Agudelo.

Bob Bradley gave several reasons/reasoning for his choices: (a) Chandler is too exhausted from his first season as a starter for top-flight German team Nurmberg. (b) Rogers is a better fit than Bedoya for the team on the flanks at this point. (c) Adu has shown progress with Rizespor this season and merits a call-up. (d) Dempsey can cover as a second striker next to Altidore. (e) Onyewu is a stalwart with the team and is recovering from an injury perhaps in time for the tournament.

These are all very real and valid responses. Perhaps the most glaring one is the inclusion of Rogers over Bedoya when the latter has had a stellar season for Orebro of Sweden. The former has had an average start of the season with the Crew and was a bit disgruntled with the team early on.

Another important absence is that of Timmy Chandler. He is a two-way, multi-faceted player that can be shifted from defense to midfield at a mid-game notice. He was perhaps the best player during the last two games versus top opposition from Argentina and Paraguay. His ability to unravel the opponent's attack and his significant pace to get around players was a welcome sight for the American squad. While we may understand the reasoning behind his absence, a player of his caliber should welcome the advantage of being in a top-tier international tournament. His break-out season would be complete with another standout performance at the Gold Cup. Why not have him as a substitute at least?

The American attack should be concerned not just with the absence of a resurging Davies but with the production of top-striker Altidore. We all love him and believe in him but our forwards should be in top form. This leaves Dempsey as our top candidate to be our go-to scorer. Not a bad choice, but the midfield suffers as a result. This, compounded by the absence of Holden due to injury and Bedoya's exclusion, should leave us reason to worry. Will we see goals only from our midfield as we did at the World Cup?

Perhaps more important is the state of our defense. No DeMerrit and struggling Onyewu leaves two voids at center back. Yes, we can include Bocanegra alongside Goodson or Tim Ream. And left back? Bornstein? Bocanegra? Right back could be covered by Cherundolo/Spector/Lichaj. The latter two could play left back but aren't naturally left-footed. How do we defend against the fantasy of Chicharito Hernandez or the speed and abilities of Andres Guardado?

And this is where we end today. It will be up to Edu, Jones, Bradley to decompose the Mexican attack, and to Bocanegra and Ream or Goodson to counter the Manchester United ace. Chicharito is the X-factor in this tournament. Can this team overcome his magic as it did against Argentina? Or will we fall apart and be frustrated as we did versus Ghana (World Cup) and Paraguay (friendly)?

The players:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne), Jonathan Bornstein (UANL Tigres), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Eric Lichaj (Leeds), Oguchi Onyewu (FC Twente), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Freddy Adu (Rizespor), Michael Bradley (Aston Villa), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (New England Revolution), Jermaine Jones (Blackburn Rovers), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS (3): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Jozy Altidore (Bursaspor), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

Seattle elevates US Open Cup to glory

The second year expansion team, Seattle Sounders FC, defeated the Columbus Crew in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament and won it for the second year in a row. For those unfamiliar with this tournament, it is akin to the English League and FA Cup tournaments, the Copa del Rey in Spain, and many other single-elimination tournaments in planet football. Yes, USA has one too, and they've had it for 97 years.

Just like in other countries, this tournament is open to almost all semi-pro and professional leagues within the country, including the USSF Division 2 (Carolina Railhawks, Miami FC, etc.), USL-2 (Crystal Palace Baltimore, Austin Aztex, etc.) and other minor leagues. Like in England when Wycombe Wanderers may upset Arsenal or Everton, a team like the Charleston Battery may defeat the LA Galaxy.

Ever since the formation of MLS, and with the exception of the Rochester Rhinos in 1999, only MLS teams have won the cup. Attendance for these matches is notoriously low because they (a) fall during midweek usually, and (b) media coverage is limited. The same can be said for most other cup tournaments throughout the planet with the exception, perhaps, being England.

But this year Seattle changed the tournament. It injected credibility with the media, given the significant, ardent fan base of the Emerald City. The team also includes world class stars: Blaisse Nkufo (Switzerland) and Angel Fernandez (Uruguay), both present at the World Cup. Added to this are young phenom Fredy Montero, Steve Zakuani, Kasey Keller, among others. And the Crew is no pushover: Frankie Hejduk, Guillermo Barros Schelloto, Robbie Rogers, Eddie Gaven, Emanuel Ekpo.

It was a fun game to watch, with plenty of action on both ends. The Crew went up first but Sanna Nyassi would even the score before the half and would add the winning tally deep into the second half. He did it in front of an emphatic 31,000+ attendees in a raucous environment worthy of the 97-year-old tournament. This is after winning it against DC United in 2009 at the RFK Stadium. Seattle is a model club worthy of praise on and off the pitch. It is a triumph for MLS and for the US fan of the sport. Well done.

Another Cup, another final: US in the Gold Cup

If the Confederations Cup is considered the dress rehearsal for the World Cup for what are considered to be the top teams in the world then the "meaningless" Gold Cup is the dress rehearsal for the backup players in each team. Such is the case with US players like Chad Marshall, Stuart Holden, Kenny Cooper, Kyle Beckerman, Heath Pearce, Robbie Rogers, Troy Perkins, etc. These are all good players, yes, but they fall behind the Dempseys, Donovans, Bradleys, Howards, Onyewus and company.

The midfield pool, for one, just became much more crowded and starters, subs, and call-ups will have to be based entirely on form and quality of team (Europe-based will get the nod nearly all the time). Added to Dempsey, Bradley, Adu, Clark, Feilhaber, Torres, Kljestan, Edu and (hopefully) Jermaine Jones, are Holden and Rogers. Holden would probably take over Kljestan's spot. The once great prospect has faded slowly into obscurity. Also note the omission of DaMarcus Beasley. He has also lost his form... and his place.

The deal up front is a bit easier. Ching is still the target forward, although his finishing hasn't been great lately. Kenny Cooper is, to me at least, a better option than Conor Casey. The back line has some nice backup options: Goodson, Marshall have stepped up and are capable of standing in for Bocanegra, Onyewu and DeMerrit if required.

And now comes the final. Against Mexico. Again. This time it's none of the starters save for Dos Santos, "Memo" Ochoa, Carlos Vela, and Brian Ching. B side versus B side. A chance for more heroics and for some also a chance to be included in the 23-man squad in 2010.

Do the Crew!!!

At points in this MLS season I had badmouthed the Columbus Crew fans, labeling their franchise as one that could be moved elsewhere especially given that they did away with a portion of the stadium seats to make room for a stage. I always had faith in their team, however. Blue collar, hard working, compact, no huge stars. It's a classic underdog story. The once-Boca player Guillermo-Barros Schelloto pulls the strings in a most-Argentinean manner rekindling the days of Ortega, Veron and Co. Robbie Rogers is the American starlet that featured in the Olympics (without much impact). Hesmer is the goalie with mistique, Moreno the default #10, accompanied by US international and surfer Frankie Hejduk, plus Eddie Gaven, Nigerian Olympic medalist Emanuel Ekpo, and a host of other characters make up the new MLS bandwagon team. MLSRumors founders and current proprietors are also big Crew fans. It was a steady rise to the top for Sigi Schmid's team, both on the pitch and in the stands. They steadily made their way to the top brushing aside Chicago, DCU and the Revs. Their top form earned them a Supporter's Shield title (League championship, so to speak, based on regular season standings, a place in next year's Concachampions and a berth at next week's MLS Cup. So let's toast to the most hardworking team in the league! Being smart in terms of youth-experience balance, staying away from a DP, and ultimately winning the day through the impecable job done by Schmid has trully brought this team to the main stage at last. Here's to one of the original MLS 10 that actually kept their [at times regarded as silly] name. Bring it on, RSL/NY. A new champ will be crowned and maybe, for once, it will be the right team.
A few moments with the Crew (Guillermo always in the mix):