Collection of videos after the KC win

This was all filmed by Erin Dutka and comes courtesy of Bryan Zygo's post on Major League Soccer Talk. Now if anyone has video of Kei's MJ moves after his goal, please post as I accidentally deleted it from my DVR (DOH!).

Dom


Chewbacca


Kei Kei the Wonderful Guy (about his MJ celebration)



Super Canuck
Read more!

Open Cup win redux and some love for Jonathan Yardley

Find more videos like this on MyDynamo.net


Thanks to the Dynamo for posting this video sequence from the win over the Austin Aztex earlier this week. I was stuck here in Houston for the game, but listened to Jonathan Yardley call it on KBME.

I have to say, that Yardley is excellent on the radio. If you've not had a chance to listen to the guy call a game, he's everything you want. Smooth, keeps the focus on the game, constantly updates the minute and score (in the old Red Barber with an egg timer style) and works the booth alone, so no constantly propping up a color guy. We could be seeing a major soccer broadcasting talent aborning here with the Houston Dynamo.

Saturday night, I may just turn the sound down on the TV and turn up the radio to listen to JY.

And I have to say, JY is right. Akinbiyi got robbed on that offsides call. That twice he's gotten robbed on offsides calls that should have been goals (The one in NY being the other). Read more!

To the Death! MLS predictions

With the recent spate of celebrity, ah, moving-ons, what better theme than that for this week's MLS predictions, now that I'm back from vacation and ready to be back in the flow.

With the quicky picks from the Hill Country last week, I'm at 40-57, a .412 mark, increasing my lead over blind chance to a season-best eight games. So I'm starting to feel my oats here, leading to a wild bout of celebrations, much like this guy here:



Well, hopefully, not like that.

On to the picks:

EARTHQUAKES at REAL SALT LAKE. RSL 2-0. Alright, aliright, RSl has started to play better, I'll admit it. And even though those guys ticked me off earlier in the season but losing winnable games right and left, maybe they are starting to turn things around. But even if they did not, a home game against the RBNY of the Wild West? Well, let's just say it would take a selling job of the first order to convince me that RSL will not win this game. Kinda like this one:



UNITED at CREW. Columbus 2-0 Columbus at home, just one point back of DCU in the Eastern Conference race. The defending champs are rolling. Call-ups might play a big role in this one as Columbus is without Robbie Rogers and and Chad Marshall, while DC suits up minus Santino Quaranta and Dejan Jankovic. However, injuries might be worse as DCU will not have Jaime Moreno, and probably not Luciano Emilio, while Fred is just coming back from an injury. That tilts it over to Columbus and GBS, who will score one and assist on the other, as is his wont. His game is oh so pretty, though perhaps not as pretty as:



FIRE at RAPIDS. Chicago 2-0 The string of clean sheets continue here. The Fire return after a three week MLS layoff missing only Bakare Soumare and Logan Pause, while the Crapids are without both Colin Clark and Omar Cummings. Chicago has their share of problems, true, but I think Colorado is on a free fall to Nowheresville. Colorado just doesn't have a Carson to come bail them out on this one.



DYNAMO at WIZARDS. 2-1 Orange. I will not hide the fact that I am nervous about this game. Even though we've got Rico back, it's no small thing to be missing this list of guys: Ching, Holden, Hainault, Barrett and Waibel. I think that's going to leave Kinnear with a lineup of

Kamara-Weaver
Ashe-Davis-Clark-Mullan
Chabala-Cameron-Boswell-Mulrooney
Onstad

Bench: Akinbiyi, Oduro, Cruz, Hayden, Hall, James

The good news is I think this is still more than enough to beat the Jimmy Conrad and Davy Arnaud-deprived Kansas City Wizards. With Espinoza and Christman also out, you begin to see how the Dynamo's depth beats any other team's in MLS. It's the kind of insurance you just can't leave home without these days, right Karl?



RBNY at FC DISASTROUS. 1-1 Tie Oh. My. God. You know, there are those of us who defend MLS all the time. I really do think it is, like Grant Wahl said on World Soccer Daily once, to the rest of the world's leagues like a mid-major conference in the NCAA. But then you get a game like this that comes along and it just makes the job that much harder. Not only that, but loko at this absence list:

INJURY REPORT: FC DALLAS - OUT: DF Steve Purdy (R knee); MF Alvaro Sanchez (R ankle); DF Daniel Torres (R hamstring); MF Marcelo Saragosa (R hip); PROBABLE: GK Dario Sala (L knee) ... NEW YORK RED BULLS - OUT: DF Kevin Goldthwaite (groin); DF Carlos Mendes (L hamstring); QUESTIONABLE: FW Juan Pablo Angel (R hamstring); FW Macoumba Kandji (R hamstring strain)

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: DAL: Kenny Cooper (USA, CONCACAF Gold Cup) ... NY: Dane Richards (JAM, CONCACAF Gold Cup); Alfredo Pacheco (SLV, CONCACAF Gold Cup)

What's left are two groups that are not so much quality soccer teams, but they play ones on TV. Eventually, it's all just an impression, like this guy:



REVOLUTION at GALAXY. 2-0 LA. When was the last time the Galaxy were clearly the superior team? They might just be this time, when you look at the New England injury list (Castro, Shalrie, Ralston, Twellman, etc. etc.). Not only that, but Donnovan is back and LA will be playing new acquisition Eskandarian. The Galaxy will miss Donovan Ricketts, but then again, with New England's makeshift attack corps, whoever is between the pipes for LA might not have much to do. LA should make out like a Smooth Criminal on the night.

Read more!

Quick picks from the vacation

On vacation this week and grabbing the small Internet time I can to post the following picks.

TORONTO 2, RBNY 0: What's a tonic for a losing streak? Hosting RBNY. Reds romp

RAPIDS 2, FC DISASTROUS 1: See the Toronto note. Anyone who is fooled by Frisco's win last week needs to have their head examined.

CREW 2, RBNY 0: Again, the Toronto lesson from Wednesday night just keeps on giving. JCO may not even get on the plane ride back to New Jersey after this game.

RSL 1, TORONTO 1: Second straight tie for the Royals and suddenly the Reds start feeling good about themselves again.

SOUNDERS 1, RAPIDS 0: Another nice game in Seattle and Keller turns in a gem.

DYNAMO 2, GALAXY 1: Hmmm, makeshft lineups as Hainault, Goal-den Holden and Rico are all gone, with Landon out for the Gals. This has tie written all over it, but I'm thinking an offensive-minded Orange will go through that defense with ease. Read more!

A camera into the future?

Red Bull Arena construction time-lapse: November 2008 from Red Bulls Reader on Vimeo.

Squint your eyes just a bit and it won't be New Jersey you see in the background there, but downtown Houston. (Nothing like a little optimism on a Friday morning!) Read more!

Where do I sign up?

A class in soccer? Sometimes I wish I were still in school. Read more!

Bobby, me and MLS Week 14

Is Bob Dylan a soccer supporter? Well, since his songs are about all of life, I'm going to assume for today that Minnesota's favorite son is indeed and, like his music does in the video above, that his work speaks to this week's somewhat truncated 6-game MLS schedule.

Mr. Zimmerman performed this song regarding a person who has everything going for her and then is out on her own after getting full of herself (Maybe the Christiano Ronaldo Story ca. 2010?). Well, I am not getting full of myself here, despite the fact that after going 4-3 last week (and if I had not brain farted and missed the TFC/RBNY game, 5-3!) my record is on a steady march up. As it is, I now stand 37-54 for the year, which is .407, or seven games over blind chance. This is the best I have been all year, which of course means that an 0-6 week is coming. So I'd back away slowly if I were you or this Siamese cat on my shoulder will tell you I'm not really where it's at.

Still, I'm not going to think twice and it's alright to pick these games this way:

DC UNITED at SOUNDERS: 1-1 draw. A hard rain is almost always falling in Seattle in the summer right? Well, this game tonight at Qwest Field will be something of a watershed for Seattle. Josh Wicks is the real deal, but so is Kasey Keller. This is the best DCU team we've seen in a few years and I fully expect them to make the playoffs this year, but it doesn't take a genius to predict that Seattle can hold serve at home. Jaqua's back for the Sounders, but Ben Olsen is also probably for DCU. This just points to a closely-fought, tough draw for me as every good point for one team is matched by one for the other.

GALAXY at EARTHQUAKES: 1-1 draw So down at the bottom of the table, here are two teams looking to avoid those Subterranean Homesick Blues. The thing is, the Trembles are almost completely woeful, while the Galaxy are just, well, they're just plain woeful, especially without Landon. LA on paper should win this one as they seem to match up better than SJ at almost every position. Plus, this game is over at the Athletics' place in Oakland, which can seem especially cavernous when the Quacks play there. So, why the draw? Because this isn't Dynamo/FC Disastrous here. When it comes to two relatively even teams and you get blood rivalries going, I just think the Trembles will keep from losing. I just don't think they're good enough to do any more than that.

SOUNDERS at NYRB. 1-0 New York. OK, OK, I know that the Steers are really bad, but I also know that when you go coast to coast after a tough game, you can be seriously hampered. That's tougher than it looks people. Plus, when you get there, you're playing on that Giants Stadium tarmac, which, if you're not used to it, can really bite you. If Dynamo tie there, what is Seattle on two days rest going to do? The stars just look aligned for NYRB to knock on Heaven's door and get an answer they like this time around.

CREW at FC DISASTROUS. 2-1 Columbus Where's the mystery here? Anyone who really thought that Frisco's win in Chicago was any more than a fluke or that their four-game unbeaten streak was built on anything other than sand got a rude awakening this past weekend. Well, Columbus is playing their best ball of the season and the candystripers are in total free fall singing the Tombstone Blues. Columbus wins this one going away, though Ferreira or Cooper (What is this team going to do if he gets called up to the Gold Cup team?) scores a late goal when it's all said and done.

RSL at DYNAMO. 3-1 Naranja Wow, seven whole days off! RSL may have blown out a Landon-less Galaxy team on the road last weekend, but that's a big difference than going against a rested Dynamo team firing on all cylinders at Robertson. To be fair, you overlook RSL at your peril and I was there at Robertson when a 4-0 blow out lead was turned into a narrow 4-3 win against RSL in 2007. Still, down, dirty and focused on finally rising over the MLS landscape like a full shining Houston sun, Dynamo will close these guys out with aplomb.

DC UNITED at RAPIDS. 1-0 Colorado. If it weren't for picking NYRB, this would be the biggest upset of the weekend. Here's what I think will hurt DCU: Playing on short rest, at altitude, against a good Rapids team fully rested and ready to prove itself at home. I just think a draw is the best the Washingtonians can hope for here, and I don't think they're going to get it in the face of some Thunder on the Mountain. Read more!

Quick picks for the weekend

OK, starting this weekend off already 1-0 is a nice, nice way to begin, let me tell you.

It just continues my roll, where I finished 4-4 last week, good for a nice (or at least nicer than it has been) 33-51 mark. (not including Dynamo's solid win against the las chivitas).

So here's the weekend, as I see. Not much time to go into much detail. And as always, if you use this info for betting purposes, there are many voluntary organizations that I think you should check out for your own good.

FIRE at DC UNITED. 1-1 Tie I know everyone's looking for this to be the stellar clash between the beasts of the east. Godzilla vs. Mothra and all that. But you know, Chicago played well against us and has had a week to lick the wounds of going 0-for-Texas after going 0-for-Frisco the week before (Those two are not the same thing and we all know it). The Fire are good, make no mistake, and DCU will miss Emilio and Olsen more than the Fire will miss Soumare and Prideaux. Mister White scores in his return to the Fire lineup.

DYNAMO at FRISCO. Don't insult me. 2-1 Orange. We take a wounded animal for granted at our peril, but that being said, Dynamo will close these guys out. Will the fans in orange outnumber the FC Worthless front office staff at Robertson North? Probably not, but the mere fact that we're having this conversation says loads.

REVOLUTION at WIZARDS. 2-1 New England. KC missing too many to hold off this improving side. Will Twellman play? If no, how far has that guy fallen since the whole Preston North End fiasco?

RSL at GALAXY. 2-0 LA. I said I would no longer pick RSL and I mean it, even against this team.

EARTHQUAKES vs. SOUNDERS. 3-1 Seattle Wondo scores meaningless goal in the second half. This could be Yallop's swan song. Maybe we can find a slot for him in the Orange front office.

las chivitas at CREW. 2-1 Columbus Schelotto will be too much for that back line. Jorge Torres? You have got to be kidding me. With two games in hand, Dynamo tie Chivas in points and never look back. Read more!

Seven things to think about for the week

(Posting this video is horrifying to my son, to which I say, if you can't embarass your kids, then as a parent, you're just not trying hard enough!)

After a nice weekend of soccer, here are seven random thoughts heading into the week:

1. It's looking increasingly as if only an injury to someone else will get Wade Barrett back on the field. Is Captain Wademerica done? And if so, a long term thought on this point, could he be John Spencer's heir apparent should Spence ever get a No. 1 job?

2. I understand MLS' long-held and oft-stated position on scheduling opposite international games, but can they not make an exception when it comes to the US Men's National Team? The two games played Saturday night were Chivas/Seattle and Rapids/RSL. Could those games not have been played earlier in the day? This is ridiculous.

3. Rico Clark showed the form against Honduras that we have come to expect week in and week out here in Dynaland. He was the Man of the Match for denying two almost-certain scoring chances. He saved the US.

4. Mexico is in deep, deep trouble. If they just draw in any of their home games, they are done. Three points in four games? This is a team that wanted to get out of CONCACAF to join CONMEBOL remember? Right now, they might wind up being the fifth-best team in the region. They're the Newcastle United of CONCACAF and have only themselves to blame.

5. Heard people say Dynamo were lucky to get their win in Chicago last Friday, and that may be so as Nyarko missed two sitters. However, Chivas was also lucky to get a win at the HDC with Jaqua doing similarly before he got his red. Sometimes, you get lucky, which is one of the elements of any unbeaten streak.

6. FC Useless have not lost since they were at Robertson Stadium, a four-game unbeaten streak. But have you seen any of the quality of those games? Last weekend's was the worst yet, managing only a 2-2 tie at home against the Trembles in front of their customary gathering of front office staff and passers-by. That franchise is, deservingly, in serious trouble. If the Hunts weren't the owner, how quickly would this team have moved to either San Antonio or St. Louis? Maybe they still should. What do you think?

7. Very much looking forward to Wednesday night and am seething with jealousy for those who made it up to Chicago last weekend and will be going to Frisco this weekend. My spirit will very much be with them, though my body will be here in Houston. Pick for Wednesday night: Tough, tight, chippy 2-0 Orange win.

And here's another nice video for you all:

Read more!

Hey, where'd everybody go?

To the international games or just home messing with the Xbox, that's where. Absences due to either call-ups or the sudden abundance of red cards are going to affect more than one game in MLS this weekend. I long for the day when MLS is mature enough of a league to suspend play due to the former, but I am told that is not where we are, so fortune will have to favor the deep benches.

Overall, I have been in favor of all of the card dealing by MLS refs this season, though I would like to point out that I have not noticed it actually applying to Dynamo foes (with the exception of Armas' back elbow job on Brian Mullan's jaw). Still, any downgrade in the excessive physicality on the pitches out there is a good thing to those of us who enjoy attacking soccer (and who doesn't really?). Eventually, as long as the officials are consistent, the players will adjust, we'll get a prettier game out of it and the card distribution will go down. Too many MLS refs lose control of games in about the 7th or 8th minute (and those are frequently the good ones!), so it's about time they exerted a little fortitude.

So after last week's 3-5 mark, I am sitting here at 29-47 on the year, a mark of .382 and maintaining my three-game lead over blind chance. But like a guy sitting at the dollar slots, I'm putting that next token in, knowing that this is the spin where it all comes my way. Just what it is that's coming my way, though is where the whole theory breaks down. But moving right along into the fog:

RBNY at DC UNITED. DCU 2-0. Red Bull is in some kinda free fall. JPA finally scored last week, but on a PK that was nearly blocked! Shep Messing is convinced Angel is hurt and not telling anyone because he just doesn't suck this bad. But the thing is, without him at 100 percent, just what else in attack does RBNY have? The I'm Not There brigade: DC: Avery John (Trinidad & Tobago; June 6 vs. Costa Rica) ... NY: Andrew Boyens (New Zealand; June 6 vs. Botswana); Alfredo Pacheco (El Salvador; June 6 vs. Mexico). Not to mention that NY is also possibly without Kandji. This will be over by halftime.

DYNAMO at FIRE. 2-1 Orange I've always been told that predicting a 2-1 scoreline means you should play at the front tees with your pants around your ankles. But I am doing it now because, (a) Chicago will not be shut out at home two weeks in a row, and (b) this is not the Fire team that so dominated earlier this season. Check out this international absence list: CHI: Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Mexico; June 6 vs. El Salvador); Bakary Soumare (Mali; June 6 vs. Ghana); Gonzalo Segares (Costa Rica; June 6 vs. Trinidad & Tobago); HOU: Brian Ching, Ricardo Clark (USA; June 6 vs. Honduras). Also, Wilman Conde is doubtful and has not been training. Our defense is wholly intact, while theirs is in total tatters. Mulrooney is back to move into his natural position of holding mid in place of Rico. Akinbiyi wants to break out so bad, it's all but visible. Dynamo all the way, and they never trail.

GALAXY at TORONTO FC. 1-0 Reds Finally, the Galaxy do not tie a game. Donovan is, of course, in Chicago for the USMNT game, as is Marvell Wynne. But without Landon, what does LA have? After losing to us and the Whitecaps over the last week, Toronto rights the ship against a depleted side that will be hanging back in anti-football mode all game.

CREW at WIZARDS. 1-1 Tie Here are two teams that have frustrated me all year. Columbus is better than they've showed and Kansas City is playing better than they really are, I think. Columbus' defensive woes will continue to haunt them as they give up a lead for the second consecutive game.

RAPIDS at RSL. 3-1 Colorado Two weeks ago, I swore I would not pick RSL again. Last week, I broke my vow and regretted it as the Royals got punished, PUNISHED by none other than San Jose! Oh. My. Goodness. That's it. No more mercy. Rapids, do your stuff and demolish those guys.

SOUNDERS at CHIVAS. 2-1 Seattle. Bizarro Chivas is winding down ever so slowly, and even though Seattle has had trouble on the road recently, Sigi loves taking teams into the HDC and wreaking havoc. This is all setting up perfectly because, if this goes according to plan (my plan, admittedly), las chivitas comes into here next Wednesday just three points up on Dynamo and taking on water. BWAH-HA-HA-HA! Jaqua, do you stuff.

EARTHQUAKES at FC HORRID. 2-2 tie The Suck Bowl. Ummm, I'd stay well away from Frisco on Sunday if I were you. This game might spill on your clothes.

NYRB at REVOLUTION. 2-0 New England. New York is picking a bad time to face a resurgent Revs squad. If they go all 180+ mins of play starting tonight with no goals scored, as is entirely possible, Osorio and Agoos are outta there. Though there's always a bright side. Maybe they'll get hired in Frisco.

Enjoy the week.


Read more!

Bradley and Ching, a winning pair

Victor Decolongon/GettyImages

It's no secret that this week can be a crucial one for the United States men. The opportunity to make the rest of the year an easier one exists, as well as, unfortunately, the exact opposite.

Team America play at Costa Rica on the painted over runway strip that is Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Wednesday night and then come home after just under three days of rest to take on Honduras at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday. (BTW, Rico Clark got added to the team today to replace the injured Frankie Hejduk. Read that here.)

As Jeff Carlisle points out (in a great ESPN Soccernet piece here), the compressed World Cup qualification schedule is a result of the fact the US will play in the Confederations Cup in South Africa this summer. Carlisle's piece analyzes the difficulty faced by the team very well. Hot weather and a tough team in Costa Rica, followed by a trip of several thousand miles and then a rested and ready team that would like nothing more that to escape Chicago with at least a point. It's a tough challenge, and it requires a mentally tough and focused squad.

And this is where I come to praise a certain Princeton and Ohio University alumnus named Bob (don't call me Robert) Bradley. Whatever you might think of Bradley's in-game tactics, the one thing I have noticed about the man is that he continually has the team focused and ready to play (the draw in El Salvador earlier this year notwithstanding) over a wide variety of conditions. That team and organization is focused on both near and long term goals, near being occupying and maintaining the position of top dog in CONCACAF (mission accomplished and continuing) and long being success in the World Cup (talk to me in August 2010 about this one). Here's a great quote from one Mr. Brian Ching:

"We're an extremely talented team, and I think Bob has done a great job of instilling his work ethic and his tough mentality into the team," added Ching. "So regardless of who we put on the field, we know our roles and we're going to make it difficult to break us down and we're going to create chances going forward."

It's that winning attitude, that expectation to fight and fight and fight some more, that was clearly lacking under Bruce Arena, Steve Sampson, Bora, you name it. And if you had to pick a reason to pimp the good qualities of the Americans, start here.

And that brings up the topic of our own national teamer, Brian Ching. In another Soccernet piece by Kristian Dyer (read that one here), the point is made about how many people diminish the talents and skills of the Flyin' Hawaiian with evident relish. Dyer speaks both to Dominic Kinnear and Ching about this topic and both are very clear and to the point about how ridiculous the notion is. Here's The Dom:

"His strike rate is pretty incredible," said Kinnear, who compares Ching favorably with former national team striker Brian McBride. "Sometimes I troll the message boards a bit -- I don't make a habit of it too much -- and I am surprised by what these people have to say. I don't think most of them could coach any soccer team, judging from what they have to say. I laugh because these fans don't get the chance to see a player every day."

And that last point is a crucial one. None of us are at practice every day, see the players and their work when the lights are off and observe a continuum from there to when the lights are on. As any scout will tell you, this perspective is absolutely essential. We get to see Ching Kong every week in Dynaland and appreciate our incredible good fortune, but even we don;t know his true value. The guy just brings it night after night after night. Here's a great quote from Gonzalo Segares in the Dyer article:

"I know I will be sore the next day," Segares said. "I will be limping and bruised."

Dyer compares Ching to Brian McBride and I would definitely link to that iconic moment of McBride walking off bloody in the US/Italy game from 2006. We've seen that same scene from Ching as recently as against San Jose, and again last year at least once. The two Brians are linked more than just in name, that is true.

And looping back to the Bradley points above, it's hard to imagine a player more suited to that tough as nails, win, win, win approach that Bradley has instilled in the Snakes. Or as Ching himself says:

"I think what Bob has brought to the team is a shake-up of attitude," Ching said. "Personally, I thought that some players got to comfortable under [former U.S. national team coach] Bruce [Arena]. Not knocking anyone, but when players know that they are going to play regardless of how they perform, it's natural for some to not perform at their best.

"Bob has done a good job of having a focus for the team and always reminding us of it and pushing us towards it."

So Wednesday and Saturday, let's just win boys, and bruise and bleed to qualification. As we all know, Chingy will. Read more!

Holden and Lowry, soccer/hoops synergy

Stuart Holden and Houston rockets guard Kyle Lowry had this little shootaround here in town the other day. I would have paid real US currency to be there. Read more!

Time to Time, and WHOA! There goes the time

Boy, time sure has a way of sneaking up on you. Still amazed by Barca's amazing domination and repulsion of the Mancunian Invasion of Roma yesterday, I completely missed Columbus' 2-1 win over San Jose last night. (Proof that it did truly happen here.)


(And BTW, a HUGE shout out to V on Dynamo Planet, who correctly predicted the teams and the final result a year ago. Yes, A YEAR AGO! I bow to you dude. Now, about this week's lottery numbers.....)

Somehow, in its infinite (what passes for) wisdom, MLS decided to schedule a game the same night as the UEFA Champions League final. I guess we should all be thankful they didn't schedule the game at the exact same time as the festivities in Rome (Why did I post that video up there? One reason is that with about 20 minutes to go in the game the phrase "Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way..." drifted across my consciousness. Go figure.), though would it surprise anyone if the idea had actually been considered in the Don's underground New York bunker?

So anyway, I give myself a pass on last night's game, even though a road game for San Jose? What else would I have picked but Columbus winning, though when you see the highlights, the Trembles had more quality chances in the first 20 minutes than they had all last week. And, by the way, who is that inhabiting Joe Cannon's body? I know SJ's back four is as woeful as it gets, but "Cannon" is hardly doing anything other than phoning it in. Look at his positioning on both goals, in addition to last week here at Robertson. Tony Caig would be an improvement.

And in another noticeable non-occurrence, Eric Denton got no suspension nor a fine for his high elbow to Kei Kamara's chin (If he wasn't trying to throw the elbow, what was it doing up there in a play off the ball?). Just saying.

So, on the rest of this week's games (My overall mark is 26-42 after last week's 3-4 performance, good for a .382 mark or three games over blind chance. And yet, still he picks his own self up and soldiers on! Sucking knows no quit, ladies and germs.):

FIRE at las chivitas. 1-1 TIE. I have predicted all along the wheels would be coming off for Bizarro Chivas (copyright Dan Loney) any day now. A ship built on Zach Thornton's continued goalkeeping prowess is a ship that will take on water at any moment. And the best they can do at KC is tie? It's happening now My People. Temoc vs. the Goats, American or not, lifts Chicago to the road draw.

RAPIDS at RED BULL. 1-1 TIE. After the Rapids have traveled 10,214 miles over the last two weeks playing at New England, Seattle (for a US Open Cup play-in) and now New York, you know they're going to be tired and wouldn't be at all surprised to lose. But then again, this is Red Bull, who constantly find new ways to lose or draw each and every week against teams not named San Jose. So who am I to argue with that?

DC UNITED at REVOLUTION. 1-0 DCU Have you seen New England play lately? No? Good for you.

TORONTO at DYNAMO. 2-1 Orange So much is being written about this game around that it seems absurd to put in my $0.02, but here goes: The Reds are two different teams. At BMO, they're Under a Blood Red Sky, and on the road, they're just a little pinker. I mean, this is the same team that lost to FC Horrible at Pizza Hut, the only squad to do that this year. Not to be overconfident or anything, because any team with De Rosario, Guevara and Dichio is a team that can hurt you bad. But like so many games, I think this will be decided by the back line, and when you compare these two teams on that level, you see a decided advantage to Dynamo.

CREW at SOUNDERS. 2-0 Seattle. Columbus was getting peppered by San Jose. San Jose!! At home. Columbus is not the same team as last year, which is becoming more and more apparent. Sigi and the Green take this one.

WIZARDS at GALAXY. 1-1 TIE. As Loney pointed out, someone needs to alert Arena that they give three points for wins these days. Eight of the Gals' 11 games have ended in draws this year (and one more in US Open Cup qualifying). It's bigger than all of us.

REAL SALT LAKE at EARTHQUAKES. 2-1 RSL. Yallop fired at halftime because, as much as you'd like to, you can't fire the team.

FC HORRIBLE at FIRE. 20-0 Chicago. Or something like that. What's the only thing worse than dallas? Dallas on the road.

Read more!

What is the proper welcome for Dwayne De Rosario Saturday night?

See that smiling face? We all love him and with very good reason.

However, this Saturday night, when the whistle blows, Dwayne De Rosario will not be our friend. He will be our enemy. He will be trying to hurt us, take away from us a victory we need very badly to stay in the Western race.

So the question is, how is he to be welcomed back to Houston? I know there are many people out there who want to cheer Dwayne, and really, I can understand that feeling, as I do as well. From afar, I have been cheering his exploits as a Red and wishing him nothing but success. Let's be clear, here's a guy who wanted to go home so badly, he was willing to don ruby slippers (or at least a ruby kit!) to do so. I can respect that. I can honor that. His desire to leave was not a statement about the Dynamo, about Houston, about us fans. He deserves no ill will because of that.

And yet ill will is what he most certainly deserves on Saturday night because he is not a member of the Houston Dynamo. He is a visiting player who is trying to score, to win, to defeat the Houston Dynamo. When he left last year, I wrote this very simple message:

"So, fare thee well Dwayne De Rosario. Enjoy your years back in your hometown, where we would always want to wind up in our lives. You have earned our love and respect and, and I mean this in all sincerity, I hope you take it as the deepest measure of personal respect and true love when Dynamo come to BMO Field next season and crush you like a grape."

And I mean every word of it.

So while I will not hold it against anyone who wishes to applaud DeRo, know this, there will be no applause emanating from my seat in Section 119, not until after the game is over. I thank him for his service the last three years and I wish him well overall, but under no circumstances do I wish him well on Saturday night. May all his shots find the seats. May all his passes go awry. And may the funky chicken dance be nowhere in evidence.

What say you? Read more!

Video highlights of Dynamo 3-1 win

Very nice. Read more!

Houston in 2010?

Red Bull Arena construction time-lapse: September 2008 from Red Bulls Reader on Vimeo.

This is a time-lapse of the building of Red Bulls' new playpen. Squint your eyes just a bit and you might be able to see the east side and downtown Houston in the background.

(Don't we all wish!!) Read more!

Climbing back aboard

My quote from last week:
So, as you can see, like my Orange and those Celtic Bhoys, I am now feeling my oats. I've been around long enough to know, though, that is the exact, precise moment that reality comes crashing. So armed with the certain knowledge of crushing defeat...

My record from last week: 2-5, along with Celtic's potential title-crushing tie, which means that their SPL championship run is very possibly over (though my positive waves will be heading both to Parkhead and Dundee Sunday. More on that in another post, but suffice to say, the situation is dire in Paradise.).

Would that my picks could be as good as that prediction up there, with my season mark now an almost unspeakable 23-38. My performance is shocking, RUBBISH! as Kenny Hassan might say.

But will that stop me? Heck no! Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again...

REVOLUTION at TORONTO FC. 2-1 Reds. OK, I know Ralston's back, Shalrie is playing well and Reis might be in the lineup, but overall the Revs have just been woeful. Also, even though Toronto have never beaten New England, I think this is the time. Both back lines are terrible, so the goals might be coming aplenty. Reis' presence keeps the Reds from running away with it.

RSL at DC UNITED. 2-0 to the Black. A quick recent history lesson here. Last week I wrote: OK RSL, this is your last chance. If you screw me around blow a game against a winnable opponent again, I will not pick you for the rest of the year, whatever it does to my record! (Though seeing how RSL has played so far, that will probably be not much.) And why? Well, overall I have picked Salt Lake to win or tie six times (SIX TIMES!) and over those six times, the Royals have gone 1-5 against my prediction. Skee-rew them. DC, rip them a new one. With Salt Lake sending out their third-string keeper, it shouldn't be hard.

las chivitas at WIZARDS. 2-1 KC The wheels are starting to come off of Chivas' dream season. You heard it here first. Zach Thornton '09 is almost out of gas and the Amerigoats start coughing it up.

GALAXY at FC HORRIBLE 2-0 Gals. Yes, even the tie-crazy Galaxy can break out of their patterns, and if you can't do it against this team, then you just can't do it. No matter what that scumbag Andre Rocha did scoring against Seattle last week. Look at who's out for Frisco: Sala, Cunningham, and then Purdy and George John, that is two of that incredibly bad back line we saw here in Robertson a couple of weeks ago. How bad are their subs? Watching this team is like watching Newcastle this season. You know the hammer is falling, it's just a matter of who it's falling on this week.

EARTHQUAKES at DYNAMO. Puh-lease. 2-0 Good guys. There's really nothing like seeing the joy in Brian Ching's eyes as he beats the heck out of San Jose. Those stars on their jersey are a personal affront to him and all the guys who came over from Cali, and they should be. Now if we can only keep Kamara from taking Nick Garcia's head off, though maybe he should? I'm just saying.........

SOUNDERS at RAPIDS. 1-0 Seattle. Check out this from the injury report: PROBABLE: MF Freddie Ljungberg (migraine recovery) I have never seen that before, though as someone who is married to a migraine sufferer, let me tell you, don't laugh. That is serious business. Colorado is better than they used to be, but Seattle is coming off a road tie last weekend against a far worse team and they will be playing angry. Jaqua will score (though I'm sure I've just jinxed him).

FIRE at NYRB. 2-0 Chicago. One fluke goal against us last week (though I have to admit, I loved Wolyniec' finish on that one as a soccer fan as much as I hated it as an Orange-utan), and a five spot against them in the US Open Cup game on Wednesday and you see a Red Bull team that is about to just fall into a deep, deep pit. In a away, the 4-1 win over San Jose may have done them more damage than good, if you know what I mean. Watch Chicago just dominate this one. Read more!

Turning the corner

The streak is alive! Going 5-4, I have now posted two consecutive weeks over .500, allowing me to inch ever closer up on the season at 21-33, good for a .389 mark. Overall, I think that's not bad since pure chance would have a mark of .333. (I decided early on that if a result is a tie, that's a loss for me since I could easily have predicted a tie.)

So, as you can see, like my Orange and those Celtic Bhoys, I am now feeling my oats. I've been around long enough to know, though, that is the exact, precise moment that reality comes crashing. So armed with the certain knowledge of crushing defeat, I am wading into the treacherous waters of MLS Week 9.

FIRE at TORONTO FC. 1-1 Draw. You know, I continue to be a nonbeliever in the Reds. DeRo did indeed wake up last week (and did you see that second goal of his at Dc? Wow. now THAT was a bittersweet thing to see.), and awake and playing well, he's easily TFC's best player. But this week we will all see this association (courtesy of my son's TAKS test): Kryptonite is to Superman as artificial turf is to Dwayne De Rosario. He will not score. He will not assist. All of his passes will be too heavily weighted. He'll be frustrated and Blanco will get in his head. Chicago escapes with the away draw and the early optimism will begin to wane in Toronto.

RAPIDS at REVOLUTION. 1-0 New England. What's the precise blogging term for "I have no f'ing idea"? The Crapids are in the road and have a winning all-time mark against the Revs. New England still have half the team out with injury, but Steve Ralston's back. I'm going with the old tried and true on this one. When you don't know, go with the home team to hold on for a win. Matt Reis can handle anything the Rapids dish out.

DYNAMO at RBNY. 2-0 Orange Did anyone happen to catch Red Bull's 4-1 win last week? Amazing. Shocking. Total rubbish. THAT was the San Jose back line. New York, they of the almost laughable ineptitude, went through those guys like a hot knife through butter. I think NY has been thinking all week, though, that it was a result they got because they're just that good. Hubris is the companion of the loser who loses after a win and hubris will have its home on the NYRB bench this week. I think that will more than make up for the fact that Dynamo are again playing on a green-painted tarmac. Perhaps the terrible condition of the Robinson Stadium field earlier this season has helped Dynamo play better on the fake stuff. We'll see. Shutout streak continues.

SOUNDERS at FC FRISCO. 3-0 Seattle. This is just not a team that can score on Kasey Keller, while the other one really is a team that can score on Ray Burse Jr. Early. And often.

WIZARDS at REAL SALT LAKE. 2-1 RSL. OK RSL, this is your last chance. If you screw me around blow a game against a winnable opponent again, I will not pick you for the rest of the year, whatever it does to my record! (Though seeing how RSL has played so far, that will probably be not much.)

DC UNITED at las chivitas 2-1 DCU I firmly believe that these are two teams that have played above their skill level so far this season, but none so much as the Amerigoats. I mean, Paolo Nagamura has scored two game-winning goals so far this season while Kljestan has scored none? Zach Thornton playing like Pat Onstad? You can not tell me with a straight face that this is a team winning on its merits. DC, on the other hand, has had three games scoring either winners or ties with goals in extra time. That is three more than I think they'll get the rest of the year. But I still don't think they'll need it this time as Chivas will be exposed here. The fall will be long and steep.

CREW at GALAXY. 2-2 Draw. I know and we all know for a fact that Columbus is a better team than the Gals, and that this in all rights should be a complete and utter blowout at the site of Columbus' greatest triumph last November. LA seems to be adept at tie-making this season, and Columbus has been equally adept at surrendering tie-making goals. The Crew is playing better, but they'll still leave the HDC shaking their heads. Read more!

Mulrooney out. Who goes in?

Well, well, well. It looks as if Julius James or Waibelinho his own self may get to see some action sooner than planned.

Bernardo filed this story today (link here):

Dynamo defender Richard Mulrooney will miss Saturday’s match at the New York Red Bulls after suffering a broken left cheekbone after a collision during Tuesday practice.

Mulrooney, the team’s starting right back, underwent surgery that same day. He is expected to return to practice in 2-4 weeks, the team said in a release posted on its Web site Wednesday afternoon.

The 32-year-old MLS veteran has started every match and played every minute this season for the Dynamo (3-2-2), who are riding a three-match winning streak and have gone a league-best 403 minutes without conceding a goal.

Mulrooney becomes the third starting defender to miss time because of injury after Eddie Robinson (knee surgery) and Wade Barrett, who missed last week’s 1-0 victory over FC Dallas with a strained calf.

Personally, I think the back four looks like this:

Hainault-Cameron-Boswell-James

With Waibel and Barrett first off the bench. Now before all of you Waibel Warriors get on my out there, know this: I also am a big fan of His Balding Badness. However, pace on an artificial surface like the glorified green runway tarmac at Giant Stadium is at a premium. James has it in that circumstance and Waibel (not to mention Barrett) do not.

No one wants to see Nightmares with Dane Richards, the Sequel here and I think James is best suited to prevent that. What do you think? Read more!

Orange love from Carlisle and future XI

Jeff Carlisle shows some Orange love on his West notes column (click here) over at MLSnet.com, focusing primarily on Geoff Cameron and Andrew Hainault.

My favorite part of the piece is in this quote from The Dom:

"You always try and put your best team on the field," said Kinnear. "That's what you always try to do. But we feel comfortable enough with Boswell, Hainault, Cameron, and Julius James, that when Eddie comes back it's the right time. If it gets to the point where Eddie is a clear starter, then we have some selection issues, which is great."

And that is great, though I doubt seriously it's going to happen until ate in the year. I foresee Ching, Clark and Holden all missing time due to international US call-ups this year. And don't forget that Hainault and Onstad might miss some minutes playing for the Canada team, which, while no longer in World Cup qualifying (which is another tragedy entirely) will be playing in the Gold Cup.

Here's a projected XI with all five of those guys gone:

Akinbiyi-Kamara/Wondo

Davis-Cameron-Mulrooney/Ashe-Mullan

Barrett/Chabala-Robinson/James-Boswell-Mulrooney/Waibel

Hall/Deric(back from loan)

Not as stout as we've seen, but plenty loaded with skill and some pace and toughness. What do you think? Read more!

TA's take on taming Tallas

Texian Army TV - Episode 07 - Angel of Death / Dallas @ Houston from Texian Army TV - Yossarin on Vimeo.

What's better than being at Dynamo's smackdown of FC Worthless? Watching the Texian Army's take on it. Read more!

Dom on Extra Time

Always nice to see some love headed our way Read more!

Number 9 and I am rolling

Now I am not going to say that I have turned things around completely, but after posting my first winning week of the season with a 4-3 mark (Thanks to my Dynamo boys for putting me over the top), I am feeling my oats. Overall, I am 16-29 now, but I look at MLS' nine-game slate this week and what do I see? I see opportunity my lads. Opportunity to make up geography on that record. So here we go.

(And by the way, these predictions are for personal jollies and not to be used as the basis for any wagering. If you do that, then the consequences are yours and yours alone. Though please, if you feel so compelled to wager based on my predictions, there are many, many agencies out there to assist you in your recovery. Get help. Now.)

DC UNITED at WIZARDS. Tie 1-1. DC is rolling with two straight wins that got started with their last-minutes comeback against RBNY. But nothing can get a team overconfident like a win at home against a USL-2 side like FC Worthless. KC still sucks, but DC is just not tough enough to get this win. They are, however, good enough to force the away draw.

GALAXY at REAL SALT LAKE. RSL 2-0. OK Salt Lake. I have had it up to here with you. I picked against you in Denver last week and was right (Despite El Naranja's calling me out!) and think you guys have just been all over the map. But if you can't win against a team as bad as the Gals at home, then that's it. I think you guys have every chance in the world here. Foul Landon early and often and LA will not be able to respond.

EARTHQUAKES at RBNY. 1-0 New York. Juan Pablo Angel scores on a New York Friday night and earns JCO a reprieve on the coaching hot seat. San Jose is rubbish on the road.

WIZARDS at CREW 3-1 Columbus. Second game in three days against the defending MLS champs means disaster for KC. Columbus cruises to its first win of the season.

TORONTO FC at DC UNITED. DCU 2-0. Put it on Black. You know, everyone will make a big deal about this being a battle for top of the Eastern table. But Toronto is overrated and DCU is much better than last year. Once again, you will see in this game the difference that having a healthy Ben Olsen brings to the Black. This game will not be close.

REVOLUTION at FIRE. Chicago 2-0. New England is not as bad as they showed against Dynamo last week. They just are not. But they are not as good as Chicago. Not by a long shot.

FC HORRID at DYNAMO. 3-0 Orange. There is so much to write between now an Saturday about this game, and it will all be written here and at other sites. But quite simply, and I'm trying to be as respectful as I can be here, Frisco is total crap and Dynamo is rolling. I think frisco's problem is simple. They keep playing all of these teams that are better than they are. They need to find some teams they can beat. Maybe a PDL side? Hey, just trying to be helpful.

REAL SALT LAKE at las chivitas. 2-1 Goaties. Chivas continues their early season run before the summer implosion takes its toll on them. They'll start losing soon, but not at home against a bad road team like RSL.

GALAXY at SOUNDERS. 2-1 Seattle. Landon goes wild and has a great game, but its those other 10 guys in the LA gear that let him down. What else is new? Read more!

A beer and a bump

I'm trying to think of any Dynamo who might do this. Maybe Waibel, though perhaps that's why he doesn't get to take corners.

This is the old NASL Vancouver Whitecaps. Found at kenn.com, a wonderful site. Read more!

Dynamo/Rev highlights and thoughts

In case you missed it, Dynamo win strong.

Certain things I noticed about the game, other than how nice it was to see the Orange produce a 2-0 smackdown of the Revs on plastic grass:

<>I think the Revs' best chance came in the second half after Andrew Hainault mistimed a challenge along the Revs' right flank. It turned into a near miss, but might have energized New England if they had converted. No one's perfect, but the carrot-topped Canadian almost screwed the pooch there.

<>Best goal that wasn't: Brian Mullan's jinking, back and forth run through the right side of the box, deking two guys out of their shorts before centering to Kamara, whose wormburner was snagged by Matt Reis. Wow. Mullan looked positively Messi-like there. If he had any finishing touch at all, he would be even more of a beast than he is.

<>Wow, this is what happens I guess when you're missing six starters. That was the worst performance I have ever seen from New England. Looking at Stevie Nicol's face after the game, I think the postgame meeting was probably a tad heated over there.

<>Matt Reis letting a weak ball from distance through his legs like that? I still can hardly believe that happened. Look closely at it because you'll probably never see him do that again.

<>On the same play, Stuart Holden was quoted in the Chron today thusly:

“I’ve been holding back a little bit, looking to pass too much so I took a couple of shots today and got lucky,” Holden said.

Stuart, that is what all us out here watching have been saying all season. And you did indeed get very lucky. Look, I'm a team guy. You're a team guy. We're all team guys. But you've got a howitzer on the end of your leg there. Load the sucker up and fire!

<>Is it my imagination or does Kei Kamara get klobbered out there on a regular basis without a kall being made? The guy has a ton of athleticism and pace, and clearly the book on him is to chop him down. It would be nice to get just a little protection from time to time. In all sports, there are always guys that officials don't like and they let opposing teams give them the business more than others. Is Kei one of those guys? If this doesn't change, he is going to get hurt out there and miss time one of these days.

<>And about Kei, can he please start reading the offside trap a little more reliably? I'm am so tired of him getting caught out so frequently.

<>Ade, welcome to life on Dom's bench. Really, was there any reason why Dom waited so long to get Akinbiyi on the field? Honestly, sometimes I think Kinnear forgets he has a bench and there are subs to be made. Kamara was getting killed. Ching was getting hammered (no surprise there) and we were cruising 2-0. Why couldn't Ade have seen the field in the 70th minute or so? He looked good in the few seconds he was in the game, but he clearly is going to have a tough time adjusting to MLS refs. Join the club pal. Wait until you meet Abbey Okalaja. >shudder< Read more!

Going where Shep and Greg fear to tread

Now, I love Extra Time. Well, maybe love is too strong a word. I'll stick with, "It's just about the only MLS deal around, so I'll watch it."

However, I have to say that I think Shep Messing and Greg Lalas just turned in the wussiest preview rundown I have ever seen. Going over a whole weekend slate, the only game they're going to predict is Colorado/RSL? WHAT is up with that?!

To tell you the truth, coming from a former keeper and defender, I think they've gone a bit yella.

Go out on a limb boys. Don't just tell me that the Seattle/Chicago game is the most attractive one on the schedule. I know that already. Tell me who's going to win and why. Post your predictions. Stand behind them. BE! A! MAN! (Or in your cases, two men.)

Look at me, my overall record on the year is 12-26. That is a percentage of .316! Now in another sport, that might net me a million dollar contract. But here, it is absolute rubbish. But am I afraid to advertise that fact? Am I afraid to declare my total lack of quality in the prediction business? Here's the deal, I know I suck, and in that I find honor. I'll get it where I can.

Shep and Greg, nut up or shut up you guys.

PREDICTIONS:

CREW at TORONTO. 2-1 Columbus Toronto at the top of the Eastern table? Mirrors, guys. They're doing it with mirrors. Columbus is starting to put it together. Look at how they were playing before Gino Padula got sent off. With that, MLS refs proved once again they have no idea when and where to use which cards. Yellows where reds should be and reds where yellows should be. Kind of a parable there though, as yellow will triumph over red at BMO Field. Crew are without Hesmer, Iro, Moffat and Frankie is questionable. Still, even though DeRo is questionable for the Reds, the Crew hold on to get their first win. Toronto's run ends here.

FC COOPERS AT DC UNITED: 3-1 DCU I give Frisco the one because Kenny Cooper is that good. It is good for them that there is no relegation in MLS or they'd be the Texas Toon. May 9 = the Kick 'Em While They're Down Hoe-Down. DCU, you get the honors first. Enjoy.

SEATTLE AT CHICAGO: 2-1 Fire Now this is the sort of game that many will tout as being a preview of MLS Cup 2009. But since neither one of these teams wear orange, I don't know what they're talking about. (HAH!) OK look, Kasey Keller is good and all, but he is not, nor has he ever been, the (insert deity of choice here)-made cast of the Perfect Goalkeeper. He is mortal and he will give up goals and he will lose. And against a virtually full-strength Chicago side at home riding the wave of last week's comeback and an on form Brain McBride, this is the week.

RSL at RAPIDS: 2-0 Colorado The Rocky Mountain Rivalry is a fun one to watch, if only because you have two historically crappy sides whose only hope of glory year in and year out is to beat up the other. Good times!! A 6-0 pasting of New England aside, it would be folly to read too much into that. That was a perfect storm and unlikely to be repeated. And, you know what, Colorado is not that bad this year.

las chivitas at SAN JOSE: 2-1 Goatlings The Quakes are in big trouble and Chivas is rolling. Sounds like upset time right? Well, maybe. But not this week. Chivas holds on and Zach Thornton does just enough to keep his mythos going.

RBNY at GALAXY: 0-0 Look, paint peeling! Let's go check that out.

DYNAMO at REVOLUTION: 2-1 Houston You know, this one has tie written all over it, but my orange heart will not allow me to go that route. And for those of you hoping that last week's 6-0 loss to RSL means something, check out the RSL note above and know this: Matt Reis is eligible for this game. Of course, he's just about the only one who is. Ralston's out. Twellman's out. Albright's out. Castro's out. Nyassi's questionable. And we're just about at full strength with Ade Akinbiyi and Hainault. Still, artificial surface. And the weather report has it raining and in the 50s. Still, my heart says 2-1 and I will go with my heart.

So take that Shep and Greg! What have you got? Read more!

Musings for the bye week

As much as I would prefer for Dynamo to be playing this weekend, the bye week is not without its charms.

Among those is the chance I get to look around the league and find some players I thoroughly enjoy watching, others who are Dynamo alums I still root for and still others who's skills I appreciate but am thoroughly glad that this week they're not playing my team. It's nice to get a breather and check these players out for a week.

PLAYERS I LOVE TO WATCH

Juan Pablo Angel Is there any doubt that JPA (and one other below) is tied for the title of best designated player in the league. The guy's combination of speed and mental toughness is a welcome addition to this league, as it would be to just about any league. He is a true sportsman, a gracious and serious professional and a tough-as-nails competitor. Have any doubts, just ask any defender in this league, ANY defender, what he thinks of JPA. They'd trade shirts with him after any game at any time.

Here's a collection of JPA goals:


Guillermo Barros Schelotto From River Plate to Boca Juniors now. Schelotto is the other best DP in the league. There have been so many superlatives heaped on the Argentine that it's silly to go on about him again here. My main thing about the guy is that he's really like a sleeping giant sometime. He'll watch and play and probe and for all intents and purposes look and play just like he's been taken out a game by a defender, and then, BOOM! You're dead. You're laying there. Hands over your head. All life is draining from your body. You don't open your eyes because you know exactly what you're going to see, GBS surrounded by teammates in the middle of a goal celebration. Here's an example:



Terry Cooke I know what you're thinking. Angel, Schelotto and Cooke? One of these things is not like the other ones. And you would be right. But let's just look back at this past weekend. At what point was Colorado at its most dangerous against us last weekend. It was the second that Cookie set foot on the field late in the second half. Remember that is was Cooke who would have scored on that rebound of the PK. And it was Cooke who sent that ball juuuuuust wide dangerously across the goal mouth at the death. The little Brit is sneaky dangerous. Not every game, but you ignore him at your peril. Here's my favorite Cooke moment, Johnny on the Spot against that famous DP from Hollywood. Who was the better Brit on the field in this game (March 2008)?



Landon Donovan You know, I am sick and tired of people tearing into Landon Donovan. The guy is nails. He is, very simply, the best American non-keeper ever to play this game. And if you care to dispute that, then find a hole in his national team stats first, then tell me how many trophies he's won, then tell me, if you were a defender against one of Landon's teams, who is in the the first group of players you'd be wary of. Landon is the man.



Nick Rimando Always on a list like this I come up with someone that is really not one of the best, but just someone I like to follow. And that is RSL keeper Nick Rimando. I find him interesting, acrobatic, capable of some truly amazing saves, and unbelievably brain dead blunders. I don't know why I follow Rimando, but I do. And I am frequently glad he's not on my team, as I don't think my heart could handle all the ups and downs.

Here's two for Nicky





Ben Olsen How can you not admire the path Captain Caveman has traveled to come back to full time play this year? The guy has put together a legendary, epic run in MLS with, let's face it here, limited skills in comparison to others you would normally talk about with a similar length of career. I was among the legion of people who felt that Olsen's final day in the DCU kit was in the Dick's Sporting Goods ad last year. Then he goes and does this last week and punctuates it by spitting on Wells Thompson afterwards. Olsen, Jaime Moreno and John Harkes are the DCU Holy Trinity. (OK, Marco Etcheverry makes him a baker's trinity).



And of course, my favorite ex-Dynamen that I follow and root for: Dwayne De Rosario (natch), Nate Jaqua and Curious George (aka Alejandro Moreno).

And players who I acknowledge as great talents who I fear Dynamo playing against (because they are a threat to score at any moment) are Kenny Cooper and Shalrie Joseph. I never want any injuries to happen to anyone (except maybe on a bad day Andre Rocha), but if Cooper and Joseph miss the games that Frisco and New England play against the Orange for whatever reason, I will cry no tears. I'll leave it at that! Read more!

Back to the Future

Well, after my prediction barrage two weeks ago, I continue to prove a few things.

One is that it's a durn fine thing I stay away from Las Vegas, though I fully expect to get multiple invitations from sports book owners very soon.

Two, when your crystal ball is cracked, you really should chuck it in the garbage.

But now that my flux capacitor has a new supply of plutonium, I will fire up the ol' De Lorean and be back in a sec with some "predictions."

OK, I'm back. WOW! What a weekend of games!! You'll never believe it. I enter this time with an 8-21 mark overall on the year, and my friends, I am here to tell you that this is about to change. And awaaay we go:

las chivitas at Toronto: 2-1 Reds. Earth Day is Soccer Night in Canada. Excuse me, but I just can not believe in the Amerigoats. Zach Thornton? You have got to be kidding me. This is not 1998 and the man will break down. And tonight is the night.

RBNY at Kansas City: 0-0. Davy Arnaud just can not score from 30 yards every game. And without that, the Wiz offense looks like, well, New York's. JSO goes for the road tie again, the scumwad.

Chicago at Columbus: Crew 3-2. Now we're talkin'. The Crew is just not this bad. And Chicago is this good. Columbus' rest from last week does them well as Schelotto scores a late game-winner to douse the Fire.

Revs at RSL: 1-0 New England That kid in Reis' goal is good, but what does RSL in is their normal lack of finishing. Shalrie beats Rimando early and the Revs hold on for the road win.

LA at Colorado. Rapids 2-1. Colorado is actually pretty good, which I can't believe I'm typing. The Gals, however, are not (excepting that Landon kid, who just might make something of himself in this league someday), which is easy to type.

FC Horrible at Chivas USA. Goaties 2-1 Can Kenny Cooper score more than 80 percent of Frisco's goals this season before the summer transfer window opens? Signs point to Yes. But it's not enough at the Home Depot Center.

San Jose at Seattle. Sounders 2-0. Kasey Komes bacK and Kompletely Korrals the Kwakes.

DCU at NYRB: 1-0 DCU. Olsen scores again as NY wonders what that big net at the other end of the field is for anyway.

KC at Toronto. 0-0 What, did you think I was going to predict that Toronto would win two in a row? Even I'm not that nutso. Two tired teams end this marathon "weekend" sputtering to get the heck out there. Read more!

Scuffle on the north end, and some love for EB

I did not see what happened, so I offer no opinions. However, this discussion over on MyDynamo.net (click the link here) is highly illuminating to say the least. (These photos were posted by Christian Sandoval over there.)

My hope is that El Batallon continues to do what they do like no other on the north end (as you do on the south Texian Army) and this problem is resolved quickly and to everyone's mutual satisfaction. Make no mistake about it, this is a big deal, and it needs to be resolved quickly. Good thing there's a bye week coming up to give everyone what's needed, some time.

Let me just say that El Batallon, the Texian Army, Houston Pulse and all the fans make a unique environment in MLS here in Houston and if we ever wind up in a situation like FC Worthless up in Frisco, it will Break. My. Heart. Read more!

Vote Ching! Because you can't vote for Pat

Find more videos like this on MyDynamo.net




Though it is nice to see the Crustified Canuck do the job on Conor Casey (who really shouldn't have even been on the field at all following his elbow to Boswell's face, but that's another matter entirely).


But this ain't no American/Canadian thing. The Flyin' Hawaiian's sweet goal is up for Goal of the Week honors at MLSnet.com. He's currently leading in the ballotting, but that is not a sure thing as Captain Caveman's nice header and punk job on Wells Thompson is close behind.

Show Brian the love here. Read more!

Looking into the future, both near and far

I know, I know, that is a picture from the way past. I was actually at this game, a Houston Hurricane (of the long lost NASL) match in the Astrodome (prior to the soul-killing seat addition of the early 1990s). I remember my dad watching and saying to me, "I just can't get into any game where the men wear shorts." And he never could.

But that little trip down memory lane is not why we're here today! Instead, I'm here to offer more predictions on which I would definitely not advise you to hang any hats. After last week, my official record on the year is a hardly-inspiring 4-11. In my defense, I will point out that my record of 3-5 last week is a marked improvement over the 1-6 I posted in Week 2. (I did not predict in Week 1, so I'm calling it a push.) My record, by the way, looks only at the wins and losses, not the scores, which would be a soul-killing 0-15. My self-respect, therefore, in tatters as it is, is sticking with 4-11.

So what do you do when faced with such a result? Well, like any true gambler, I intend to double down (I didn't say "winning" gambler, now did I?). The wife and I will be out of town for a week beginning tomorrow. (Durn MLS went and scheduled the Dynamo-NYRB game on me this weekend after I had made these plans. Domestic policy is very clear on this: Go with the Wife. But the committee meetings were heated, to say the least.)

So, not only will I predict this weekend's matches, I will predict next weekend's matches as well. So the cracked crystal ball is showing me an even more warped picture than normal here. No matter. No matter. Here we go.

WEEK FOUR

Red Bull NY at DYNAMO: 4-0 Dynamo. I have had it up to here with all of this carping about the Orange, and so, I suspect have they. NYRB has looked absolutely terrible this season. Total rubbish. And a visit to the team they upset at Robertson Stadium last November, a good team that has underperformed so far and is still steaming from that loss is hardly the tonic that JS Osorio is looking for, I would wager. Akinbiyi scores while the weather is still nice in his Dynamo debut. (Have faith in the US Embassy on this.)

Chicago at San Jose: 1-1. San Jose is woeful, to be sure. But at home they man up and Darren Huckerby is bound to wake up some time. Chicago is too good to lose to these guys, though, so I'm going with a draw here.

FC Frisco at Toronto: 2-0 Reds. Excuse me for a second while I reflect on FC Worthless' start to the season, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! There, got that out of my system. De Ro scores and taunts Dallas while he does it. And did anyone other than me notice how decidedly uncomfortable he looked on the BMO Turf against Seattle last week? He hates that surface and will get hisself hurt on it sooner rather than later. You wait and see.

DC United at Real Salt Lake. 2-0 RSL. I know DCU beat us last week, but other than the kinda weird goal, did you see anything from that team that makes you think "quality"? Nope, me either.

Colorado at Columbus. 4-0 Crew. What better tonic for the Crew, who really are better than they showed last week, than a visit from the Crapids? I love these Col v Col games just because it's so much fun writing that.

Las chivitas v. Galaxy. 3-2 Amerigoats. This faux clasico seems to always produce the goals in bunches if for no other reason than because Landon is always up for it. Gals, to put it mildly, have issues, though, and won't be able to sustain leads, if they get them, or come all the way back if they fall behind (more likely).

Wizards at Sounders. 2-0 Sea. Y'know, Kasey Keller, despite what you may have heard, is not Jesus in the 6-yard box. But his golden goose-egg is not going to be busted by the Wizards.

WEEK FIVE

NE Revolution at DC United. Revs 3-1. After a week off, the much healthier Revs go to the home of their ancient rivals and leave it a little mussed up. With DC's now two-game losing steak, Soehn is outtathere.

RSL at Red Bulls NY. 1-1. New York still can't buy a win. After their thrashing at Robertson in Week 4 (see above), NY comes home and gets the early lead, but they continue to suffer the fate they deserve after selling their future karma for last year's MLS Cup run. The piper, he gets his sheckels. Lots of 'em.

Kansas City at Chicago. 3-0 Fire. Cover your eyes and keep the kids away from the TV. This could get ugly.

Galaxy at San Jose. 2-1 Quakes. The way to San Jose is littered with bodies, and they're all wearing white.

Sounders at Chivas. 1-0 Amerigoats. Chivas' early run continues, but if this was in Seattle, I'd pick it the other way. Who beats Keller first? Kljestan of course.

Toronto at FC Dallas. 1-1 On the reverse end of the home-and-home, Toronto is stunned by the sea of empty seats on the North Texas prairie, allowing Kenny Cooper to fire one in. But then they remember who they're playing, score an equalizer, but because they're just not that good either, they can't go ahead and Frisco get a single, solitary point.

Colorado at DYNAMO. 3-0 Orange. And finally, we can stop reading those stories about how bad off this team is. Two big wins in two games at Robertson and life returns. Akinbiyi scores again, as does Ching and, from distance, Rico.

And awaaay we go........ Read more!

Svenni, we hardly knew ye

Well, that didn't take long. Too bad. I was hoping they'd stick with him, at least through the August and the US game there. Maybe they'll make Nery the Hothead player-coach. :>

See the story here.

Sven-Goran Eriksson gets fired again
Associated Press
April 2, 2009 at 4:08 PM EDT
MEXICO CITY — Mexico coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was fired a day after a 3-1 loss to Honduras in World Cup qualifying.

The Mexican Football Federation announced the decision on Thursday.

Mexico has just one win in its last seven matches.

The 61-year-old Swede was hired in June to replace Mexican star Hugo Sanchez, who was fired after the country's under-23 team failed to qualify for the Olympics.

Former Manchester City manager Eriksson stirred controversy inside a country fiercely loyal to its national team when he added four naturalized citizens to the roster.

Personally, I think the only one crazy enough to take this job now is a Mexican, and since they already went the Hugo Sanchez route, I think they tab the Chivas coach for the job, that is if he wants it. Read more!

Looking ahead and a guarantee

I'll start with the guarantee: After last week, I think I can say that these predictions will almost positively, certainly NOT reflect actual results, real or imagined.

Last week, in my first foray into this whole prediction game, I finished 1-6 looking at results, with the one courtesy of la chivitas' win in Frisco. Hey, I even got the attendance almost right in that game. (Don't laugh, when you go 1-6, you grasp for whatever you can get!)

So, seeing as how the Amerigoats screwed up my unblemished record, there is NO WAY I'm picking them this week. That'll show 'em! (HAH!)

So, without further delay:

Columbus at Real Salt Lake: 2-1 RSL. Crew continues their winless start to the season as the Royals inaugurate their first full season at Rio Tinto with a win. This is the second week in a row I have picked Kreis' boys to beat a tough opponent. Don't fix it if it's broke, I always say.

Seattle at Toronto: 1-1. De Rosario finally breaks through on Kasey Keller. Unfortunately for TFC, Fredy Montero fires in on a bicycle kick in last action because that's pretty much the only thing he hasn't done right?

FC Dallas at New England: 3-1 Revs. Cooper scores on a shot from Logan Airport, but New England, after they stop laughing, score early and often against these guys as FCD would be in USL-2 in 2010 if we had promotion/relegation here.

DYNAMO at DCU: 2-1 Dynamo. DCU looks like the East's answer to FC Frisco. Chingy comes on as a second half sub, but by then it'll be mostly over. But this is the Dynamo after all, so they surrender the goal to keep it close and give happiness to heart surgeons all over Houston.

Colorado at LA Galaxy: 1-0 Gals. What a stinker of a game. Rapids are no match for Landon.

NYRB at Chicago: 2-0 Fire. Osorio is a master of match-ups, but really, other than Angel, what does he have? Fire dominate.

San Jose at Kansas City: 1-1 Another Sunday stinker. Jimmy Conrad scores his first as he attempts to lead the team in scoring again this season as a defender! But Huckerby will also score for the away draw.

Columbus at Chivas USA: 2-0 Crew. The Crew are just too good to go four games in this league with no wins. Hejduk is back from the get-go and las chivitas gets nothing. Zach Thornton wonders when will it all end. Read more!