Major League Soccer is back!

[MattM4 0]

Teams:

Eastern Conference:

CHICAGO FIRE

COLUMBUS CREW

DC UNITED

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS

NEW YORK RED BULLS

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

 

Western Conference:

CHIVAS USA

COLORADO RAPIDS

FC DALLAS

HOUSTON DYNAMO

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

REAL SALT LAKE

 

 

Match DAY 1, 1st & 2nd April 2006

 

FC Dallas 3-2 Chicago Fire

CHI -- Chad Barrett 1 (unassisted) 12

DAL -- Arturo Alvarez 1 (Carlos Ruiz 1) 31

CHI -- Chris Rolfe 1 (Ivan Guerrero 1) 54

DAL -- Roberto Mina 1 (unassisted) 66

DAL -- Kenny Cooper 1 (Bobby Rhine 1, Ronnie O'Brien 1) 70

 

Kansas City Wizards 3-1 Columbus Crew

KC -- Davy Arnaud 1 (Matt Groenwald 1) 21

KC -- Jack Jewsbury 1 (unassisted) 25

CLB -- Kei Kamara 1 (Eddie Gaven 1) 33

KC -- Eddie Johnson 1 (Scott Sealy 1, Kerry Zavagnin 1) 61

 

LA Galaxy 0-1 New England Revolution

NE -- Clint Dempsey 1 (Andy Dorman 1) 33

 

and rest of the games:

DC United 2-2 NY Reb Bul

NY -- Youri Djorkaeff 1 (unassisted) 15

NY -- Edson Buddle 1 (unassisted) 18

DC -- Alecko Eskandarian 1 (Joshua Gros 1, Freddy Adu 1) 55

DC -- Facundo Erpen 1 (Ben Olsen 1, Freddy Adu 2) 65

 

Chivas USA 3-0 Real Salt Lake

CHV -- Ante Razov 1 (Claudio Suarez 1) 21

CHV -- Juan Pablo Garcia 1 (Sacha Kljestan 1, Lawson Vaughn 1) 25

CHV -- Ante Razov 2 (unassisted) 65

 

Houston Dynamo 5-2 Colorado Rapids

HOU -- Brian Ching 1 (Wade Barrett 1, Dwayne De Rosario 1) 13

COL -- Kyle Beckerman 1 (Dedi Ben Dayan 1) 15

HOU -- Brian Ching 2 (Brian Mullan 1, Dwayne De Rosario 2) 37

HOU -- Brian Ching 3 (Brian Mullan 2, Dwayne De Rosario 3) 44

COL -- Jovan Kirovski 1 (unassisted) 52

HOU -- Brian Ching 4 (Dwayne De Rosario 4) 72

HOU -- Alejandro Moreno 1 (unassisted) 92+

 

Always enjoy watching it, and the highlights are available on the website.

[Kid Dynamite 6958]

im sick to the back teeth of mls tbh. i saw so many games over there and i can honestly say i have more fun going to watch blyth play!

 

i also saw usa vs trinidad in the WCQ. all i can say is we have nothing to fear when we face trinidad. pitiful!

[MattM4 0]

i like, i like... the level of play is not the best, but that's what makes it very enjoyable at times. No pussying about either, most players just get on with it.

 

The infamous Red Bulls are leading DC untied 2-0 as I type.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Who are Chivas USA?

[Mags 1]

Who are Chivas USA?

113716[/snapback]

An LA based side predominantly mexican from what I've been told. Can't say I've watched them play, nor have I had the desire to TBH. You lads might like this tho.

Chivagirls

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and their kit? Nice red and white stripe.

Edited April 3, 2006 by Mags

[sammynb 3282]

You lads might like this tho.

Chivagirls

 

 

Pencilled on eyebrows and plastic breasts, hope the football is better?

[Mags 1]

You lads might like this tho.

Chivagirls

 

 

Pencilled on eyebrows and plastic breasts, hope the football is better?

113752[/snapback]

I'd rather watch conference football tbh.

[Zathras 244]

You lads might like this tho.

Chivagirls

 

 

Pencilled on eyebrows and plastic breasts, hope the football is better?

113752[/snapback]

I'd rather watch conference football tbh.

114539[/snapback]

 

Eurosnobs like you hold the sport back in this country, tbh.

 

Atmosphere is better in the USL (2nd division.)

 

Level of play in MLS is actually getting pretty good. Took Fulham to task 4-1 and narrow losses to Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid last year in one of the weaker years league-round. Not great, but decent. The mid-table 2nd division teams are regularly good enough to stuff Sunderland, not that it's saying too much.

 

CD CHIVAS USA-- well, the original Chivas club in Guadalajara, Mexico is a very 'patriotic' Mexican club--only employ Mexican players/coaches etc. The Club Deportivo Chivas USA experiment was an attempt to get the Mexican-American population in the Los Angeles area to come to games, but it hasn't really panned out as yet. We'll see if Club America (CD Chivas de Guadelajara's main rival) ever gets a club, though. They're probably the most hated club in the league after only one season

Edited April 4, 2006 by Zathras

[Zathras 244]

Part of the problem for MLS, btw is the sheer number of games. The fixation in the US with the playoff format results in a 32 game regular season that means very little running up to the actualy meaningful playoffs at the end of the year. . . they're slowly working on that though and hopefully it'll get better as the number of clubs increases.

[Gemmill 43949]

Level of play in MLS is actually getting pretty good.  Took Fulham to task 4-1 and narrow losses to Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid last year in one of the weaker years league-round.

114543[/snapback]

 

Pre-season friendlies tbh. I wouldn't read too much into results like a narrow loss to Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid. Do you really think that those teams wouldn't stuff MLS teams in a competitive match?

[sweetleftpeg 0]

Level of play in MLS is actually getting pretty good.  Took Fulham to task 4-1 and narrow losses to Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid last year in one of the weaker years league-round.

114543[/snapback]

 

Pre-season friendlies tbh. I wouldn't read too much into results like a narrow loss to Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid. Do you really think that those teams wouldn't stuff MLS teams in a competitive match?

114548[/snapback]

 

I have to agree like. I've seen NUFC beaten at Hillheads in a couple of pre-season games in the past, doesn't exactly mean Whitely Bay on the same or near that level does it. In the same instance though, I can't pass comment on the MLS because I've seen very little of it.

[Toonpack 9053]

I've noticed from some of the NFL boards I post on that there is a growing number of footy (saackr) fans appearing, slowly but surely there are more and more.

 

Most young kids play it, and I think it is innevitable that it's going to become a mainstream sport in the US and when it does, the rest of the world's gonna lose the superstars.

 

An awfull lot of people are getting pissed off with baseball and basketball so there is a gap developing for footy to fill, and last time I was in the States I was amazed at the number of pitches I saw, seemed like every flat bit of grass had goalposts on it.

 

At the moment the standard may not be that high, but if you have a league with eqivalently skilled players across the teams you tend to get a decent competition which in turn breeds excitement and exposure etc etc

Edited April 4, 2006 by Toonpack

[sweetleftpeg 0]

I think the problem with football in the US is that it's seen as a game for lasses, as so many of them have got into it and the lasses game over there is played at a high level and well organised. Lot of lads don't get into it becuase it's seen as a 'soft' game, which I find highly amusing considering most US sports require layers of protective clothing and passages of play that last seconds.

[Toonpack 9053]

I think the problem with football in the US is that it's seen as a game for lasses, as so many of them have got into it and the lasses game over there is played at a high level and well organised. Lot of lads don't get into it becuase it's seen as a 'soft' game, which I find highly amusing considering most US sports require layers of protective clothing and passages of play that last seconds. 

114558[/snapback]

 

I think that used to be true but it's definitely changing, a fair number of posters on the boards I frequent are posting about their sons latest soccer "tourney" etc etc

 

As for the padding thing, I don't even want contemplate that argument again, being an american footy fan of many years standing I've been going around that bush so to speak gazillions of times, I'm well dizzy.

Edited April 4, 2006 by Toonpack

[sweetleftpeg 0]

I think the problem with football in the US is that it's seen as a game for lasses, as so many of them have got into it and the lasses game over there is played at a high level and well organised. Lot of lads don't get into it becuase it's seen as a 'soft' game, which I find highly amusing considering most US sports require layers of protective clothing and passages of play that last seconds. 

114558[/snapback]

 

I think that used to be true but it's definitely changing, a fair number of posters on the boards I frequent are posting about their sons latest soccer "tourney" etc etc

 

As for the padding thing, I don't even want contemplate that argument again, being an american footy fan of many years standing I've been going around that bush so to speak gazillions of times, I'm well dizzy.

114565[/snapback]

 

Hey, I like American football as well, I just don't like the way that our football has been talked about in the past by US sports fans. I don't like Rugby, I just don't get it, but it's obviously not shit or you wouldn't get so many people watching it.

[Toonpack 9053]

I think the problem with football in the US is that it's seen as a game for lasses, as so many of them have got into it and the lasses game over there is played at a high level and well organised. Lot of lads don't get into it becuase it's seen as a 'soft' game, which I find highly amusing considering most US sports require layers of protective clothing and passages of play that last seconds. 

114558[/snapback]

 

I think that used to be true but it's definitely changing, a fair number of posters on the boards I frequent are posting about their sons latest soccer "tourney" etc etc

 

As for the padding thing, I don't even want contemplate that argument again, being an american footy fan of many years standing I've been going around that bush so to speak gazillions of times, I'm well dizzy.

114565[/snapback]

 

Hey, I like American football as well, I just don't like the way that our football has been talked about in the past by US sports fans. I don't like Rugby, I just don't get it, but it's obviously not shit or you wouldn't get so many people watching it.

114569[/snapback]

 

There is still the "saackr sucks" crowd, but they are a dying breed methinks (slowly mind), there's nearly as many people slag baseball as soccer on my regular Yankee board.

 

I think it's mainly the older guys who are entrenched, as the younger blokes have kids that play it, they get involved, lets face it no-one does junior sports as intensly as the yanks, and hence the seed change in opinion. (well thats my theory )

 

It's a great game for a lot of kids that don't get to play gridiron, you don't have to be a brick shithouse to play and you don't need to buy a load of expensive kit.

[Zathras 244]

Level of play in MLS is actually getting pretty good.  Took Fulham to task 4-1 and narrow losses to Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid last year in one of the weaker years league-round.

114543[/snapback]

 

Pre-season friendlies tbh. I wouldn't read too much into results like a narrow loss to Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid. Do you really think that those teams wouldn't stuff MLS teams in a competitive match?

114548[/snapback]

 

They're hardly competative matches for the MLS sides who all have more important matches to handle as well, but I'd agree with you that they're pre-season for those clubs.

 

OTOH, I don't think that they'd stuff most of the MLS sides most of the time. Plenty of players who were cack in MLS have been quite good in other leagues: Simon Eliot (Fulham) Tony Sanneh (Hamburg) Luis Hernandez (Necaxa) to name but a few. The real problem is the lack of meaningful games. I think it's a problem that'll be solved with more teams and certain other 'format' changes.

 

Most young kids play it, and I think it is innevitable that it's going to become a mainstream sport in the US and when it does, the rest of the world's gonna lose the superstars.

 

I'm still not certain that this is going to happen; I think the game in the US is going to follow more of the South American model than the old NASL days when we had Pele, Beckenbauer, Best etc. playing here. That model has been shown to not be viable in the US Market; far better to actually develop our own players and league with the odd player shipping off to England or Germany or somesuch if they want. Yeah, it may seem like a feeder league, but that's the model when so much of the sport is played in Europe, the players in the Americas are simply at a disadvantage regarding travel. Solano is a good example of this.

 

Another aspect is the 'hip-hop culture' phenomenon which glorifies the 'gangta' behavior that is exemplified by a lot of basketball and football players. I think that this factors into the decline of baseball as well as there simply hasn't been that sort of a player in that game for some time. (That and the sheer number of steroid scandals.) I'm not sure how much of an affect it'll have on things, but you can be sure that as long as the best US Soccer can produce is Deuce it's not gonna happen.

[Guest alex]

Hmm, I wonder which team attaches most significance to those friendlies, top European sides like Real Madrid, AC Milan and Chelsea or the MLS teams.

[Toonpack 9053]

Level of play in MLS is actually getting pretty good.  Took Fulham to task 4-1 and narrow losses to Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid last year in one of the weaker years league-round.

114543[/snapback]

 

Pre-season friendlies tbh. I wouldn't read too much into results like a narrow loss to Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid. Do you really think that those teams wouldn't stuff MLS teams in a competitive match?

114548[/snapback]

 

They're hardly competative matches for the MLS sides who all have more important matches to handle as well, but I'd agree with you that they're pre-season for those clubs.

 

OTOH, I don't think that they'd stuff most of the MLS sides most of the time. Plenty of players who were cack in MLS have been quite good in other leagues: Simon Eliot (Fulham) Tony Sanneh (Hamburg) Luis Hernandez (Necaxa) to name but a few. The real problem is the lack of meaningful games. I think it's a problem that'll be solved with more teams and certain other 'format' changes.

 

Most young kids play it, and I think it is innevitable that it's going to become a mainstream sport in the US and when it does, the rest of the world's gonna lose the superstars.

 

I'm still not certain that this is going to happen; I think the game in the US is going to follow more of the South American model than the old NASL days when we had Pele, Beckenbauer, Best etc. playing here. That model has been shown to not be viable in the US Market; far better to actually develop our own players and league with the odd player shipping off to England or Germany or somesuch if they want. Yeah, it may seem like a feeder league, but that's the model when so much of the sport is played in Europe, the players in the Americas are simply at a disadvantage regarding travel. Solano is a good example of this.

 

Another aspect is the 'hip-hop culture' phenomenon which glorifies the 'gangta' behavior that is exemplified by a lot of basketball and football players. I think that this factors into the decline of baseball as well as there simply hasn't been that sort of a player in that game for some time. (That and the sheer number of steroid scandals.) I'm not sure how much of an affect it'll have on things, but you can be sure that as long as the best US Soccer can produce is Deuce it's not gonna happen.

114849[/snapback]

 

Agree with a lot of what your saying but the point I was trying to make is, that over time more and more US kids are playing the game and it is bound to grow, and given the US population there's going to be an awfull lot of homegrown talent.

 

The superstars comment was not so much a hark back to the Tampa Bay Rowdies days but more of the thought that IF footy became mainstream in the USA it's knocking bet that they'd want that league to be "the best" and the money would flow, hence the superstars would be pile in to reap the rewards, as opposed to being brought in as a kickstart measure. Long time in the future though.

[Zathras 244]

Hmm, I wonder which team attaches most significance to those friendlies, top European sides like Real Madrid, AC Milan and Chelsea or the MLS teams.

114872[/snapback]

 

 

Judging by the number of substitutions that both clubs used, neither, but I'll bet the MLS players are more motivated.

[Isegrim 9662]

Plenty of players who were cack in MLS have been quite good in other leagues: Simon Eliot (Fulham) Tony Sanneh (Hamburg) Luis Hernandez (Necaxa) to name but a few.

 

 

Sanneh played for Berlin and Nuremberg and was crap. So were Landon Donovan and Frankie Hejduk.

[Howaythetoon 0]

Stick to rounders. Leave socca to the pros.

[Mags 1]

Plenty of players who were cack in MLS have been quite good in other leagues: Simon Eliot (Fulham) Tony Sanneh (Hamburg) Luis Hernandez (Necaxa) to name but a few.

 

 

Sanneh played for Berlin and Nuremberg and was crap. So were Landon Donovan and Frankie Hejduk.

115057[/snapback]

You mean to say that Donovan actually made it off the bench for Leverkusen? They were mad to want him back, contract or no.

 

And HTT, if you must use american colloquialisms then it's pronounced 'sawker' or 'sawkah' depending on how close to Boston you are. No needed, right?

Edited April 5, 2006 by Mags

[sweetleftpeg 0]

Cody Jones, he was a heap of shite as well. Nice hair though. He was no Roy Wegerle though.

[Gemmill 43949]

John Harkes. Actually, he wasn't THAT bad. He wouldn't get a game for AC Milan or Chelsea though.