Davis: Bold moves pay off
New England 3, Chicago 1
Man of the Match: Veteran midfielder Steve Ralston had a goal and two assists, and proved his versatility after moving from the wing into the middle of the field late Sunday. He is on pace for 25 assists this year.
Bigger picture: Shalrie Joseph is close to irreplaceable in the Revolution midfield, but Jeff Larentowicz had a monster match in trying to reel in the slack. (Joseph was serving a one-game red-card suspension.) Larentowicz was imposing in his tackles and distributed with clarity. If he continues to stand that tall while playing alongside Joseph, the Revolution will be tough to beat.
Pressure point: Fire forward Chris Rolfe has three goals and three assists this year. Chicago has six goals total. Translation: Other forwards and midfielders simply must be more productive. Attacking midfielder Thiago did have a pretty good game Sunday and could be rising after a slow start.
D.C. United 2, Chivas USA 1
Man of the Match: D.C. United goalkeeper Troy Perkins is rounding into shape after a wobbly start to 2007. He was undeniably in command Sunday, with a real presence in gathering balls all around the penalty area. His distribution choices were spot-on, and his 89th-minute gem off Francisco Mendoza's header was the best of his season-high eight saves.
Bigger picture: With Jason Kreis now retired, United vet Jaime Moreno is all but assured of passing the former Dallas and Real Salt Lake striker as the league's all-time scoring leader. Moreno's penalty kick goal Sunday was No. 107, just one behind Kreis. (Then again, Ante Razov, sitting at 100, could lap them both.)
Pressure point: Yes, D.C. United finally collected its first "W" of 2007. But to some degree, it's just paper over the cracks. Facundo Erpen continues to be erratic, there's still very little width in the D.C. attack and its midfield and defense continue to concede too many free kicks in dangerous places.
Kansas City 1, Columbus 0
Man of the Match: Kansas City's Kerry Zavagnin isn't getting the press that fellow defensive midfielders Ricardo Clark or Kyle Beckerman are gathering this year. But he was once again a quiet, steady presence in the middle, smartly reading the passing lanes and quickly turning defense into offense.
Bigger picture: There were seven players (Seven! Go count 'em.) around Jose Burciaga, Jr., as he squeezed into a tiny bit of space to bury the game-winner from 22 yards. Fans saw the good and the bad of Burciaga, as he had an otherwise ordinary afternoon. The veteran left fullback sprayed too many errant passes and inaccurate corner kicks - but conjured one huge moment of impact.
Pressure point: How to read the Crew's 22 fouls and four yellow cards? An impassioned effort from a side with just one win so far, or frustration boiling over? Either way, the league might look at Ricardo Virtuoso's aggressive jump that absolutely flattened K.C. defender Jimmy Conrad.
Houston 3, at Colorado 1
Man of the Match: Heads up, MLS. It looks like dynamic Dwayne De Rosario finally shook whatever funk had him handcuffed. His second goal was just a tap-in (and might have already been over the line when he touched it). But his first strike, the game-winner, was classic "De Ro," running at defenders and cracking a wicked shot.
Bigger picture: The visitors overwhelmed Colorado through the middle stretch of the match. One change that seemed to especially matter: Richard Mulrooney replaced Kelly Gray at right back, and hints that he already has a good partnership with Brian Mullan were all over that flank. Mulrooney, a longtime central midfielder, was a handy outlet as the Rapids focused on stopping Mullan.
Pressure point: Colorado looked lively out of the gate in 2007, especially with a seemingly telling win against D.C. United. But the value of that victory deserves recalibration now, given United's mighty struggles. Meanwhile, the Rapids' holes are starting to show, especially in defense, where Fernando Clavijo's bunch is missing two of four starters.
Real Salt Lake 3, New York Red Bulls 3
Man of the Match: Chris Brown, of all people, scored the goal that could do wonders in restoring belief and pride in a club desperately in need of some. The reserve forward's injury-time equalizer was extraordinary in both skill and meaning. (Still, it wouldn't have mattered but for Chris Klein's big left-footed effort that launched the implausible comeback.)
Bigger picture: Another big night from Clint Mathis was vanquished to opening-act status by RSL's memorable doings. But "Cleetus" is once again playing with a purpose, which couldn't be said over the last two MLS seasons. He had two goals and an assist.
Pressure point: An ankle injury forced Red Bulls goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus from the match with 18 minutes remaining. Jon Conway is certainly a capable backup (having taken Tony Meola's job last year). But Waterreus, the Dutch veteran seems to have a calming presence, and Bruce Arena's bunch could miss that if Waterreus is out for any extended period.
D.C. United 1, New England 1
Man of the Match: Never should a New England fan take Matt Reis for granted. The offense comes and goes. The Revs' defense gets occasionally leaky, just like any other team. But Reis is unflappable. Eleven saves, including a big one at the end, and game-long penalty area management helped preserve the tie.
Bigger picture: United manager Tom Soehn realigned his team into a 4-4-2, providing more defensive cover than the previous three-man back line. United was better, and recently acquired attacker Fred showed particular spunk before leaving injured late in the match.
Pressure point: Revolution attacking midfielder Andy Dorman has been quiet lately, not a good sign when so many observers thought this could be his breakout year. But he did manufacture a goal off one of his specialties, the late run into the penalty area.
THIS AND THAT FROM WEEK 4
Technician's notebook:
• Missing two starting midfielders (on-the-outs Amado Guevara and the suspended Sacha Klejstan), Preki changed formations at Chivas USA. Out went the 4-4-2, in came the 4-3-3. Left to right, Francisco Mendoza, Jesse Marsch and Paulo Nagamura were positioned, more or less, in a straight line midfield.
• Without linchpin midfielder Shalrie Joseph, Revolution coach Steve Nicol turned to Michael Parkhurst as a replacement. The Revolution's first-choice center back looked comfortable with his defensive duties against Chicago, but generally wasn't effective in the attack.
• Nicol boldly changed the look of his team in the 66th minute. He removed Avery John in favor of Joe Franchino. Franchino took over in central midfield for Michael Parkhurst, who retreated back to his usual spot in the center of the three-man back line. At the same time, Wells Thompson entered the match for attacking midfielder Andy Dorman. But Thompson played out wide on the right, while veteran Steve Ralston moved inside. The Revolution got control of the midfield, then struck twice in the next 13 minutes to break open the match.
• An interesting situation is developing in New England, where rookie Adam Cristman had a spirited match after replacing Pat Noonan in the lineup. Noonan has struggled to produce much offense in two starts and three appearances off the bench this year.
• The next big cross from D.C. United's attack will be its first. Or so it seems. Tom Soehn's team is getting very little width in its attack. That makes things quite crowded on the inside, limiting the spaces where Christian Gomez and Jaime Moreno are most comfortable working.
• Bouna Coundoul's goal kicks can be distressingly meek at times for Colorado. The second of two wobbly goal kicks in a row led to one Houston goal Saturday. Ricardo Clark won a header at midfield, directing it right to Dwayne De Rosario. The Houston attacker, who likes to turn and sprint with the ball anyway, was already ahead of defensive midfielder Kyle Beckerman as he turned, meaning the Rapids' defensive shape was instantly compromised - and it all started with Coundoul's mild kick from the six.
United over the last 10 months: Obviously, D.C.'s 1-3-1 record doesn't look pretty. And perhaps you could look at it as an early-season anomaly. Then again, if United fans were to draw back and look at the bigger picture, they would see a far more frightening trend: United's record since July 15 of last season: 3-9-6.
Rapid firing: Rapids forward Roberto Brown recorded his third goal this season Saturday. That's especially impressive considering the Panamanian forward has effectively missed two of the Rapids' five games in 2007. He was dismissed just six minutes into Colorado's April 15 draw with Chicago, then sat out the subsequent contest due to the mandatory one-game suspension.
Digging for answers at RFK: Rookie D.C. United manager Tom Soehn is certainly unafraid of bold action, having already benched a couple of big names. First, he kept Facundo Erpen out of the lineup. Then he left popular veteran Jaime Moreno on the sidelines in the first half of Thursday's battle with New England. Moreno had failed to start in just five of the 241 games for which he had been available over 11 D.C. United seasons. Sunday against Chivas USA, Luciano Emilio was on the bench for the game's first 66 minutes.
An easily broken Bull?: Everyone was so worried about Claudio Reyna's tendency to collect injuries, and how it might dent the New York Red Bulls. But is goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus the one who is a tad injury-prone? Rarely are goalkeepers forced to leave a match due to injury. And yet RBNY backup Jon Conway has twice been called upon to replace Waterreus. The Dutch veteran was removed at halftime last month when he developed hypothermia in the cold and rain at Giants Stadium. Saturday against Real Salt Lake, he turned an ankle while leaping for a ball in his penalty area and left, limping noticeably, a few minutes later.
Steve Davis is a freelance writer who has covered Major League Soccer since its inception. Steve can be reached at BigTexSoccer@yahoo.com. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
