Whom do you think is going to win the Eastern and Western Conferences of the MLS?

A quick overview before you vote...

Eastern Conference:
The Chicago Fire is trying to rebound from last year’s last place finish in the Eastern Conference by acquiring strong defensemen , Tony Sanneh and Samuel Cabellero. However, forwards Damani Ralph and Ante Razov are now gone. Razov joins the Columbus Crew and fellow forward Edson Buddle , who finished first in the conference last year, but lost in the first round. The star of the team, Robin Fraser, 2004 MLS defender of the year is the captain. The biggest question mark concerning the team is the fact that they are now one of the oldest teams in the league. D.C. United, last year’s MLS Champion, and second place conference finisher, looks to recover from the loss of star, Ryan Nelson, to the English Premier League. Jaime Moreno returned to being a premier forward in the league last year. Forward Alecko Eskandarian could have a career year, and the pressure is finally starting to mount on young prodigy Freddy Adu, who has already been dubbed the “Tiger Woods of American soccer”. The Kansas City Wizards, MLS Cup runner-up and Western Conference Champions, move to Eastern Conference with the acquisition of two new expansion teams. Goalie, Tony Meola is now gone. But, midfielder Chris Klein returns from last year’s torn ACL. New midfielder, Sasha Victorine, and forwards, Ryan Poe and Scott Sealy, look to add some punch to this team. ...and, yes, 41-year-old Preki returns. The New England Revolution, who finished a disappointing fourth place in the conference, and also lost the conference finals, looks to have a huge year. All of the major scorers for the Revs are back, including Clint Dempsey (2004 Rookie of the Year), Pat Noonan, and Taylor Twellman. Goalkeeper, Matt Reis, is also back, making the Revs an early conference favorite by many. The New York/New Jersey Metrostars, who finished in third place last year and lost in the first round of the playoffs, have new players, including star Frenchman, Youri Djorkaef, who is now 37-years-old. Last year’s MVP, midfielder, Amando Guevara returns, along with star forward, John Wolyniec. The offense was strong last year, but the Metros gave up more goals than any other team. Starting goalkeeper, Jonny Walker, will miss the beginning of the season with an injury.

Western Conference:
Expansion team, Chivas USA, is identified with Mexico’s popular CD Guadalajara. Stars include captain midfielder, Ramon Ramirez, who has quite a bit of international experience. However, head coach Thomas Rongen (a very unpopular coach back to his days in D.C.) could be looking at a long season. The Colorado Rapids, who finished in third place in the Western Conference and lost in the first round of the playoffs, always have a team of unknowns that make their way to the post-season. The problem with Colorado last year was offensive production. Adding forwards, Jeff Cunningham, Luchi Gonzalez, and Woldi Harris hopes to solve that problem. FC Dallas is no longer known as Dallas Burn, who finished in last place last year in the conference. However, some believe that this could be Dallas’ year. US stars, forward Eddie Johnson, who is on fire, and Ronnie O’Brien, look to lead this team to the top, in addition to providing lots of positive energy. The same might not be said of the Los Angeles Galaxy, who adds forward Landon Donovan and unpopular US World Cup coach (think: France 1998) Steve Sampson. However, the Galaxy, who finished second in the conference and lost the conference finals, have brought in Costa Rica stars and backliners, Michael Umana and Pablo Chinchilla to inject some new energy. Also, the US has already gotten a preview of Guatemalan star and midfielder Guillermo Ramirez to play behind Donovan, who is always very capable of greatness when he is on. The second expansion team, Real Salt Lake, named for Real Madrid, may not look like an expansion team when Jason Kreis, Clint Mathis (who returns from Germany), and Andrew Willaims take the field. This team could be a sleeper. The San Jose Earthquakes lost Donovan to Chivas, and don’t look to improve much upon last year’s fourth place conference finish and first round playoff loss. However, US star forward Brian Ching and midfielder Brian Mullen remain. This team will be a major question mark as they try to recover from losing stars and gel with such new stars as defenseman Wade Barrett and midfielder, Danny O’Rourke.

[ April 01, 2005, 05:50 PM: Message edited by: Cattledog ]

If LA doesn't win the Western Conference, Steve Sampson will be fired, Landon Donovan will be called a flop, and the team will be shamed. LA is just too good not to win the West and the MLS Cup. Strong on defense, strong on attack...the only question is can Donovan play to the best level he can? Past seasons have shown that Donovan walks through the MLS season at times, only to deliever explosive performances for the US national team. Consistancy will be needed from Donovan.

The only team looking to even challenge LA on paper is FC Dallas (formerly the Dallas Burn). With Carlos Ruiz and Eddie Johnson up top together, Dallas could have the best forward pairing in the league's history. Richard Mulrooney, a strong midfielder, should have another excellent season.

The Eastern Conference is incredibly close this season- if a team loses even just a couple matches in a row at the wrong time, they could be out of the playoffs. DC will win, with basically the entire team that won the MLS Cup last season. And my Metros? The entire season hinges on Youri Djorkaeff having a superb year and Sergio Galvan Rey hitting the back of the net. If Djorkaeff comes up with a big season, the Metros will make it into the playoffs. Anything less than that and the Metros fail to qualify.

I definitely understand and respect ABC's decision to pre-empt the DC United/Chivas USA soccer game (considering that the Pope's death was announced just about fifteen minutes before kickoff). However, I just wish I would have known that the match was switched over to ESPN. I didn't find out until about the 78th minute, and missed a great start to the season for DC United.

I got sick of watching the news about the Pope, so I happened to sign online and check out the MLS homepage. I only missed 30 seconds- but the 2-0 win is slightly decieving. If Alecko Eskandarian doesn't nail Francisco Gomez in the first half, I think Chivas USA may have held on for a little longer.

I loved seeing Brandi Chastain as the sideline reporter- I thought she did an excellent job and should offer excellent input throughout the season.

And in the most adverse conditions I've seen a soccer match played in since the 2002 All-Star gane, the Metros and Real Salt Lake tie 0-0. Strong winds, rain driven horizontally, and a brief power outage didn't stop play, but made for an interesting match.

I missed DC United's disappointing home opener against Chicago last night because I had to work on a Saturday night for about the first time in 12 years . However, from what I read, it looks like the defense was steady again, but DC just couldn't put it in the goal.

Interesting game for Metrostars captain Amado Guevara last night...

After floating in and out of the play in the first 20 minutes, he scores off a PK in the 23rd minute. Three minutes later, he picks up his second goal off a beautiful cross from Eddie Gaven.

Then, in the 73rd minute, Guevara became only the sixth Metros player and first Metro since 2002 to score a hat-trick. He drilled a bullet of a shot into the upper corner of the goal from almost no angle. eek!

So after talk of Amado's control of the team fading with World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff and MLS veteran Jeff Agoos coming in, he responds with a hat-trick. Nice way to silence some critics.

A disappointing offensive effort by DC United today, as compared to their output last Saturday. I just need to remind myself right now that the Revs have the best team in the Eastern Conference right now. Still, it was a frustrating fixture, nonetheless.

Personally, if I were a DC United fan, I'd be a little displeased with Freddy Adu's streaky form. Yes, he's only 15 or so, but let's be serious here: for the amount of money he's making (league maximum salary plus endorsement deals), you'd certainly hope he would provide some consistent performances. He was stellar against Columbus last week, but disappointing in his other matches so far.

But, fortunately, I'm not a DC United fan The Metros picked up three points in a demolition of the Chicago Fire. Eddie Gaven, another yound player at 17, had two goals.

I am. However, like you said, it is kind of a paradox. I think Freddy Adu should be cut some some slack because of his age. But, then again, he is the highest paid player in the MLS, and should be capable of more consistent performances. As many have seen with Alex Rodriguez in MLB or Jaromir Jagr in the (unsettled) NHL, people expect virtual perfection when you are the guy making the most money. The difference, though, is that A-Rod and Jagr aren't 15 years old.

I think everyone's expectations are starting to weigh a bit on Freddy, but he's 15- that's to be expected. I think he'll be fine if he has good matches during DC's playoff run again- that's when he was the most effective for them, scoring a few goals, playing well, even scoring a PK in the Eastern Conference final against New England. Until then he does recapture that form, he's just got to perform well when he gets his chances.

I think LA will win it all. Could the top MLS teams beat the best WORLD CUP teams such as team Brazil?

Uh, who wants to field that?? Cattledog?

Um... MetroMathis can answer that one !

Woohoo! A hard one!

Could the top MLS teams beat Brazil? Most likely not. LA, Dallas, New England, and DC are excellent teams, but even on their best days they have neither the defensive nor offensive power to beat the "Samba Kings."

Could an MLS All-Star team beat Brazil? It depends. If you took a team of the top players in MLS right now, kept them training together for a month, and then sent them out against Brazil, it's possible. A team featuring the midfield trio of Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Amado Guevara has the potential to be strong enough to beat Brazil.

Could an MLS All-Star team beat a top world power? Possibly- that's the theme of this year's All-Star game: Fulham FC vs. MLS All Stars. Now Fulham is not a world powerhouse, but I do think an MLS All-Star team has the potential to knock off a Real Madrid or Manchester United. In order to do so though, every player selected would have to play to the top of their abilities. They would have the potential, but whether or not they could deliever is another thing.

In the end though, it's entirely possibly that Chivas USA, the last-place team in MLS right now, could beat Brazil. That's what makes soccer great- any team could beat any other team if things go their way. That's how Senegal beat France in the World Cup in 2002, and how the US beat England in the 1950 World Cup.

Ohhh I forgot to mention...

LA will not win it all. The Metros will...thanks to Amado Guevara, Eddie Gaven, and Youri Djorkaeff!!

DC United finally got some clutch scoring (a first period goal by Jaime Moreno, and Christian Gomez scored two times--eleven minutes apart) to hold off Kansas City 3-2. However, the biggest news is that DC United traded defender, Mike Petke to the Colorado Rapids for the rights to forward Chris Henderson. According to yesterday's Washington Post, this clears the way for DC United to acquire a certain Argentinian defender that the club will not name. Anybody have an idea of who that player is? I asked a co-worker of mine (who usually finds the inside scoop) and he thinks it's a guy with River Plate. DC United cannot announce who this mystery man is because the MLS will not permit it (at least until the Argentinian season is over). In the meantime, I suppose United's defense will continue to struggle when the offense clicks, and only step up when the offense falters. I wish they could work together soon because the Revs are running away the East. Speaking of the Revolution, Taylor Twellman is my early season pick for MVP--but this is very, very early in the season.

I was SHOCKED that DC traded Petke away. Petke and Nelson were the reasons they won MLS Cup last year. Sure, Eskandarian and Moreno had big seasons, but minus phenomenal defensive work by Petke and Nelson, DC falls to either the Metros or the Revolution...

As for MVP, Taylor Twellman is certainly making a case for it. Seems like he's returning to his phenomenal 2002 form, which saw him and Carlos Ruiz duke it out for the scoring title while Twellman lead a hot streak for the Revs to get them to MLS Cup.

Another candidate is Amado Guevara. Guevara has been nothing short of amazing this season since his hat-trick. He's put away 4 goals, he has a few assists, but more importantly he's been the Metros' key attacker. He's looking to a third superb season with the Metros.

And there's no way you can talk about MVP without mentioning Landon Donovan. As annoying as the Galaxy commentators are, I must agree with them in saying he's doing well. I'll be the first person to say that he should've stayed in Germany though. He's dazzling the folks in LA, but he's really on a hit a plateau in his development. He needs to go somewhere in Europe to reach the next level, like close friend DaMarcus Beasley.

Chivas USA coach Rongen reassigned
Due to their 1-8-1 start they have signed a yet to be named new coach. Any guesses on who it might be? Clue: they are waiting on his visa to clear.
I think they should open their team up to any player. I still say there is something wrong about having an all latino team.

Though the team is based on aging stars of Chivas de Guadalajara and Latino MLS players, it is not truely an all-Latino team. Take for example Brad Guzan, the starting goalkeeper for Chivas's first 7 matches. He could barely speak Spanish when he was drafted. And Matt Taylor, drafted in 2004 by Kansas City, was picked by Rongen in the Dispersal Draft.

The real problem is that Ramon Ramirez, the former Mexican international star, is playing WAY below the level everyone was expecting. If Ramirez could play well in the midfield (like Amado Guevara), Chivas would be much more dangerous. But with Ramirez failing to put together cohesive attacks and regularly coughing up possession, Chivas's glaring defensive woes really come to light. Another disappointing former star is goalkeeper Martin Zuniga- a stunning 5 goals allowed in his first MLS match. He now sits next to teammate Brad Guzan at the bottom of the goalkeeping charts with a 3.50 GAA (Goals allowed average).

Chivas's defensive woes, however, can be placed squarely on the shoulders of the defenders. With Francisco Gomez coming back from a knee injury, Chivas lack a strong defensive midfielder to control the ball. The backline hasn't seemed to gel yet. Douglas Sequiera, Ryan Suarez, and Alfonso Loera have had excellent seasons individually, but as a unit, they have failed to deliver. Armando Beginas done well attacking out of his left back spot, but Chivas needs defenders, not attackers.

Chivas also needs more dangerous forwards- Thiago "Thiba" Martins has done ok, but he doesn't have a great player to combine with up top...maybe Chivas should trade for former Chicago star Ante Razov, currently warming the bench at Columbus Crew Stadium.

Chivas has had a couple bright spots. Hector Cuadros has played inspiring soccer and should probably be given the Captain's armband over Ramon Ramirez. Douglas Sequiera has shown great poise in both the midfield and defense. Isaac Romo has been playing very well.

Overall, Chivas needs to look to their parent team for some more talented players or make some trades to get them from other MLS teams. Without a stronger core through the defense, midfield, and forward line, Chivas is doomed to sit at the bottom of the Western Conference.

Just repeating a prediction of mine that did indeed come true. Although, in reality, Thomas Rongen couldn't even make it through the whole, long season. I still say Rongen was the worst coach DC United ever had. As time goes on, new fans of Chivas USA (as bad as they are this year) will probably say the same thing!

Uh metromathis13, just because he can't speak Spanish doesn't mean he's not latino. I'm sure most of the American-Latino players can't speak Spanish fluently. Anyway, have you seen the way Matt Taylor moves...I bet he has some latin blood in him!!! wink

All your other points are spot on.

Rongen did ok in 1999- wasn't he DC's coach when they won the title in 1999? But then again, he was also the coach during the abysmal 2000 season. He also was doing well with the US U-20 National Team.

Hmmm! How interesting would it be if, after the Youth World Championships in Holland, former LA Galaxy coach (and current US U-20 coach) Sigi Schmid was named Chivas's new coach. That would definitely make the rivalry even more interesting.

On another note, Amada Guevara put away a superb goal against the Chicago Fire to give the Metros a 2-1 home win after England's 3-2 win over Colombia. See the goal here
That goal is up there with Ronnie O'Brien's long range bullet against Chivas and Carlos Ruiz's bicycle kick last weekend against DC as a potential winner for Goal of the Year.

I stayed up late (out here on the east coast) to watch the second half of DC United's match at San Jose. Once again, the defense and the offense did not click simultaneously as the match ended in nil. While DC United's defense looked pretty solid, the offense knocked the ball everywhere but inside the net. Jaime Moreno specifically had some wonderful movements in front of the goal, but everything kept going wide right. They picked up a point, but now are four points behind the Metrostars, whom they face next Sunday in New Jersey.

Big news today:

The Metrostars receive star forward Ante Razov from the Columbus Crew. In return, they send forward John Wolyniec and a portion of an allocation to Columbus.

Razov, who has had problems with coaches in the past, is re-united with Bob Bradley. Bradley coached Razov with the Chicago Fire in 1998, when he scored 18 goals en route to the MLS Cup, and 2000, when Razov was a key factor in Chicago's run to the MLS Cup final and US Open Cup championship. Razov only has one goal this season, coming in Columbus's season opener. He hasn't seen much time since that match, disagreeing with head coach Greg Andrulis (he called Andrulis an idiot at one point), but he is genuinely excited to come to New York and combine with Bradley again.

Wolyniec, a gritty forward, scored some crucial goals for the Metros. After a couple seasons bouncing between MLS and the A-League, Wolyniec found a home with the Metros in 2003. He slammed home the greatest goal in MLS history, a picture perfect left-footed volley in overtime against Columbus, and two goals against rival DC United in the US Open Cup semifinal. He had a breakout year in 2004, putting away 10 goals with 2 assists. He scored a pair of big goals for the Metros this season: an 83rd minute goal to give the Metros a 2-2 with the NE Revs and a header last Tuesday to start a comeback at home against Chicago.

This suddenly makes the Metros very, very dangerous. With the second-best defense in the league, the Metros were already sharp defensively. Adding Razov to players already with the Metros like Amado Guevara, Youri Djorkaeff, and Eddie Gaven gives the Metros an extremely potent offense as well. Expect Razov to make his Metro debut on Sunday against DC United.

Watch out Revolution.

I was totally frustrated with DC United's nil draw in New Jersey yesterday. United completely dominated play and outshot the Metrostars 28 to 8, with shots on goal being 14-4. Zach Wells of the Metros just wouldn't let anything past him, and was one save away from tying the MLS record for most saves in a game (Tony Meola once had 15 in a game). More frustrating (to me) is the fact that DC United gained nothing on Kansas City and New Jersey, which both are still 4 points ahead of DC and Columbus.

Wells was nothing short of phenomenal, with a pair of world class saves on shots by Dema Kovalenko and Alecko Eskandarian. Wells also prevented Jaime Moreno from a shot on goal at the near post by going to the ground and flailing on the ground. A tremendous performance from Wells, who is establishing himself among the great goalkeepers in MLS.

On the other end, Nick Rimando had little to do. He did make one great stop of his own, off a shot from Michael Bradley. Metrostars forward Abbe Ibrahim had a chance to score his third goal of the season, but redirected Youri Djorkaeff's pass well over the crossbar from six yards out.

The Metros are now 2-0-2 in their last four games and 3-1-3 in their last seven.

HUGE news out from the Metros today.

GM Nick Sackiewicz is promoted to a new position and replacing him is former US national team star Alexi Lalas. He, in a press conference just a short while ago, pledged to turn the Metros into MLS's first "superteam." Most interesting was his comments about current Metros coach Bob Bradley, saying "the quality has not been there" and repeating that they want to build a team with style. The style of play was why former LA coach Sigi Schmid lost his job last year: the club decided they needed to play with more flair. The developments out of NY and NJ over the coming months should be very, very interesting.

DC United finally ended their goal-less streak last night in a 4 goal performance, knocking off the Chicago Fire 4-3. Dema Kovalenko got the early goal in the fourth minute before the defense (who had been playing solid during the the offense's absence the past few games) decided to melt down. However, two goals by Christian Gomez in the second half, followed by a clutch late goal by rookie Bobby Boswell (his very first MLS goal!) helped the United in the comeback. DC United has suddenly gotten within a point of the third place Wizards and Metrostars. However, they've got a tough game coming up next against the best team in the East, the Revs.

I turned on the television early enough to watch DC United's two goal/two minute explosion to hand the New England Revolution their first loss of the year. Especially in the first half, United made the first place Revs look sick. Santino Quaranta was at the right place at the right time on a beautiful pass for his goal and Jaime Moreno's breakaway goal was even more impressive. The United move into the top 4 with Kansas City's loss. All of a sudden the Eastern Conference just got much tighter last night!

THANK GOD! FINALLY! I couldn't stand how cocky the Revs were becoming- like no one could defeat them. Regular season results mean little in the postseason anyway- see Columbus 2004.

Anyway, the Metros won the first game of the Alexi Lalas era. Coach Bob Bradley looked stunning in his suit on the sidelines. Ante Razov, playing his second game for the Metros, tallied twice in the first half. World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff scored the game-winning goal off a penalty kick in the second half.

Big news for Chivas USA fans:
Chivas USA routs Real Salt Lake

The Metros, the only team in MLS not represented at the Gold Cup, over the LA Galaxy 2-1. On the game-winning goal, 2004 MLS MVP Amado Guevara chipped a ball over 4 Galaxy defenders to Eddie Gaven. Gaven's header was saved, but he put away the rebound.

I am hoping that my presence wink at RFK Stadium on Friday will inject some life into the once again slumping offense of DC United when they take on a tough San Jose team. There is such a big race going on in the crazy Eastern Conference with five teams battling for four spots (Columbus doesn't count because they are so far behind). But, right now, DC United is the odd team out, and they badly need a victory over Earthquakes.

By the way, Pat125 and I visited the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, NY. I was a little disappointed that some parts of it were not updated. For example, where they listed all of the teams that had won the MLS Cup, DC United's 2004 victory wasn't there. Also, there is NOTHING from Team USA's triumph at the 2002 World Cup. I did see a nice exhibit on Pelé, with some signed stuff from him. There was also a good history exhibit on the NASL (Go Cosmos! ). It seems like Oneonta is so far in upstate New York that it is hard for them to get visitors (unless you are already up in Cooperstown and take advantage of the dollar off that the Baseball Hall of Fame gives you to visit the Soccer one).

[ July 13, 2005, 02:01 PM: Message edited by: Cattledog ]

My Spanish teacher last year asked me if I knew where the National Soccer Hall of Fame is. Apparantly, she went to college in Oneonta, and she was impressed when I knew it was there.

The Metros are playing Colorado this weekend. Amado Guevara and Eddie Gaven scored in the Metros' 2-1 win over LA on Saturday night. This should be a fairly easy win- Colorado is struggling right now, and last time these teams met, Metros captain Guevara had a hat-trick.

It was nice to finally go to a DC United game (last night) and watch a totally dominating, clutch effort from the home team. DC shut down the San Jose Earthquakes early. Christian Gomez continues to prove that he belongs on the All-Star team. Jaime Moreno and Nick Rimando continue to prove that they were unfair, glaring omissions from the All-Star team. ...and my hot midfielder, Dema Kovalenko, continues to be at the right place and the right time. Good 3-nil match from DC United!

Cattledog took me to my first soccer game Friday night (San Jose at DC United at RFK). I've been to some Division II college games at the college I work at, as well as a couple of Baltimore Blast indoor soccer games. We sat in the seats that are moved for soccer games. For not being a big soccer fan, the match was enjoyable, and look forward to going to more games in the future. Unfortunately, I missed the first goal of the game while fetching some Guinness, but got to see the last two goals by DC United.

DC United got a little unlucky last night (considering that they outplayed the Wizards for a good portion of what I saw of the match) and slipped out of Kansas City with 1-1 draw. However, that one point propels them over the Metrostars, who got upset 1-nil at the hands of Columbus.

THE BIGGEST SHOCK OF THE YEAR:
Chivas USA defeat the NE Revs 1-0 on Friday night. Costa Rican international Douglas Sequeira scored the only goal as Chivas USA, with just two wins coming into this game, defeat the Eastern Conference powerhouse for just their third loss of the season. Absolutely spectacular match for Chivas USA.

It's also good for those of us that are supporters of other teams in the Eastern Conference that are trying to catch the Revs !

Bobby Boswell, looking pretty hot below here, scored on a beautiful header in a friendly against Chelsea F.C. as DC United took a surprising 1-nil lead in the first half. But Chelsea quick tied it up with an amazing shot from Damian Duff soon after. Argentinian star, Hernan Crespo, whose country is guaranteed another World Cup appearance next year with their 3-1 defeat of Brazil, added the game winner in the second half. However, DC United played well against the best team in the English Premier League, and have nothing to be embarassed about. These friendlies are good measuring sticks for any American teams. I was also impressed with ESPN2's coverage last night. If you weren't transfixed on the other ESPN channel watching such "sports" as hot dog eating contests, then you had the opportunity to watch a great match. I have never been a big fan of women's soccer, and especially Brandi Chastain. But, I will say that she is a heads-up sideline reporter. It was a pleasure to have a woman interviewing on the sidelines that was so knowledgeable about the sport (hell, she has played the game her whole life) instead of just being there to look pretty. Good choice, ESPN2!

Let's hope Bobby Boswell gets to celebrate like this more often....that is, unless DC is playing the Metros!

DC played well to stay in competition against Chelsea. They looked more competitive than LA did against Real Madrid last week.

As for Brandi, apparantly her mic caught a fan saying, "Jose Mourinho (Chelsea's coach) is a wanker!" That was quite funny! She seems comfortable in the role and is probably just as knowledgable about the game, if not more so, than commentator Eric Wynalda.

Today is one of the greatest days ever in the history of the Metrostars, if not the greatest.

4 years, 7 months, and 27 days ago, the Metrostars announced a site selection process for a soccer-specific stadium. Today, it was announced that, after 4 years of stalling by the NJ Sports and Expostion Authority, the government of NJ, and the government of Hudson County, NJ, the Metrostars will build a soccer-specific stadium in Harrison, NJ. I've really only been a Metros fan for a few years, but believe me- the stadium process has been incredibly frustrating- at times the deal seemed done, only for someone to pull their support.

This latest push is thanks to the Metrostars owner, Anschutz Entertainment Group. After many public funding programs that were proposed were rejected, AEG decided to use the money from their recent sale of DC United to pay for the Metrostars stadium. AEG will take the entire bill. After the completion of the stadium in Harrison, all three AEG teams will have their own stadiums (LA has the Home Depot Center, Chicago is building one as I type). After 4 years of dashed hopes and general anger, you can bet I'm on cloud nine right now. I will make sure I am there in June 2007 for the opening of the Metros' stadium.

DC United easily cruised to a 3-nil victory over a very sad Chivas USA team. My boy, Dema Kovalenko, led the charge with another goal (he's been on fire in the second half). DC United have now moved into second place, and look once again poised to cause some major damage in the playoffs!

What was the final score for the FC Dallas v. New England match?

New England defeated Dallas 2-1.

Here are the current MLS standings:

Eastern Conference
Team GP W L T PTS GF GA +/-
New England 22 12 4 6 42 40 23 17
Chicago 24 12 9 3 39 41 38 3
D.C. United 22 11 6 5 38 36 23 13
Kansas City 23 10 5 8 38 40 31 9
MetroStars 23 8 7 8 32 35 32 3
Columbus 21 6 6 12 21 19 32 -13

Western Conference
Team GP W L T PTS GF GA +/-
San Jose 22 10 4 8 38 33 25 8
FC Dallas 21 10 6 5 35 37 29 8
Los Angeles 23 9 9 5 32 27 27 0
Colorado 22 7 11 4 25 27 28 -1
Real Salt Lake 22 5 13 4 19 23 44 -21
Chivas USA 23 3 17 3 12 22 48 -26

Columbus is virtually eliminated from the playoffs, after they fell 2-1 to my Metros last night. The Crew would have to win essentially all of their remaining games in order to qualify for the playoffs.

Chivas USA are also pretty much out of the playoff picture. It would take a huge surge in order to reach the playoffs. A loss this coming Sunday against my Metros will end all hopes.

The Metros are not looking like a playoff quality team right now. Ties against Real Salt Lake (0-0 in the opener, 2-2 in Salt Lake City) and NE (2-2 early in the season) as well as losses against NE (4-2 after leading 2-1 with 25 minutes to go), Chicago (1-0 at home off a mistake by a defender), and San Jose (1-0 at home on national TV and 2-1 in San Jose after scoring first) add up many, many lost points. The team needs Youri Djorkaeff and Sergio Galvan Rey to play like they did yesterday and for Amado Guevara to relocate his MVP form of last year. If the Metros don't make the playoffs, expect Bob Bradley, a man who was once considered to be Bruce Arena's heir to the national team coaching job, to lose his job.

DC United finally recovered from two bad losses (at home against Los Angeles, and last Saturday's self-inflicted second half disaster at New England) to defeat Real Salt Lake 5-1. I have been wondering if this rare DC United second half slide was going to continue. Salt Lake came to town at the right time. Too bad it wasn't on television...

DC United has really gotten themselves into a decent playoff position now with a good win in Dallas last night. Santino Quaranta, who has been making waves on the national team, is rapidly taking over as this team's leader (with all respect to captain Jaime Moreno). The only troubling thing about DC United right now is their continuous inability to play well in the final ten minutes + stoppage time in the second half. They once again got sloppy, and Dallas scored late to make a game of it. However, DC United did prevail 2-1.

[ September 11, 2005, 08:21 AM: Message edited by: Cattledog ]

The Metros showed they're going to fight for a playoff spot last night. A 1-0 win over Kansas City, the team's first 1-0 win in over a year, pushed the Metros to 37 points. Currently, Chicago and Kansas City are the next closest teams, both at 42 points. If the Metros qualify, it'll be at the expense of one of these two teams.

Also, with a 3-0 loss to San Jose last night, Chivas USA is officially out of playoff contention. Even the additions of Paco Palencia and Juan Pablo Garcia have not been enough to turn the franchise around.