Week Eight Recap

By: travis | May 11th, 2009

Lots to get into after another wild weekend of MLS action. Entertainment — or at least goals — were at a premium, with 7 games yielding 22 goals. It should be noted that three games contributed 16 of those, so it’s less flattering from a defensive stand point.

That aside, about half of the games had positive soccer being played. While there were the usual defensive lapses, odd decision making and some dodgy refereeing, the good definitely outweighed the bad. News that the Sounders will increase capacity should be welcomed with open arms as well, as the new kids are quickly becoming a beacon of light in what has been a less than enduring time for attendance numbers (aside from Toronto, of course).

Chivas USA continues to run away with the league, sitting eight points ahead of the pack. Seattle and D.C. are the closest behind, equal on points. Right now, it seems like anyone’s game. Predictions won’t mean squat, as there is just so much soccer to be played between now and then. Here’s a look at this weekend’s action:

New York 4-1 San Jose
I think I’ve said this before, but this is the Red Bull team many of us expected to see prior to the start of the season. A first half flurry of goals completed the scoreline in this one, with Jorge Rojas scoring twice, and the lethal combination of Mac Kandji and Juan Pablo Angel rounding out the goals for the Red Bull. Ryan Johnson’s consolation was all San Jose had to show for itself, and with their season threatening to leap off into a precipice, never to be seen again. They’ve been contending with injuries for the past few weeks, but if things don’t reverse soon, it’s going to be a disappointing sophomore season. As for New York, hard to say if this is an indicator of consistency. A result and some momentum would go over very well in Red Bull land.

Colubmus 3-2 Kansas City
The Crew finally got the monkey off their back. That elusive first win is now in the books, and it’s none too late. Surely helping things is the level of entertainment included in this one, with some classy finishing from both sides. Not to be overlooked is the Crew still struggling to close games out, as the Wizards came close to snatching a point in this one. Goals from Eddie Gaven, Emmanuel Ekpo, and Guillermo Barros Schelotto pushed them over the winless hump — we’ll see what happens to the remainder of 2009. The Wizards continue to flounder after a brief unbeaten streak, with just one point from their last three matches. Their offense isn’t to blame, rather their normally stout defense has proved to be a bit leaky; though it isn’t the biggest shock considering Jimmy Conrad is their only defender with a solid resume.

D.C. United 3-3 Toronto
As wild a game as I’ve ever seen, with Toronto FC narrowly missing out on three points away from BMO. That’s what will happen when three goals are scored in six minutes, and five total in the second half. United looked comfortable and should have been up by a greater margin than 1-0 at the half. But Dwayne De Rosario took advantage of a miscommunication at the back to even things up. Toronto seized the run of play and scored on a free kick to take a surprising lead. From there, the dramatics ensued. Chris Pontius leveled the score at 2 after a beautiful build up by United that included a sensational dummy from Jaime Moreno. De Rosario struck back moments later, freeing himself up outside the 18 and lashing home past Milos Kocic. Not to be outdone, Moreno rounded out the scoring when Marvell Wynne was correctly adjudged to have handled in the box. It’s fair for each side to claim they should have won this one — United outplayed Toronto in the first half, but the Canadians seized upon their opportunities, while United left a few begging. At the end of the day, for what it’s worth, D.C. remains in first.

Chicago 1-1 New England
What’s this? Shalrie Joseph playing forward? Color me surprised, but not shocked that Steve Nicol pulled this one out of his bag of tricks. And it yielded the proper dividends, as the struggling Revolution were able to nick out a draw on the road. Another disappointing result for the Fire, who remain without a loss in league play, but can’t seem to finish out games. Wilman Conde opened the scoring for the home team, only to once again falter against another opponent and blow a lead. This time Joseph was left unmarked at the back post early in the second half, grabbing an equalizer. Matt Reis was back with a vengeance, notable because of the howler he let in the previous weekend versus the Dynamo. He made a few acrobatic saves to preserve the point for New England on the road.

Houston 1-0 FC Dallas
Nothing too pretty about this one. Houston extends its shutout streak to 405 minutes with a comprehensive win against Dallas that should have been by more. It’s hardly the match you’d want broadcast on ESPN2, but you take what you can get. A goal by Kei Kamara was the difference, and it’s worth noting that Geoff Cameron looks much more settled in his centerback position than earlier in the season. For Dallas, there isn’t too much to say about them. Schellas Hyndman hasn’t had the best of luck early on, and the Hoops seem to be in a massive hole they won’t be able to climb out of. Is David Ferreira another bust from South America? He deserves more time, but one assist on the year so far is another reason for poor results.

Chivas 1-0 Real Salt Lake
Another game on the road for Real, and yet another loss. They can’t establish a legitimate contender claim until they can break the duck and win away from Rio Tinto. Sure, being undone by the league’s top team is nothing to be ashamed about, and they didn’t look that bad doing it. A sensational Paolo Nagamura strike was the difference, along with Zach Thornton’s sixth clean sheet of the season. Hopefully for Chivas fans, their club isn’t getting too hot too soon, and they can sustain this level of play throughout the duration of ‘09. Might they be this season’s version of Columbus? Only time will tell.

Seattle 1-1 Los Angeles
A hectic draw out West with the referee once again playing too big a role. Tim Weyland hasn’t had the best games this season, and made a number of questionable calls. I don’t know how much of an argument Seattle fans over the red card — James Riley made a bonehead decision — but had a legitimate shout for a penalty turned down. Sebastian Le Toux’s first goal in MLS shows that they have depth at forward, but a draw against Los Angeles isn’t good enough. Alan Gordon’s header brought honors even for the Galaxy who have a ridiculous record of 1-1-6. Tie much?

Goal of the Week
Plenty to choose from this week, with a number of quality finishes to go around. For me, the nod goes to Paolo Nagamura for his goal against Real. Classy finish, and the game winning goal. Be sure to vote here.