MLS Week 5: Previews 2007-05-03 13:32:35 | By: Jeff Bull Week 5 provides a number of the league’s teams a opportunity to make a statement; obviously, that doesn’t apply so much to the Los Angeles Galaxy, Toronto FC, and FC Dallas, all of whom have bye weeks. Of the teams in play, though, DC United has two games in which to begin the already arduous task of turning around their season; reigning champions Houston has one game to do the same, albeit with a smaller hill to climb. Red Bull New York and the Chicago Fire can seal their early rise in the Eastern Conference, while the Colorado Rapids can not only stake a deeper claim to the Western lead with the added bonus of knocking down Houston when they do it. Perhaps no game in this early Major League Soccer (MLS) weekend has the “statement opportunity” as the one in which the Kansas City Wizards hosts the Columbus Crew. Both teams missed the playoffs in 2006, but both have shown some promise in the current, young season. Columbus, for instance, not only remains unbeaten, they picked up their first win last weekend against DC. For their part, the Wizards sit third in the East - just one point behind leaders Red Bull and Chicago - and look for Eddie Johnson to build on his early promising form to lead them to the playoffs after two years on the outside. Moving on, now, to the week’s previews. DC United (0-3-0, 0 pts.) v. New England Revolution (2-1-1, 7 pts.) May 3, 2007; 4:00 p.m. PST (ESPN2) Players to Watch: DC - Bobby Boswell, Christian Gomez, Luciano Emilio; NE - Taylor Twellman, Michael Parkhurst, Shalrie Joseph DC United returns home deeply disoriented and desperate for points of any kind after a loss to the Columbus Crew that probably unraveled what’s left of her nerves. Stopping the Revolution’s Twellman, who currently leads the league in scoring, falls on a blundering defense; help could come though Gomez, Emilio, and front-running partner Jaime Moreno, but that “golden triangle” has failed to find a way through less stout defenses. Kansas City Wizards (3-1-0, 9 pts.) v. Columbus Crew (1-0-3, 6 pts.) May 5, 2007; 10:00 a.m. PST Players to Watch: KC - Eddie Johnson, Carlos Marinelli (?), Kevin Hartman; Crew - Ned Grabavoy, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Marcos Gonzalez With Red Bull New York and the Chicago Fire standing as the current league darlings, this game provides a chance for both teams to declare as real competition. The Wizards have the more impressive record, but they owe six of their nine points to wins over expansion side Toronto FC. Look for the Crew to offer the sternest challenge, at least on the defensive end where the Ohio team has proven strong. This one could come down to something simple as who scores first. The team that wins, though, could appear in a whole new light. Real Salt Lake (0-2-2, 2 pts.) v. Red Bull New York (3-0-1, 10 pts.) May 5, 2007; 6:00 p.m. PST Players to Watch: RSL - Jeff Cunningham, Chris Seitz, Daniel Torres; RBNY - Josmer Altidore, Dane Richards, Jeff Parke RSL head coach John Ellinger deserves honorary mention in the “to watch” list: if there’s a hotter seat in MLS today, no one is talking about it. Combine RSL’s ramshackle defense with its stuttering offense and this game has the makings of a formality, especially with a red-hot Red Bull team coming into the game without having conceded a goal. Even Red Bull’s somewhat uncertain offense might benefit from the match-up. If there’s a silver lining for the Utah team, it comes with memories of being the team that started DC’s death spiral last June; perhaps a repeat? Colorado Rapids (2-1-1, 7 pts.) v. Houston Dynamo (1-2-1, 4 pts.) May 5, 2007; 6:30 p.m. PST (Fox Soccer Channel) Players to Watch: Rapids - Kyle Beckerman, Herculez Gomez, Bouna Coundoul; Dynamo - Brian Ching, Brad Davis, Brian Mullan This should be another doozy: Colorado plays a physical-bordering-on-brutal style up the middle, but they haven’t yet faced flank players like the Dynamo duo of Davis and Mullan - even if the two have under-performed this year. The real rub is that under-performing makes that pair a perfect match for Houston as a whole: Houston seems stalled, having scored just ONE GOAL thus far in 2007. But if the Dynamo asserts themselves on the flanks, they’ll automatically put one the Rapids’ best weapons, Herculez Gomez, in check. This one will be a fight and there’s reason to believe the Rapids possess an edge in grit. DC United (0-3-0, 0 pts.) v. Chivas USA (2-2-0, 6 pts.) May 6, 2007; 8:30 p.m. PST (Telefutura) Players to Watch: DC - Luciano Emilio, Bobby Boswell, the defender who starts on DC’s left; Chivas - Francisco “Panchito” Mendoza, Ante Razov, Jesse Marsch Put it this way: if DC ends the weekend without gaining a point, all bets are off - including the hottest coach’s seat in the league. Chivas’ occasionally defensive fragility, not to mention an whiff of coming unglued, opens the door to just that little bit wider for a struggling DC offense. Unfortunately, Chivas has shown some offensive punch of their own, even in losing efforts; in other words, DC’s penchant for loose marking and sloppy give-aways in their defensive third may be just what Chivas needs to return themselves to winning ways. New England Revolution (2-1-1, 7 pts.) v. Chicago Fire (3-0-1, 10 pts.) May 6, 2007; 12 noon PST Players to Watch: NE - Shalrie Joseph, Taylor Twellman, (hopefully) Pat Noonan; Fire - Chris Rolfe, C. J. Brown, Matt Pickens In competitive terms, this ought to be the game of the week; in entertainment terms, it could lose out to an insurance seminar. The saving grace: these two highly-organized and tough teams HATE one another - and the Revolution’s Week 1 loss to the Fire, in which Chicago ‘keeper, Matt Pickens, rescued his side might lend a welcome edge to the encounter. The team able to take advantage of the few times the ball breaks free from the midfield scrum should be the one to win it.
Comments
Post a commentPlease keep your comments relevant to this article; inappropriate or purely promotional comments may be removed. This comment board is provided to further the discussion of the thoughts provided in the above article. Please respect the writer's contribution and only provide well thought out responses. Thanks. |
|
Write On Sports is not affiliated with any amateur or professional sports organization.
About WriteOnSports.com | Terms of Use | Advertise on WriteOnSports.com | Contributors | Submit Content | Contact
Copyright © 2006 Write On Sports LLC. All rights reserved.
About WriteOnSports.com | Terms of Use | Advertise on WriteOnSports.com | Contributors | Submit Content | Contact
Copyright © 2006 Write On Sports LLC. All rights reserved.