Write On Sports LLC - "Why Chicago Shouldn't Worry + Week 7 Summaries" by Jeff Bull

Why Chicago Shouldn't Worry + Week 7 Summaries

2007-05-22 18:42:15 | By: Jeff Bull

The most eye-catching streaks in Major League Soccer are the big ones: the New England Revolution’s long, half-lucky unbeaten streak, which has them top of the league; at the opposite end of the standings, one can find a Real Salt Lake team laboring in a winless rut. In the wide, 13-point spread between those two, the rest of the league’s teams scale up and down the standings. Beneath the big, identity-defining blips registered by New England and Real Salt Lake, other teams climb or fall on more modest mini-streaks, the impact of which shows as much in perceptions of those teams as it does in the standings.

Two notable examples actually squared off in last week’s prime-time match on ESPN2: the Chicago Fire and FC Dallas. Of the two, the latter is surging as the former stumbles; that showed on Thursday, though not clearly as one might think. The consensus is that Chicago had the better of the game, but that hardly matters in the larger scheme. The permanent record shows a Dallas win and a Chicago loss.

Unfortunately for Chicago, that loss happens to be their third straight. That Chicago played better on the night, or even that Dallas has smacked around Chicago in the recent past, offers even less than cold comfort. After falling apart defensively in the two previous games, Chicago needed a good performance and, to some extent, it got one. But what about the sense of futility, the impression that even when the team plays well they lose? With the perception of Chicago as a bad team growing calls for the coach’s head sound, fans scrutinize the roster for dead (or aging) wood, and so on.

Giving up eight goals in three games, all while scoring only three at the other end justifies the charge, of course. But, to dig up the old cliché, if the playoffs started today, Chicago would be in them - comfortably, no less. They may sit at fourth in the Eastern Conference, but they’re also only seven points off the pace. A win or two - and they’ll get their first chance again this Thursday against (gulp!) Red Bull New York - and Chicago both climbs closer to safety and, suddenly, the perception of them shifts; that will go double if they kick off their mini-streak against a Red Bull team coming off a strong weekend.

An example of how quickly such a shift can occur comes with a look of FC Dallas. As recently as Week 5 Dallas sat at the bottom of an ugly Western Conference pile-up that featured three teams on seven points; a pair of home losses had fans and pundits doubting all or part of the team and glumly questioning whether they would make the post-season. By book-ending the win against the Chicago with a pair over the Kansas City Wizards and Real Salt Lake, the conversation on Dallas abruptly reversed to positive chatter about recent acquisitions (Colombian midfielder Juan Carlos Toja in particular) and thinking that, thanks to the return of ‘keeper Dario Sala from suspension, the team might have sorted out long-standing issues on defense. Some - like me - go so far as sighting glimpses of maturity in the green Dallas backline. On a more concrete level, though, those three games lifted Dallas to the top of the Western Conference - and we’re talking undisputed top as a win in the ninth game would still leave their nearest rival, the Colorado Rapids, one point behind them.

Steep as Chicago’s slide today, Dallas’ sudden resurrection shows that the gap between contender and goat is measured over just a few games in this league. So, Chicago can take comfort in that...but that also assumes they have it in them to turn it around. Here's a little more comfort: things could be worse; they could be Real Salt Lake.

Match summaries appear below; an asterisk follows games watched in their entirety.

Toronto FC 1 - 0 Houston Dynamo
Goals: Andy Welsh (TFC, 25)

The team that couldn’t even score in April suddenly can’t stop winning in May. Toronto added another franchise first - their first-ever clean-sheet - to make Andy Welsh’s header off a gorgeous Ronnie O’Brien free-kick stand-up. Houston has something to celebrate in their defense, but it’s becoming an open question when they’ll score next. Unless their wayward attack can’t find its focus change, they’ll be lucky to make the post-season, never mind the final.

Notable: How bad is Houston’s offense? They have only four goals this season, three of those coming in one game (which ties them for last in the league with the Columbus Crew); do the math and you’ll see they’ve scored in only two of their six games in 2007.

Chicago Fire 1 - 2 FC Dallas
Goals: Kenny Cooper (FCD, 24-PK); Juan Toja (FCD, 60); Calen Carr (Fire, 73)

With the larger pattern into which this game fits acknowledged above, reports suggest Chicago held the upper hand in this everywhere but where it matters: on the scoreboard; they looked quite dangerous in the last half hour, before and after their lone goal. Fire midfielder Justin Mapp wrecked all kinds of havoc, but the Dallas defense determinedly, even desperately, weathered the barrage - and that’s great news for a team whose defense is widely regarded as their weakness.

Notable: Count the Chicago Fire as one of the few teams FC Dallas owns: according to the Dallas Morning News, the Texas team has won 9 of the last 11 meetings.

Toronto FC 1 - 2 DC United
Goals: Alecko Eskandarian (TFC, 44); Kevin Goldthwaite (DC, 53-own goal); Jaime Moreno (DC, 79-PK)

It turns out Toronto CAN stop winning. DC United improved after a poor first half by loading the midfield to pin a leg-weary Toronto team into their defensive third. Now that Toronto now longer dishes automatic wins - and with two high-profile scalps to their credit in Chicago and Houston - it seems DC might really be on an up (don’t hold your breath, though). As for Toronto, the loss no doubt stung, but they’re looking better and fighting harder every week. Throw in the intimidating buzz of their home stadium and Toronto looks less and less like this year’s patsy (you’ll find them in Utah).

Notable: No team has relied on penalty kicks, and generous ones at that, like DC. As pointed out by Ian Plenderleith writing for USSoccerplayers.com, DC arguably owes five of the seven points earned in league play to three soft, game-turning penalties.

Red Bull New York 4 - 0 Columbus Crew
Goals: John Wolyniec (RBNY, 17); Clint Mathis (RBNY, 51); Juan Pablo Angel (RBNY, 61); Sal Caccavale (RBNY, 92+)

After a short string of lousy results, Red Bull took out its frustrations on a struggling Columbus team. While the game looked more even in terms of statistics - and even in both coaches’ assessment - the final score says plenty about the most meaningful difference between the top and bottom of the Eastern Conference: the ability to score. Columbus’ recent tinkering with their attack, which came chiefly with the addition of Alejandro Moreno and Guillermo Schelotto, has yet to pay dividends never mind produce goals. Long story short, if the Crew’s defense starts to crumble, this team heads into a death spiral.

Notable: Making matters worse for the Crew is the fact that Red Bull was missing three influential starters: midfielder Claudio Reyna, goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus, and defender Hunter Freeman.

Houston Dynamo 0 - 1 New England Revolution*
Goals: Shalrie Joseph (NE, 9)

This game was precisely what soccer-bashers see in their mind’s eye when they go after the sport: low scoring, lots of aimless running around, and an apparently random series of kicks. In spite of turning in a performance that bordered on unwatchable, New England left Texas with the win thanks to an early sloppy goal from Shalrie Joseph. Houston huffed and puffed, but managed only a few quality shots - and Revolution ‘keeper Matt Reis, who is having a banner year, snuffed out those for a man-of-the-match night. The sole bright spot for Houston came with the industrious and intelligent play of Ricardo Clark - well, that and defender/thug Eddie Robinson’s continuing talent for avoiding yellow cards.

Notable: To update the “notable” section above, make that read Houston has scored in only two of SEVEN games this season; that’s only slightly less remarkable than the fact New England has gone seven games unbeaten.

Colorado Rapids 1 - 1 Kansas City Wizards
Goals: Jovan Kirovski (Rapids, 46-PK); Davy Arnaud (KC, 58)

I seemed to have missed the good ones this week: reports tell of an engaging encounter between two clubs who have proved strong in the early part of the 2007 season. Colorado might have held the edge on paper and it sounds like they tried to force the play, but the Wizards held firm and dished back nearly as much. The deeper we go into the season, the more it seems these two will be around come playoff time.

Notable: Traditionally one of the stronger home teams in MLS, Colorado has failed so far to make Dick’s Sporting Goods Park a home-field fortress; they’re 1-1-3 at home on the season.

Chivas USA 1 - 1 Los Angeles Galaxy
Goals: Maykel Galindo (Chivas, 35); Landon Donovan (LA, 50)

The fans showed; they packed the house. The teams? Not so much. Given their recent form, Chivas has something to celebrate in this second, lackluster edition of the so-called “SuperClasico”: this second consecutive draws must feel better than the three losses that preceded them. From LA’s side, they seem oddly content with the draw for a team of such high ambition - maybe that will come later in the year?

Notable: With their season souring, Chivas can point to at least one sweet spot: forward Maykel Galindo. Since defecting from Cuba in 2005, Galindo has quickly climbed up the American soccer ladder using his speed and finishing ability. Galindo would be a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year if the rules for that honor didn’t render him ineligible.

FC Dallas 2 - 1 Real Salt Lake*
Goals: Arturo Alvarez (FCD, 26); Freddy Adu (RSL, 68-PK); Chris Gbandi (FCD, 82)

Sure, the three straight wins are nice, but it’s the way FC Dallas beat Real Salt Lake, as well as the fact it happened at home, that makes this notable. Even though RSL enjoyed a respectable spell in the second half, Dallas’ overall performance left them looking like a lower-division team. Defender Chris Gbandi’s late winner, a long-range shocker that announced its goal-of-the-week status with a ping off the top corner, beautifully sealed the win. Dario Sala played a rock-star game in the Dallas goal and their defense genuinely looks improved - though that perception may owe something to RSL’s offsense.

Notable: How has Real Salt Lake earned its widely reputation as worst in the league? An incredible seven games into the 2007 season and Real Salt Lake still has not registered a win; and no team has conceded more goals.

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