Write On Sports LLC - "Game Summaries: MLS Week 1" by Jeff Bull

Game Summaries: MLS Week 1

2007-04-09 20:52:32 | By: Jeff Bull

Major League Soccer (MLS) wrapped up Week One on Sunday with something of a whimper. But plenty of intriguing action - an upset here, a late goal there - preceded the Sunday contest. A quick run-down of the weekend’s scores and talking points follows. And, by way of full disclosure, this and future editions of this weekly wrap will include games viewed first-hand and those observed only through video highlights available on MLS’s official site and match reports; games viewed first-hand will both come first and be flagged with an asterisk. Now, to the game summaries, with home team listed first:

Colorado Rapids 2 - 1 DC United*
(Goals: Rapids: Herculez Gomez, Roberto Brown; DC: Luciano Emilio)
To fully appreciate the magnitude of this win, one has to know this stands as the Rapids first ever opening day victory. More impressive still was the way they took the game to DC United, the near-unanimous favorite for the 2007 season. The Rapids were particularly effective down the flanks through Herculez Gomez on left and Terry Cooke on the right. Both players influenced the game in general and combined on the opening goal when Gomez headed in a cross off a corner kick delivered by Cooke. Cooke also provided the deciding pass for Roberto Brown’s goal, who was left inexcusably open near the penalty spot. The Rapids went into the half with a two-goal lead and ample momentum.

DC struggled to penetrate the Rapids defensive third for much of the game, though that’s not to say they didn’t create a few chances. But the majority of these came from distance and on set pieces, which Colorado ‘keeper, Bouna Coundoul, creditably handled. Between the Rapids sitting back a little and DC settling into the game, the visitors came back into the game, beginning with Luciano Emilio’s goal around the 80th minute on a cross from new signing Kasali Yinka Casal. A last-gasp shot from Ben Olsen, also saved by Coundoul, ended DC’s chance for a share of the points.

Columbus Crew 0 - 0 Red Bull New York*
(Goals: none)
This game recalled a heavy-weight boxing match, in which the telling blow never landed - well, apart from the fact neither team fits the “heavy-weight” bill. On a bitter cold day in Columbus, the home team settled into a second-half groove, but never managed to put the ball in the net. Their best chances came from a seam-splitting run from midfielder Eddie Gaven and a through-ball that midfielder Ned Grabavoy sent to forward Joseph Ngwenya; Grabavoy also rattled the Red Bull’s left post with a shot late in the game. Promising as those, and a pair of other chances came, Columbus couldn’t find the target or the win.

In terms of possession and aggression, Red Bull owned the first half, making repeated runs against the Crew’s back-line. That line held firm, though, reducing the visitors to a series of half-chances. Players like midfielder Dema Kovalenko, Josmer Altidore, and, especially, John Wolyniec fought and forced some saves out of Columbus ‘keeper Andy Gruenebaum, but clear openings were at premium. Once the second half started and Columbus started rolling, openings for Red Bull dried up entirely.

Chivas USA 2 - 0 Toronto FC* (second half only)
(Goals: Chivas USA: Ante Razov, Sacha Kljestan; Toronto FC: none)
A promising fifteen minutes in the first half aside, expansion team Toronto FC looked the part in falling in their first-ever MLS game. Still, Chivas ‘keeper Brad Guzan had to be equal parts sharp and lucky during that span, with luck playing the biggest part with his reaction save on Toronto forward Edson Buddle’s point-blank shot off a rebound. That flurry aside, though, Toronto struggled to effectively penetrate Chivas’ half of the field (particularly in the second half - as much of this game as I caught first-hand).

On the other side of the ball, the preseason concerns about Toronto’s defense found some support in the goals they gave up. The first, which came when a pass from Sacha Kljestan caught Toronto’s defense flat-footed, left Chivas forward Ante Razov with an easy, open finish off a pass from his front-running partner Maykel Galindo. And Kljestan rounded off the scoring late in the game when the Toronto defense failed to shut him down 20 yards from goal; the bemused shrug from Toronto ‘keeper Greg Sutton after the second goal said plenty about the lack of aggression.

Real Salt Lake 2 - 2 FC Dallas
(Goals: FC Dallas: Kenny Cooper, Carlos Ruiz(?); Real Salt Lake: Jeff Cunningham X 2)
Heartbreak came at both ends of the game as Real Salt Lake squandered their best chance to date at starting a season with a win. A second-half, injury-time goal - which came out of a tussle between a Real Salt Lake defender and Carlos Ruiz - turned a certain win and three points into a share of the spoils and, worse, the familiar sinking regret at what might have been. Two goals by Jeff Cunningham, one a clinical finish from a long-ball, the other an opportunistic score off a rebound, should have been enough for Real to seal the win.

Chicago Fire 1 - 0 New England Revolution
(Goals: Fire: Logan Pause; Revolution: none)
A couple brilliant late saves from Chicago ‘keeper Matt Pickens made Logan Pause’s fourth minute goal stand up for the home team’s win, saves of a caliber making a trip to the highlights on MLSnet.com worthwhile. Chicago’s Justin Mapp not only assisted on the goal, but looked to have terrorized the Revolution’s left side for much of the game. Reports suggest New England clawed back into the game late in the second half, when they created chance after chance; Pickens kept out everyone the Revolution didn’t send wide. Forward Taylor Twellman and Midfielder Andy Dorman looked to have had the best night for the visitors, with the former rocketing one of the few shots to beat Pickens off the crossbar.

Houston Dynamo 0 - 0 Los Angeles Galaxy
(Goals: none)
In a game in which most of the action came in the first half, neither side managed to break through in spite of some solid opportunities. ‘Keepers Pat Onstad for Houston and Joe Cannon for the Galaxy smothered or deflected all that came their way, with Galaxy midfielder/forward Landon Donovan looking to have posed the most persistent threat throughout the game; Houston’s best chance of the day came off a set-piece. All in all, Sunday’s game provided an unremarkable start for both clubs’ 2007.