Long time since my last post, but I finally have something else to talk about. I've avoided talking about the crazy NFL season thus far, where a team that leads the league in total offense and defense has a record of 2-5 and the defending Super Bowl champs can be humbled at home by the sad-sack Cleveland Browns. The whole "Any Given Sunday" trope has to be trotted out yet again....
But instead of focusing on that, I want to talk about the just-completed MLS regular season. I think this year will mark a turning point in MLS history. One sure sign of this is the retirement of several league legends and a couple of original members. There were very few of those hardy souls left in the game, and now I'm not sure if there are any left. The biggest name belongs to Brian McBride, the first-ever MLS draft pick from way back in 1996. After a stellar college career, McBride slammed home 4 goals in his MLS debut that season and garnered enough interest over a few seasons in Columbus to earn a big payday in England. He became something of a folk hero at Fulham for scoring timely goals, and only returned to MLS last season to play out his twilight years ("twilight years" in soccer terms... meaning he's just middle-aged for life).
Another legend retired this season. Jaime Moreno will leave MLS as the league's all-time leading scorer. It's doubtful that his record will hold up for very long (second-place all-time is Jeff Cunningham of Dallas, who is expected to return next season and only trails by a single goal), but Moreno isn't purely a "stats" guy. Moreno was with DC United from their inception in 1996 and was a crucial member of that team for all 4 of their titles (including the shameful 2004 title earned courtesy of a blatant Alecko Eskandarian handball... and yes I'm still bitter about it!). Moreno possessed a deft touch on the ball and lightning-quick reflexes around the penalty area. While never a speedster, he routinely surprised defenders with a quick short-distance burst and a calm head in front of goal. It says something (both in favor of Moreno and indicting this year's DC squad) that even at an advanced age (again... advanced for pro soccer players) and minus his youthful quickness, Moreno was perhaps the most dangerous player on his team. He will be missed.That still leaves guys like Eddie Lewis, Mike Petke, Chris Klein, and CJ Brown out of the discussion, and quite frankly those players are all deserving of their own career epitaph. It's truly the end of an era.
But with the passing of the old comes opportunity for the new, and MLS is not wanting in those respects. After a handful of seasons that saw some underwhelming play and distressingly bland styles, competition and intensity has returned to the league. While recent years have seen teams of no-name young legs running around in support of a lone player of note, 2010 saw almost every team play a roster of quality players. Nearly every team had at least two or three players worthy of note and capable of making something happen. The number of goals scored went down (again), but that was largely due to a horrible run of games early in the season while teams were still trying to find themselves amidst the scheduling quirks of the World Cup year. Post-World Cup, teams added some significant players such as Thierry Henry, Geovanni, and Rafa Marquez. The overall quality of play jumped up appropriately, and the intensity rose as the pressure mounted.
Also, for the first time ever, only half the teams made the playoffs. With a full 16 teams, 8 playoff participants represent a mere 50%. Compare that to the early days of 10 teams, when all but a couple of teams made the playoffs, and you see why this season saw more competitive games through the summer.
Add it all up and you get a very promising picture. MLS now has more stars than ever, and the games mean more than ever. I'm not completely sold on adding even more teams to the league (Vancouver and Portland are already scheduled to join next season), but for now it's good. This year's playoffs will actually feature matchups of good teams, any one of which could legitimately claim the title, a direct contrast to past seasons when a sad-sack team could back into the playoffs and hope to get lucky against a real contender.
For now, I want to briefly recap the seasons for the 8 teams that failed to make the playoffs, in order of their finish. For them, the season is truly over and the thoughts turn to 2011. The 8 playoff contenders still have something to play for before we write their summary...
9th place -- Kansas City Wizards
Despite another year of missing the playoffs (and still possessing what is most likely the most boring team emblem in all of sports... go ahead and check it out if you want: http://www.kcwizards.com), the Wizards have to feel good about what they accomplished in 2010. They improved almost everywhere on the field, scoring more goals and giving up fewer than they did in 2009. They struggled early, but picked up after the World Cup break when coach Peter Vermes settled on a standard starting lineup. KC got some decent (if inconsistent) production from guys like Birahim Diop and Kei Kamara. Newcomer Ryan Smith could be a star on the left wing. There's hope up front with rookie Teal Bunbury and next year's addition of Mexican veteran Omar Bravo. Kansas City will also get a new stadium in 2011, only furthering the good vibes. There are still some questions on the roster, such as how the team can replace veteran leader Jimmy Conrad (who has clearly lost his edge), but Kansas City fans are looking forward to good things.
10th place -- Chicago Fire
It wasn't supposed to end this way in Chicago. They were considered underachievers the past two seasons when they lost out in the league semi-finals (although their classic semi-final against Columbus in 2008 was perhaps the best MLS game of the past three or four years). So what can you consider a team that flops all season long and ends up out of the running entirely? The loss of veteran Cuahtemoc Blanco was clearly much bigger than the Fire anticipated, as the team struggled to create opportunities without him. More damning was an inconsistent streak that saw them flatten opponents one week only to disappear the next. Collins John was a flop. Nery Castillo did little. In a desperation move, the team traded for Freddy Ljungberg, who was as frustratingly inconsistent as he was in Seattle. Chicago now faces some daunting offseason questions. Who will replace the legend McBride up front? Do they pony up the cash for John, Ljungberg, and Castillo after all three disappointed? Who stays and who goes? What about guys like Calen Carr that simply haven't developed? It's clear that the team needs an overhaul.
11th place -- Toronto FC
The season started with a new coach and a supposedly new attitude. MLS legend Preki had been marginally successful coaching an under-talented Chivas USA side, so he seemed like a good choice for under-achieving Toronto. Alas, he clashed with players and staff while experimenting with lineups and the season slowly slipped away. The front office fired Preki halfway through, but it made little difference. The truth is that Toronto's core simply isn't good enough. Dwayne DeRosario has rarely been better, but he can't do it all himself, and he's 33 years old. Julian DeGuzman was a big-dollar signing who produced precious little. Spanish import Mista also proved to be a waste of time. Young goalkeeper Stefan Frei leaked goals at inopportune times. At times, Toronto looked like a competitive team, but too many key contributors came up small. Like Chicago, Toronto must ask some tough questions during the offseason. What kind of style do they want to employ? Who can supplement DeRosario in attack? And even bigger... who could potentially replace him soon? He's no spring chicken.....
12th place -- Houston Dynamo
Perhaps we should've seen it coming, but it was still jarring to see the ultra-defensive former champs leak goals all season and wind up out of the picture even before the leaves started to fall. The team relied far too heavily on big Geoff Cameron, whose injury revealed a frightening lack of depth. Houston had to abandon it's traditional "10 men in the box" defensive style in order to score a few goals. While the team still managed to poke in a few goals thanks largely to veteran striker Brian Ching, the defense was left exposed. Adrian Serioux disappointed in yet another MLS stop. Veteran goalkeeper Pat Onstad committed some uncharacteristic gaffes. Eddie Robinson suddenly looked a step slow. Veteran midfielders Brad Davis and Richard Mulrooney couldn't maintain their production while the younger guys like Corey Ashe didn't look ready to step into larger roles. Big-money Mexican signing Luis Landin flopped so badly the team cut him. Houston still has some talented players, and it's entirely possible that this season will end up merely a blip on a larger run of success. But the Dynamo really need to address their stadium situation (they play at the University of Houston's football field), shore up the defense, and find younger options in goal and up front.
13th place -- New England Revolution
The Revs once again held out hope (and a roster spot) that forward Taylor Twellman could return to his goal-scoring ways, but he once again missed an entire season. He's battled injuries and concussions during his career and has now missed the past two years entirely. His absence forced the team to once again lean on goalkeeper Matt Reis, midfielder Shalrie Joseph, and a bunch of kids. It wasn't enough. Injuries shelved Matt Reis (and also his backup, Preston Burpo) for long stretches. And while youngsters like Sainey Nyassi and Zack Schilawski showed flashes of promise, they were too inexperienced to hold up over a 30-game season. The Revs made too many mistakes and gave away too many games. The good news for Bostonians is that this roster is loaded with young potential stars. Guys like Kenny Mansally, Kevin Alston, and the aforementioned Nyassi and Schilawski are all in their early-to-mid 20s. With the addition of a proven striker (whether that's a healthy Twellman or a new player) and a little more luck on the injury front, the Revolution should be right back in the hunt next year. There's hope for tomorrow.
14th place -- Philadelphia Union
As an expansion team, one couldn't expect too much from Philly this season. They didn't disappoint. That said, they were also usually competitive and featured some exciting games from forward Sebastian LeToux. LeToux was mainly an afterthought with Seattle in 2009, but he exploded for double-digit goals in 2010, with several of the highlight-reel variety. Perhaps LeToux didn't fit with the "speed" plan in Seattle, as nobody will confuse him with Usain Bolt; But he proved his nose for goal this season and Philly can build around him. Philly's downfall this season can be traced to some other names. Defender Danny Califf is a veteran of the national team scene, but his reckless fouling caused problems. Goalkeeper Chris Seitz was hailed as the keeper of the future, but his present was shaky at best. Not all is lost, however. Young Jack McInerney showed promise, and the team traded for the talented Justin Mapp during the season. If coach Peter Nowak can coax a little more from Mapp (an underachiever in Chicago), develop youngsters like McInerney and Seitz, and find a veteran piece to match LeToux, Philly could quickly morph into contenders.
15th place -- Chivas USA
At this location in the standings, things get ugly. Chivas was supposed to bounce back this season, not sink into obscurity. They crumbled early and never got things going in the right direction. Perpetually injured Maykel Galindo was let go. Enigma Sacha Klejstan was shipped overseas. Young Guadalajara loanee Jesus Padilla showed promise but wasn't ready for primetime. Veteran leader Johnny Bornstein made good at the World Cup but seemed distracted by an upcoming move to Mexico afterwards. The team quickly started rotating a bewildering number of players through their roster, and nothing really worked. It's safe to say that Chivas USA is starting over next season. They have no focal point (unless young Sal Zizzo can become one... he's only now getting back into form following a devastating knee injury suffered overseas), no names you'd recognize, and no established plan for the future. The one bright spot is the play of Justin Braun, who showed that he could be a top-notch target forward with just a little help. I'm not sure he's the kind of guy you build around, but Chivas has to start somewhere.....
16th place -- DC United
Following last year's debacle in New York, a team would have to be astoundingly bad to get much attention. DC United wasn't up to (or down to... I should say) that level, but they made it interesting for a while. United started the year with Curt Onalfo as head coach, but he lasted only a few weeks as the team looked confused and disinterested from the get-go. Santino Quaranta tried to lead the group, but he's really more a role player than a playmaker. The team tried bringing back striker Luciano Emilio, but his mojo was clearly gone. Designated player (read: BIG $$$) Branko Boskovic was so quiet most people (even soccer fans) never even knew who he was. DC United was so starved for talent that castoffs like Kurt Morsink and Adam Christman saw major minutes. Shining through all the dregs was Andy Najar, who looks like he could be a dynamic player in years to come. United could do a lot worse than to try to build around him and Quaranta. It's time to get rid of high-priced disappointments like Danny Allsopp and Boskovic. DC fans deserve better than this.
SAH
