MLS—Seattle Sounds Out A Warning

Seattle—the Emerald City based in the Pacific Northwest, famed for coffee, grunge music, Pike Place Market, and the Space Needle—could soon be elongating its list of attractions with the name of Seattle Sounders FC.

Granted we are only 90 minutes into the new Major League Soccer season, but the statement of intent laid down by Sigi Schmid’s expansion team in their 3-0 destruction of New York Red Bulls, last season’s beaten MLS Cup finalists, could not have been any more emphatic.

Scoring goals is the hardest part of the game, and players who have been cobbled together for a first tilt at America’s top level habitually struggle in this department. San Jose Earthquakes took until their sixth game last year to notch their third goal. Toronto waited until their ninth game in 2007 to achieve the feat. Seattle required a mere 75 minutes.

The outstanding performer on opening night was Colombian international Fredy Montero. The 21-year-old forward claimed last year’s Golden Boot award in his home country while playing for Deportivo Cali. He starts his loan spell in MLS in similar vein with two impressive strikes.

Montero is exactly the sort of player that this league should be trying to attract—a young, raw, developing talent reared in the soccer hotbeds of South America who is desperate to become established at the professional level. The 32,523 fans that created a euphonic sea of green inside Qwest Field this evening were certainly excited by his repertoire of skills.

The hosts’ first meaningful attack on 11 minutes resulted in Montero opening the scoring. Three players combined to work the ball across the face of New York’s penalty area before Frenchman Sébastien Le Toux found Montero alone near the right corner of the box. The youngster steadied himself before steering a low drive beyond Red Bulls goalkeeper Danny Cepero’s despairing dive.

Nate Jaqua had a chance to double the lead four minutes later when he launched his rangy frame at Sanna Nyassi’s cross, but the former Houston Dynamo striker saw his flick drift agonisingly beyond Cepero’s far post.

With the excitable 52-member Sound Wave marching band, created at the behest of part-owner Drew Carey, setting the tempo in the stands, the Sounders continued their lively offensive spell and made it 2-0 on 25 minutes. Montero received a throw-in on the left before angling a precise reverse pass into the path of the on-rushing Brad Evans. The former Columbus midfielder burst into the penalty area undetected and drilled his low shot through the legs of the wretchedly exposed Cepero.

New York were now in disarray after looking the more composed outfit in the opening ten minutes. But even during those promising early stages, the Red Bulls were stifled in the final third by the industry of Seattle’s midfield. When the Sounders regained possession they quickly piled three or four players into New York’s penalty area to leave the visitors’ backline overwhelmed.

Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio tried to stem the green tide by replacing the embattled Andrew Boyens with Jeremy Hall on 34 minutes. Siniša Ubiparipović, his swamped defensive midfielder, lasted until half-time before making way for Danleigh Borman.

The pattern in the second half remained consistent despite Osorio’s reorganising as Seattle asphyxiated any attempted Red Bull charges. This particular brand of energy drinks supposedly gives its consumers wings, but it was the men from a city renowned for its coffee companies that appeared to be infused with a caffeine rush.

Londoner Steve Zakuani, the first pick in January’s Superdraft of college players, made his professional debut when he replaced the zestful Nyassi on 68 minutes. He almost scored with his first touch four minutes later.

Montero’s legerdemain saw him wriggle free from two New York players on the right flank before releasing Evans on the overlap. His low cross was deflected behind Zakuani, but the former Arsenal youth player still forced Cepero to make a smart save from his shot on the turn.

New York inflicted further damage upon themselves on 75 minutes when Mike Petke dwelled on the ball just inside his own half. Montero quickly seized upon the defender’s poor touch to steal possession and race clear on Cepero. A confident shimmy sent the goalkeeper to ground before the Colombian cemented his Man of the Match display with a composed finish high into the top corner.

All that remained was for Schmid to withdraw his ace in injury time to allow the fervent home support to roar their appreciation. Even they could not have envisioned such an impressive start. The pleasant surprise led to chants of “We’re so good it’s unbelievable” as the referee brought proceedings to a close and fireworks lit up the night sky.

If this is the shape of things to come in MLS in 2009—and over the next two years with the addition of franchises in Philadelphia, Vancouver, and Portland—then North American soccer fans are in for a real treat.

MLS 2009 Preview

Predicting the Major League Soccer champions days before the new season begins is an unenviable task.

Firstly, strict roster restrictions and salary caps guarantee a certain level of parity among the league’s 15 franchises.

Secondly, huge uncertainty exists around which players will be available for the entire campaign—flourishing performances can attract summer transfers to Europe, while American expatriates failing to make the grade abroad or nearing the end of their careers may be making the opposite journey.

Thirdly, MLS does not adjourn for international dates—this is especially relevant in 2009 with ongoing World Cup qualification and the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament taking place, as well as the U.S. team’s participation in June’s Confederations Cup.

Finally, as New York Red Bulls showed last year, anything can happen when it comes to the post-season play-offs.

Columbus Crew suffered three seasons of purgatory before rebounding to the top of the regular season table and lifting MLS Cup last year. Real Salt Lake fell agonisingly short of appearing in that final having also turned around three seasons of woe to mount a title challenge.

In this year’s Western Conference, I’m going for seasoned campaigners Houston Dynamo to reclaim their crown with Real Salt Lake as their closest challengers. In the East, another Conference Final between Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire could be on the cards but with a different outcome.

Come November 22 at Seattle’s Qwest Field, I’ll take Houston to clinch their third MLS Cup in four seasons over Cuauhtemoc Blanco and his Chicago teammates.

Here is a look at this year’s title contenders, play-off hopefuls, and helpless stragglers.

The Contenders

Chicago Fire (2008—3rd overall in regular season, lost to Columbus Crew in Eastern Conference final)

Head coach Denis Hamlett retains much of the squad that pushed Columbus all the way to the Eastern Conference title last year.

Cuauhtémoc Blanco, the team’s fiery 36-year-old Mexican captain, may be in the twilight months of his career, but he continues to inspire his teammates—particularly the impressive American forward Chris Rolfe.

Brian McBride, another 36-year-old veteran, adds his experience for a full campaign after arriving midway through last year to notch five goals in 11 games.

Former Manchester United trainee John Thorrington will be a major threat from midfield if he can remain injury-free.

This year could be MLS Cup or bust for Hamlett’s ageing stars.

Columbus Crew (2008—1st overall, MLS Cup Winners)

The champions’ title defence kicks off with much the same squad as last year despite fears that 35-year-old Argentine playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto, last season’s league and MLS Cup Most Valuable Player, may not return.

Schelotto is again supported by the highly-rated young winger Robbie Rogers and Venezuelan striker Alejandro Moreno.

Head coach Sigi Schmid’s defection to Seattle Sounders is a huge loss. Former Everton striker Robert Warzycha, who ended his playing days with Columbus, steps in to fill the void.

The Crew will remain near the Eastern Conference summit, but an expanded schedule with Champions League commitments will severely test their squad.

Houston Dynamo (2008—2nd overall, lost to New York Red Bulls in Western Conference semi-final)

The 2006 and 2007 champions were arguably the league’s best team last year, but they were undone by the most congested schedule in the league (participating in the Pan-Pacific Championship, CONCACAF Champions Cup, US Open Cup, Superliga, and CONCACAF Champions League) as well as the eminent fortune of New York’s post-season run.

Star player Dwayne De Rosario returned home to Toronto in the off-season, but his departure presents an opportunity for Aberdeen-born attacking midfielder Stuart Holden to cement his first team place. The Dynamo midfield remains formidable with Brad Davis, Ricardo Clark, Geoff Cameron, and Brian Mullan all capable of making strong contributions.

Houston’s defence has already been cruelly exposed by Atlante in the Champions League quarter-final, and the news that Eddie Robinson will likely miss the entire season is a devastating blow. Julius James arrives as part of the De Rosario trade but he will take time to settle into new surroundings.

Head coach Dominic Kinnear, however, is a master of strengthening his squad in the summer. His team remains serious title contenders. They have the experience and hunger to reclaim the title.

Los Angeles Galaxy (2008—13th overall)

No team finished 2008 with fewer points than the league’s self-appointed flagship franchise, leaving Bruce Arena with a major rebuilding job over the winter.

The former U.S. national team manager has overhauled his defence. Steve Cronin, Ante Jazic, Mike Randolph, Troy Roberts, and Greg Vanney have all being shipped out. Of that calamitous group, only Jazic remains in the league at present (with Chivas USA). Ukrainian Dema Kovalenko comes in from Real Salt Lake to fortify the midfield.

Landon Donovan returns from Bayern Munich to link up rejoin Edson Buddle in attack—a lethal partnership that netted 35 times for the league’s most potent offense last year.

Arena will definitely solidify this team and should have them mounting a challenge for the first time since 2005, but as always the key figure will be Galaxy’s English Tourist even though he misses the first four months due to more pressing commitments elsewhere.

Since Beckham’s MLS debut in August 2007, the team has accumulated 30 points from 30 games in his presence (33%). Galaxy performs markedly better in his absence—23 points from 17 games (45%).

Success or failure may hinge on whether Arena continues to hold the reigns when Beckham returns from his increasingly mediocre loan to Milan, or whether the club’s management will again be undermined by pop svengali Simon Fuller.

Real Salt Lake (2008—7th overall, lost to New York Red Bulls in Western Conference final)

Jason Kreis’ team were the form side toward the end of last season, with only the width of the Rio Tinto Stadium goal frame preventing them from reaching MLS Cup Final.

Kreis has built a solid squad around core team values—there are no high earners on this roster, but there is quality.

The departures of Dema Kovalenko, Fabian Espindola, and Kenny Deuchar frees up salary cap room should Kreis need to reinforce his squad in the summer.

Look for Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, and Yura Movsisyan to fire this team back into the play-offs.

Play-Off Hopefuls

Chivas USA (2008—5th overall, beaten by Real Salt Lake in Western Conference semi-final)

No team has endured greater misfortune with injuries in recent seasons, as exemplified by the signing of Swiss international Raphael Wicky. The former Hamburg midfielder was limited to 138 minutes of action last year before picking up an ankle injury which has subsequently led to his retirement.

Head coach Preki also loses the experience of veteran Mexican defender Claudio Suarez to retirement. Francisco Mendoza, another Mexican, returns south of the border to Chivas de Guadalajara.

With no major signings, much will depend on the health of forwards Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo. After contributing 23 goals between them in 2007, injuries restricted the pair to a combined 22 starts and 6 goals last year.

A question remark hovers over the future of midfielder Sacha Kljestan. The U.S. international trained with Celtic in January and remains on the radar of European clubs. Impressive displays in either the Confederations Cup or Gold Cup could see him depart in the summer.

Expect Chivas to reach the play-offs again, but no more.

D.C. United (2008—10th overall)

The most decorated franchise in MLS history suffered a dreadful campaign in 2008, missing out on the play-offs after two successive years of winning the Supporters’ Shield.

Some pride was restored by lifting the U.S. Open Cup, but head coach Tom Soehn knows that vast improvement in the league is essential to keep the pressure off his shoulders.

Argentine midfielder Christian Gomez returns to the capital after one season with Colorado Rapids. He replaces his countryman Marcelo Gallardo who has returned to River Plate after a disappointing campaign as D.C.’s designated player.

Brazilian striker Luciano Emilio and veteran Bolivian playmaker Jaime Moreno continue to carry the attacking threat.

United will improve this season, but not enough to pose a genuine title threat.

New England Revolution (2008—4th overall, lost to Chicago Fire in Eastern Conference semi-final)

The Revs were another team who stagnated last year as a result of injuries to key players.

After three successive MLS Cup Final defeats from 2005 to 2007, Steve Nicol’s team exited tamely against Chicago in last year’s Eastern Conference semi-final.

Taylor Twellman, one of the league’s top strikers, missed half of last year through injury. His health is vital to New England’s success, especially with his understudy Adam Cristman moving on to Kansas City Wizards.

Shalrie Joseph and Steve Ralston remain as the driving forces in midfield, while much will depend on the continued development of Gambian youngsters Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi.

The loss of defender Michael Parkhurst to Danish Superliga outfit FC Nordsjælland is a significant loss at the back.

Another Conference semi-final exit could be on the cards.

New York Red Bull (2008—8th overall, lost to Columbus Crew in MLS Cup Final)

Mired in mediocrity for the entire 2008 regular season, the Red Bulls somehow summoned the spirit—and generous doses of luck—to reach MLS Cup Final having overcome both Houston Dynamo and Real Salt Lake on the road.

Head coach Juan Carlos Osorio is a shrewd tactician with a peripatetic nature on the touchline, but he has been unable to enhance his squad for this year’s challenge.

Greater contributions are essential from skilful Venezuelan playmaker Jorge Rojas, Colombian forward Oscar Echeverry, and Argentine midfielder Juan Pietravallo. The South American trio joined during the 2008 summer transfer window but quickly fell out of favour.

Juan Pablo Angel returns to Giants Stadium despite suffering a series of aggravating back and hamstring injuries exacerbated by the unforgiving artificial surface.

Dane Richards showed his qualities toward the end of last season. The Jamaican winger needs to be more consistent this time around if the Red Bulls are to enjoy further success.

San Jose Earthquakes (2008—14th overall)

Last year’s debutants finished bottom by virtue of their inferior head-to-head record against Los Angeles Galaxy—a team they had a better goal difference than.

The summer acquisition of Englishman Darren Huckerby brought the Quakes from the brink of obscurity to the forefront of the play-off race before flaming out in the final fortnight.

Head coach Frank Yallop has been busy in the off-season. His major acquisition is American international Bobby Convey from Reading. His capture, added to the presence of Huckerby for the full year, should provide enough firepower to see San Jose reach the play-offs.

A good start is essential—San Jose have five of their first seven fixtures at home.

The Stragglers

Colorado Rapids (2008 – 9th overall)

A dramatic injury time equaliser from Real Salt Lake’s Yura Movsisyan in last season’s final game denied the Rapids a place in last year’s play-offs.

Gary Smith enters his first full year as head coach with largely the same squad of players, although Senegalese goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul and Scottish forward Tam McManus have left after failing to agree new contracts.

Conor Casey and Omar Cummings link well in attack and will again thrive off the service provided by English right-midfielder Terry Cooke, but with a weakened squad a run at the play-offs may be slightly beyond them this year.

F.C. Dallas (2008 – 11th overall)

Dallas spent most of last year in the lower reaches of the Western Conference despite the impressive goalscoring exploits of former Manchester United trainee Kenny Cooper,

The 24-year-old striker notched 18 goals, using his combination of size, strength, two-footedness, and pace to unsettle defenders. A $2million bid from Cardiff City last July was turned down and Cooper remains in MLS…for now.

First year head coach Schellas Hyndman has acquired Dutch midfielder Dave van den Bergh from New York, but he still needs a quality replacement for Colombian Juan Toja following his move to Steaua Bucharest last August.

Another successful start for Cooper may see him leaving in the summer, ending any hopes Dallas may harbour for reaching the play-offs.

Kansas City Wizards (2008—6th overall, lost to Columbus Crew in Eastern Conference semi-final)

Curt Onalfo’s side is perhaps the hardest to judge in the entire league.

For a start, the Wizards do not attract the same weight of attention as the league’s more successful franchises or bigger market teams. Secondly, their form last season fluctuated wildly.

Kansas fell to the depths of the Eastern Conference after an excellent start, but then mounted an unlikely resurgence to reach the play-offs—16 points from their last seven games saw them finish sixth overall in the combined standings.

That turnaround came after their designated player Claudio Lopez, the former Valencia and Lazio striker, had been dropped to the bench. The Argentine remains with the club despite his disappointing displays.

Adam Cristman is a good signing from New England Revolution, and captain Jimmy Conrad will guarantee that the side remains spirited. The organisation is more settled off the field this time around, but a lack of quality will prove fatal to their play-off hopes.

Seattle Sounders (2008—n/a)

The league’s newest team embarks on their inaugural campaign with an impressive ownership group in place, last season’s MLS Cup-winning head coach Sigi Schmid at the helm, and a passionate fan base already snapping up over 20,000 season tickets.

Sadly, Seattle faces the age-old problem for expansion teams—trying to get an entirely new squad of players to gel. Experienced acquisitions such as Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg will bring stability, while the development of this year’s first draft pick Steve Zakuani will be interesting to watch.

Expect the Sounders to be competitive, but a play-off spot will be slightly beyond them.

Toronto F.C. (2008 – 12th overall)

General manager Mo Johnston is renowned for his frequent dalliances in the transfer market. This off-season has been no different.

Returning hometown hero Dwayne De Rosario is by far the club’s biggest capture and a real statement of their ambitions. He is not the only Toronto native returning from Texas as Adrian Serioux moves north from Dallas to bolster the defence.

The Reds feel the effects of international dates more than any other franchise with a core of Canadian internationals at the heart of the side. Last September, head coach John Carver was forced to field three defenders signed on one-week contracts—including one retired MLS player employed as a scout—in a 3-1 home defeat to Chivas USA.

July’s Gold Cup will not help Carver as he bids to take Toronto to a first play-off appearance.

Austin Aztex prepare for USL debut

This article was written for the March 18, 2009 edition of RedMatchday Magazine.

Austin Aztex, the newest professional team in the U.S., continued their preparations for their inaugural season in the United Soccer Leagues First Division—North America’s second tier behind Major League Soccer—with a spirited 2-2 draw against Texas rivals Houston Dynamo last weekend.

Formed in 2008, the Aztex organisation has quickly assembled a squad which stands every chance of being competitive when the 11-team USL-1 season kicks off on April 18. The club is owned by Stoke City board member Phil Rawlins, an Englishman based in the Texas state capital, and the two teams have a formal partnership which will see the Aztex acting as a potential source for future Potters players.

Further links between the teams run deeper than Austin’s adoption of red-and-white jerseys. Manager Adrian Heath is best remembered for his trophy-laden Everton days in the mid-1980’s but he was born in the Stoke area and started his career at the old Victoria Ground. Heath has bolstered his fledgling squad of young American talent with four players from England’s lower leagues, the most notable being another former Stoke man Gifton Noel-Williams.

The Aztex will play their home games at Nelson Field; a humble 8,800 seated high school stadium that promises to unsettle visiting teams. The two-sided ground lies adjacent to the main highway running eastbound to Houston and its open ends create a wind tunnel which, compounded by the artificial surface and dominating presence of American football lines, adds complexity to the simplest of tasks.

As with any new business, attracting customers in the opening months and retaining their loyalty thereafter is paramount to building future success. Rawlins will be pleased that the 4,177 fans in attendance last week—albeit a sizeable chunk making the 160-mile trip from Houston—were treated to an entertaining game. The travelling El Batallón and Texian Army supporter groups did their part to create a lively atmosphere while Austin’s stadium announcer enlightened the novices among the home crowd with frequent updates on the action. Hopefully he won’t be required to trumpet every “Corner to Austin” for too long.

The enthusiasm in Heath’s side was evident from the first whistle as the two-time MLS champions struggled for time on the ball. Despite some slick play by Dynamo midfielders Brad Davis and Stuart Holden, the Aztex struck first on 21 minutes when Noel-Williams released Sullivan Silva down the right to score the club’s first ever goal. An exuberant Silva sprinted to the West Stand to be embraced by fans and team-mates alike while our trusty announcer did his best to sour the historic moment by blasting DJ Ötzi over the tannoy.

An amusing indicator of the highly-professionalised approach ingrained in American fitness methods was provided when Silva emerged from the ruck. There was no card-happy referee laying in wait to punish his over-elaborate celebrations; rather the team physio demanding that he sup from a water bottle to replenish lost fluids. Sadly for Silva he was to become better acquainted with the physio minutes later after limping out of the game.

Brian Mullan restored parity for the visitors on 34 minutes before Noel-Williams’ ebullience saw him dismissed following a second caution for a hard challenge on Holden. In truth, it was a harsh decision and one of many abysmal calls made by the match officials. Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear came to the aid of his opponents by asking the referee to allow Heath to introduce a substitute in place of his fallen captain. Kinnear said afterwards: “We wanted to play against eleven. It’s an exhibition so it doesn’t do either team any good to play with a man down.”

Austin received further assistance in first half stoppage time courtesy of a unique officiating gaffe. Former Dynamo reserve Kyle Brown’s effort was thwarted on the goal-line by young goalkeeper Tally Hall. Dynamo captain Wade Barrett reached the rebound ahead of Eddie Johnson, but his attempts to clear were derailed when the former Manchester United trainee clearly bundled him and the ball into the net.

As the referee ran to the six-yard line signalling a direct free kick, the opportunistic Johnson wheeled away in delight towards the same section of the crowd while Austin’s players again joined the melee. Still our esteemed officials waited before realising nobody was paying attention to them. With “Pump up the Volume” by M/A/R/R/S now filling the night sky, the referee simply cut his losses and trekked back to the halfway line.

Kinnear made wholesale changes at the interval with only one outfield player reappearing, but his reserves drew level on 47 minutes when trialist Eric Quill completed the scoring. Kei Kamara looked to have won the game for Houston when he rounded goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo and found the net, only to be denied by another bizarre refereeing decision. Gallardo was adjudged to have deliberately handled the ball outside his penalty area as he failed to deny the Sierra Leone international. Play was pulled back in any case—Houston were rewarded with a free kick; Gallardo went unpunished.

From then on the Aztex backroom staff became the busiest people in the ground. Waiting substitutes received thorough muscle rubs to prepare them for action while those being replaced were diligently checked by the physio before being put through their warm-down paces by the fitness guru.

At first glance, the rigorously attentive preparation off the field allied with a combative, enthusiastic spirit from his players suggests that Heath can look forward to a promising opening campaign. Whether the team’s successes or failures are debated in the city’s famed Sixth Street bars or not...well, that may have to wait another few years.

Mexican Domination Continues in CONCACAF

The inaugural CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals took place this past week with Mexican teams continuing their dominance of the region’s premier cross-border club prize.

In 43 years of the antecedent Champions’ Cup tournament, Mexican clubs lifted the trophy on 24 occasions. Atlante, Cruz Azul, and Santos Laguna remain alive this year in a draw that increasingly resembles last season’s UEFA tournament when it took English teams to eliminate English teams.

Mexico’s only casualty so far are Universidad Nacional—2-0 aggregate losers to Cruz Azul in the quarter-finals. The semi-finals see Santos Laguna hosting Atlante while Cruz Azul travel to meet Puerto Rico Islanders—an unlikely opponent from United Soccer Leagues First Division, the second tier of professional soccer in North America.

Puerto Rico, along with their USL adversaries Montreal Impact, have breathed life into an otherwise stale competition that has failed to gather the public’s interest. The Islanders, under the guidance of former Northern Ireland striker Colin Clarke, qualified for the first time in their short six-year history via the Caribbean Championship.

Clarke’s men caused a huge shock in the preliminary round by defeating Costa Rican powerhouse Alajuelense 3-2 on aggregate—a team that won the Champions’ Cup as recently as 2004. Their successful run continued when, after narrowly emerging from the group stages, they prevailed 3-1 on aggregate against Marathón of Honduras to reach the last four.

The Irishman has had mixed experiences in his managerial career in the U.S. over the last decade with abrupt stints at a number of lower level clubs. His sole MLS appointment at FC Dallas ended in dismay at the end of 2006 when he was dismissed for failing to translate three years of promising regular season form into play-off success.

In two years with the Islanders, Clarke has transformed a team of USL also-rans into championship contenders. They finished top of the regular season table last year before losing the play-off title decider 2-1 against Vancouver Whitecaps.

Clarke’s popularity with the natives has escalated to the point that he now combines his club role with that of Puerto Rican national team manager.

Montreal appeared certain to become the second USL team to reach the semi-finals when they took a 2-1 half-time lead against Santos Laguna in Torreón to build a 4-1 aggregate advantage. Santos’ Argentine striker Matias Vuoso scored twice as Montreal dangerously retreated toward their own penalty area, but the hosts still needed two goals as normal time expired.

Unbelievably, Colombian international Carlos Quintero supplied the required strikes in the third and fourth minutes of injury time to complete an amazing turnaround as the Canadians shrivelled under relentless pressure.

Despite such a cruel exit, the entire Montreal soccer community can be proud of their team’s progression to the quarter-finals. While the tournament has been characterised by feeble attendances, Impact have impressed with average crowds approaching 20,000 for their five home games—almost 7,000 higher than any other club.

Their first leg encounter with Santos Laguna was switched from their 13,034 capacity Stade Saputo to the adjacent Olympic Stadium to meet unprecedented demand for tickets—a staggering 55,571 fans inspired a 2-0 win for the 2008 Canadian Cup winners.

Montreal were in the running for one of two MLS expansion slots being granted in 2011. Liverpool co-owner George Gillett expressed his interest in jointly investing with club owner Joey Saputo, but the bid was rescinded last November stating concerns around meeting the necessary capital requirements in the current economic environment.

The success of the two USL clubs proved to be an acute embarrassment for Major League Soccer. New England Revolution and Chivas USA stumbled against weak opposition in the preliminary round while D.C. United limped to a single point from six group games—the lowest of all 16 teams.

Houston Dynamo soldiered on as the sole MLS flag-bearers until being dismantled by Atlante in the second leg of their quarter-final. After conceding a late equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Robertson Stadium, the Dynamo travelled to Cancún looking for their first ever win on Mexican soil.

Woeful defending quickly shattered that possibility as Atlante strolled to a 3-0 win.

MLS and USL teams are severely hampered at this stage of the tournament as their respective seasons have yet to commence.

Puerto Rico’s league season starts on April 18, at which point the Mexican Clausura championship will be in Round 14 of 17. Should the Islanders manage to reach the two-legged Champions League final, the first leg will be played four days after their league opener with Vancouver.

Four of the previous seven CONCACAF finals have been all-Mexican affairs. Despite the heroics of Clarke’s team, another such occasion seems highly likely.

Melbourne victorious while Adelaide regain pride

Melbourne Victory completed a clean sweep of Australia’s domestic titles last Saturday with a narrow 1-0 win over Adelaide United in the Hyundai A-League Grand Final.

The Victory’s second championship follows on from their success in the Pre-Season Challenge Cup last August and the Premiership title earned by finishing first in the 21-game regular season standings.

A near-capacity crowd of 53,273 inside Melbourne’s Telstra Dome saw Tom Pondeljak score the only goal of a tense game on 60 minutes. The defeat was harsh on the unfancied visitors—resoundingly written off after being thrashed 6-0 on aggregate by Melbourne in an earlier play-off round—especially given their dogged perseverance with ten men for the majority of the match.

Only eight minutes had elapsed when Cristiano contested an aerial challenge with Melbourne centre back Rodrigo Vargas. Both men seemed firmly focussed on the ball as they collided innocuously before Vargas tumbled to the ground with blood streaming from a cut above his right ear.

Referee Matthew Breeze briefly delayed to consult with his assistant before producing a red card for Adelaide’s stunned Brazilian striker. Replays showed the clash to be purely accidental but the cosmetic damage suffered by the unfortunate Vargas—not to mention the vociferously animated remonstrations of Victory captain Kevin Muscat—undoubtedly influenced the officials’ decision.

Adelaide made a positive start despite having to return to a venue which holds so many recent traumatic experiences for them. Four teams qualify for the A-League post-season with the league’s top two sides meeting in a two-legged Major Final to decide who will host the Grand Final. That meant a tie between these two southern rivals after Melbourne clinched the regular season title on goal difference from Adelaide.

Goals from Costa Rican international Carlos Hernandez and former Manchester City striker Danny Allsopp gave Victory an assured 2-0 win at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium on February 7. The rout was sealed seven days later with a 4-0 win at the Telstra Dome, giving an aggregate score which evoked memories of the 2007 Grand Final in Melbourne when Archie Thompson slayed Adelaide with five goals in a humiliating 6-0 rout.

The Reds enjoyed a successful run to the Asian Champions League Final last November – an achievement which saw them participate in the following month’s Club World Cup – but further glory looked unattainable in the aftermath of their insipid Major Final second leg defeat.

Manager Aurelio Vidmar launched an impassioned, if misplaced, rant in the direction of everyone bar himself or his players in the aftermath of the defeat, saying: “Politics, that’s what I put it down to. There are too many people in this club with hidden agendas.

“Whether you are involved directly or indirectly you have an effect. Because of a piss-ant town, this club will never win anything until you get rid of that crap.”

He could easily have pointed the finger at any number of his listless defenders, particularly the calamitous Macedonian Saša Ognenovski, or his diffident midfielders.

After two days of apologising and patching up his differences with the club’s directors, Vidmar turned his attention towards earning a shot at redemption by seeing off Queensland Roar—winners of the Minor Final between the league’s third and fourth placed teams. A stunning strike by Fabian Barbiero was enough to ensure Adelaide’s daunting return to the Telstra Dome.

Despite the pre-match obituaries—further compelled by the early dismissal—Vidmar’s men showed formidable resolve and stifled Melbourne’s dangerous attacking trio of Thompson, Allsopp, and chief orchestrator Hernandez. Indeed, Adelaide had two excellent chances to take the lead shortly after the interval but they were denied by Victory goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos.

Firstly, the impressive former Bolton Wanderers trainee Scott Jamieson contrived to hit Theoklitos from six yards out with an empty net gaping. Soon afterwards captain Travis Dodd dribbled past three Melbourne defenders before steering a tame finish straight at the goalkeeper.

Adelaide were made to pay for those misses on the hour mark as Pondeljak curled his right-foot shot beyond the despairing dive of Eugene Galeković. After putting up such stout resilience, it was a rather simple and unexpected goal for Adelaide’s defence to concede.

A late flurry of desperate attacking by the visitors proved fruitless, and so the curtain fell on the fledgling A-League’s fourth campaign with Melbourne deservedly taking the honours.

At least Adelaide can hold their heads high once again after pushing their rivals all the way.

A-Rod the latest to be revealed as A-Fraud

This article was written for the February 28, 2009 edition of RedMatchday Magazine.

“I was young. I was stupid. I was naïve.” So reads the remorseful apology from Alex Rodriguez—third baseman for the New York Yankees, baseball’s highest earner, the game’s biggest star, arguably its best player, and the latest figure to be sullied by the Steroids Era.

On February 7, Sports Illustrated reported that Rodriguez tested positive for two banned substances—Primobolan and testosterone—during anonymous tests in 2003. After years of resistance while widespread allegations of substance abuse plagued the sport, Major League Baseball and its detrimentally powerful Players’ Union finally agreed to preliminary tests to determine whether mandatory policies were needed.

A random drug-testing program was introduced in 2004 after 104 of the 1,198 samples taken showed traces of steroid use. Ironically, the union which ferociously fought against testing never destroyed the samples. These were later seized by federal agents during investigations into Victor Conte’s infamous BALCO nutrition company. The star name on that blacklist has now been unveiled—others will undoubtedly follow.

As baseball fans—desensitised by six years of scandal—meekly sigh at another unsurprising revelation, it is incredulous that the game’s rulers remain unmoved from their lofty positions. MLB’s tarnished commissioner Bud Selig emerged from off-season hibernation to scold Rodriguez for having “shamed the game”—one wonders how many windows in his glass house were smashed during the stone-throwing.

The oft-told story goes that in the aftermath of the 1994 players strike—which saw the World Series cancelled and audiences evaporate—Selig’s office turned a blind eye as a crop of musclebound power-hitters arrived to spark unparalleled fan enthusiasm. Attendances broke all records and MLB revenues increased four-fold as historic home run landmarks crumbled. In a period of unbridled financial greed, the monetary legacy of Selig’s term will be celebrated as a rousing success. His moral and sporting legacy is an entirely different matter.

The U.S. is currently experiencing unprecedented meltdown—incompetent bankers receive taxpayer-funded bailouts to reward monumental failures with multi-million dollar bonuses; the Naked Emperor Obama flippantly talks of “change”, then appoints a convicted tax cheat to oversee the Internal Revenue Service; states like California have increasingly astronomical budget deficits, yet continue to dole out benefits to burgeoning illegal populations; and America’s Pastime has deteriorated into a source of national derision.

Since 1900, there have been eight instances of a player hitting 60 or more home runs in a single season. The legendary Babe Ruth reached 60 in 1927—a record that stood for 34 years until Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961. Under Selig’s watch, that benchmark was surpassed six times in four years—twice by the disgraced Mark McGwire (70 in 1998, 65 in 1999), three times by the dishonoured Sammy Sosa (66 in 1998, 63 in 1999, 64 in 2001), and once by the discredited Barry Bonds (73 in 2001).

After Bonds seized the All-Time Home Run record from Hank Aaron in 2007, Rodriguez became the fans’ great hope—a supreme talent, a formidable athlete, a prolific home-run hitter who could return honour to the game’s most prestigious title. That dream now lies in tatters.

In an interview with ESPN on February 9, Rodriguez went where Bonds has never ventured by confessing his guilt. Two years after categorically denying on CBS’s 60 Minutes that he had ever taken banned substances, the 33-year old admitted to using performance enhancing drugs during his time with Texas Rangers from 2001 to 2003. He insists he has been clean since joining the Yankees in 2004.

Rodriguez gained worldwide prominence in 2001 when Rangers’ owner Tom Hicks signed him to a staggering 10-year, $252 million contract. His abilities had long been lauded. Former Rangers general manager John Hart claimed Rodriguez had the greatest high school scouting report he had seen in 40 years in baseball. Boston Red Sox assistant Allard Baird marked the young teen as a future Hall of Fame player.

At 17, Rodriguez skipped college and was selected first in the 1993 draft by Seattle Mariners where he quickly realised his potential. It begs the question why he felt the need to cheat while still in his prime.

According to his testimony, Rodriguez buckled under the pressure of his record-breaking deal. He said: “I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day...I wanted to prove to everyone I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time...I started experimenting with things that, today, are not legal...that today are not accepted.”

Like many, he labours under the misguided notion that steroids were somehow legal in baseball before mandatory testing was implemented. In reality, they were implicitly banned by a 1971 policy requiring compliance with federal legislation which outlawed the use of anabolic steroids without a valid prescription.

Rodriguez continued the theme of youthful stupidity at a press conference on February 17, stating: “If I had a son, I would definitely recommend going to college...I didn’t think they were steroids. That’s part of being young and stupid. It was basically amateur hour.”

If Outside Eyes—the communications firm providing media strategy to Rodriguez in his attempts to manage his personal crisis—reckoned that appealing to the public’s sympathies would soften the blow for their client, they are badly mistaken. As SI’s Ben Reiter subsequently wrote: “25-year-old multi-millionaire athletes know precisely what they are doing when they bend over to allow their cousins to administer secret injections to them, whether or not they’ve been to college.”

For all of A-Rod’s contrition, for all his repentance, for all of his seeking forgiveness, his name is added to the lengthy list of players who have left fans feeling despondent. The real crime however, much like in the banking industry, is that the facilitators of this mass fraud continue to call the shots.