Houston Dynamo 1 – Chicago Fire 1

(Clark 33′, Oduro 43′)

With the way the results in the Eastern Conference shook out this weekend, not getting the full three points was a major blow for Chicago, who see their playoff hopes still alive but a bit more on life support.  Neither team looked like they wanted to push for the full three points from the get-go anyway.  Chicago, keeping an eye on Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup final, held out at least three healthy starters but did start on-fire (no pun intended) Dominic Oduro.  The speedy striker notched his twelfth goal of the season by beating Bobby Boswell in a foot race (insert joke here) and equalizing after Colin Clark had put the Dynamo ahead ten minutes earlier.  When Oduro was pulled early in the second half, the Fire essentially conceded the draw.  For Houston, their inability to not get three points in this match is disconcerting, as they sit in a wild card spot for now but only have a lead of three points ahead of 11th place Portland.

Toronto FC 1 – New York Red Bulls 1

(Koevermans 50′, Henry 88′)

I said earlier this week that this match, more so than the Dallas and Portland games, would be the true test of whether New York was a contender in the East.  So what can we gleam from this match?  Thierry Henry can carry this team to a certain point, but that point may not be enough.  The Red Bulls looked lackluster in this match for the entire first half until the Koevermans goal snapped them out of their funk.  At that point, Henry became a real threat to Toronto although it took quite a nice goal from him to actually tie the game.  Their next match (Tuesday against Los Angeles) will not be any easier, as LA is looking to clinch the Supporters’ Shield, so NY may rue the missed opportunity.

Seattle Sounders 2 – New England Revolution 1

(Fagundez 35′, Montero 36′/48′)

The story of this match for New England was the first start and the second goal for 16 year-old Diego Fagundez.  The youngster scored off a corner kick and honestly provided the only spark on offense for the Revolution in this match.  The Sounders quickly equalized and Montero added the game-winner twelve minutes after, but honestly Seattle could have won by more.  A Milton Caraglio chance was ruled offside early in the match, and Montero’s quest for a hat trick was thwarted by Matt Reis in the 58th minute with a goal line save.  In a bad sign for Chicago, Seattle also rested a number of its starters for Tuesday’s final but still was able to get all three points (albeit against a weaker opponent).

Colorado Rapids 1 – FC Dallas 0

(Moor 25′)

Was this match more about Colorado or FC Dallas?  The visitors have now not won a game in any competition since August 27 and despite outshooting the Rapids 11-8, they could not find that elusive equalizer.  Brek Shea again had his moments of playing well, but did not score like he did earlier in the season.  Despite have 46 points and sitting firmly in the playoffs now, the possibility exists of Dallas falling out of the playoffs.  Colorado, who is also in playoff position but could slip out if their play continues to slip, got a very valuable win.  Drew Moor scored in the second time in as many games.  I’d be curious to hear from fans of either team: did Colorado win this game or did Dallas lose it?

Los Angeles Galaxy 2 – Real Salt Lake 1

(Espindola 45′, Barrett 59′, Borchers [OG] 72′)

First the good news for RSL: Javier Morales returned and played eighty minutes, which is incredibly important for a playoff run.  The goal also came off a free kick earned late in a first half where the Galaxy looked to have more chances.  However, it was the Galaxy who came away with the win after some excellent second half play.  The first goal came off some confused play between Jamison Olave and Nick Rimando, which allowed Barrett to grab a too-easy goal.  The second was just a the result of too much Galaxy pressure and a bad attempt at a block by Borchers.  Incredibly, this match was the first time the Galaxy had trailed at halftime this season, and with a win over the Red Bulls on Tuesday they can clinch the Supporters’ Shield.

San Jose Earthquakes 1 – Sporting Kansas City 1

(Wondolowski 85′, Bunbury 86′)

What was for the most part a slow game turned very interesting late in the second half with two capped U.S. internationals providing goals within seconds of each other.  Wondo found the back of the net seemingly against the run of play as KC had become more aggressive in the second half, and looked to the home crowd to be the winner.  However, on the subsequent kickoff, C.J. Sapong found Teal Bunbury with an excellent pass which he converted for an equalizer.  For a team that looked to have dropped their late game heroics habit, it was nice to equalize but a win would have helped them more strongly secure the first seed in the East.

Columbus Crew 2 – DC United 1

(Woolard 37′/OG 48′, Gaven 60′)

Columbus snaps its six match winless streak with some help from DC and a returning friend with a 2-1 victory.  Despite the Crew dominating possession DCU struck first on a nifty Daniel Woolard flick on goal off a free kick.  But Woolard would even the game early in the second half when, trying to clear the DC zone, he redirected a loose ball into the net.  Twelve minutes later, Eddie Gaven, who had been out for the past two months, headed a cross past Bill Hamid for the game winning goal.  Dwayne De Rosario looked slow and tired in this match, likely from his knee contusion suffered Thursday and the number of minutes he’s played.  When he’s having an off game, Charlie Davies and (when he plays) Joseph Ngwenya need to step up for DC; neither did on Sunday.

Portland Timber 1 – Vancouver Whitecaps 0

(Cooper 25′)

Kenny Cooper spoiled the opening of BC Place and kept Portland in the thick of the playoff race with a nice goal midway through the first half.  Vancouver had plenty of chances in this match, but a combination of missed opportunities and Portland hunkering down prevented them from winning their new-home opener.  As it stands, the ‘Caps are on pace for the fewest wins in an MLS season.  Portland, meanwhile, moves into a tie on points with New York but fall behind on a tiebreaker.  Actually winning on the road bodes well for Portland, which has some critical away matches to close out the season.

Chivas USA 1 – Philadelphia Union 1

(Mapp 59′, Angel 90′)

Similar to Chicago/Houston, this match helped one team’s playoff position while keeping another one on life support.  Juan Pablo Angel rescued the Goats with a very late header off an assist by Michael Lahoud.  Chivas now sits four points out of a playoff spot while Philadelphia is tied for second in the East.  As much attention as Dwayne De Rosario has received for his improved play on a new team, if he is an MVP candidate does that also make Angel one?  The statistics aren’t as good but if you judge it strictly on value to a team, it’s hard to argue against him, as he has provided the offense for their late push.

Photo by Ryan Healy

A great weekend for MLS soccer was overshadowed by some high-profile injuries that may close the door on some struggling teams.  Meanwhile, the top of the pack looked stronger: Donovan’s return coupled with New York’s victory Thursday has two of the big name teams clicking on all cylinders at the moment and threatening to open a divide in the standings.  The East is still the East – three teams will take the playoff spots but no one’s sure who and in what order.

But the big takeaway from this weekend is, of course, Lambeau Leaps are not allowed in MLS.  Here’s your weekend recap:

Seattle Sounders 1, Colorado Rapids 0: We’ve covered the match and implications in-depth on this site, but I can’t emphasize enough how big of an impact Zakuani’s injury is on the Sounders.  Fredy Montero looked to be on his way back to form and they finally looked to be clicking on offense at least.  Now they have to replace one of their best playmakers.  Their schedule over the next few weeks is critical: Toronto, Portland, Kansas City and Dallas at home; traveling to DC and Columbus.  This is not murderers row, but the kind of schedule that could show us if Seattle are contenders or pretenders this year.  Look for a Colorado post this week to talk about their travails.

Toronto FC 1, Columbus Crew 1: I mentioned last week that Columbus is facing an easier part of the schedule, and if they want to be considered a playoff contender, they need to win these type of games.  Instead, they settled for a draw and only after Toronto were down to ten men.  Tony Tchani’s celebration made it clear that MLS officials will not tolerate goal celebrations off the pitch; players be warned.  The Toronto goal snapped the Crew’s impressive scoreless streak and gives some hope to a side that was pretty down after last week’s loss.

Chivas USA 2, San Jose 1: This is a bad, bad loss for San Jose.  While Chivas got a long deserved win, this is the kind of match San Jose needs to win to be considered a playoff team.  They are winless in their last four and while losing to New York last week is no disgrace, losing at home to the Goats arguably is.  An additional footnote, this match was the first time this season an MLS team came from one goal down to win a match.  Chivas is also now undefeated in their last four matches.

FC Dallas 2, Vancouver Whitecaps 1: Dallas may have won the battle but in the process lost the war.  The home side looked like they were finally gathering some momentum this season and beginning to play as well as they should be; Brek Shea was even returning to the right side of the midfield.  Credit to the team for rallying for a win after David Ferreira went off with a broken ankle, but make no mistake this is a serious blow.  He is their best playmaker and one of the best in MLS.  For the ‘Caps, it was another blown lead and another yellow card for Eric Hassli, who will miss their next match due to this card being his fifth.

New England Revolution 3, Sporting Kansas City 2: So many storylines, so little space.  Let’s start with Benny Feilhaber’s debut in MLS: he played the whole match and assisted on the Marco Perovic goal.  He also was responsible for the red card to Aurélien Collins: the KC defender and Revs midfielder got into a tussle after Collins collided with Matt Reis.  While KC fans may argue it was unjust, Collins was sent to the showers with a straight red.  The Revs also saw Steve Nicol’s newest formation – Shalrie Joseph playing as a forward, not a midfielder, to provide support up top for Lekic.  Kansas City, meanwhile, needs some help on defense.  The team’s backline leaks like a sieve and cannot keep giving up 2.4 goals a game.

Chicago Fire 1, Houston Dynamo 1: The ageless Bobby Boswell continues his strong year.  The defender scored the equalizer late in the match and, don’t look now, but Houston’s on a nice hot streak.  They are unbeaten in their last five and are climbing the Eastern Conference standings.  Chicago, on the other hand, can’t buy a win at the moment and their upcoming schedule won’t help that effort: they travel to Colorado then host the high-scoring Whitecaps before traveling to Toronto and Philadelphia.

Los Angeles Galaxy 3, Portland Timbers 0: Welcome back Landon Donovan.  The Team USA midfielder scored twice, including a penalty, but the match may have been over in the fourth minute when Chad Barrett scored.  LA fielded their strongest lineup of the year and looked like one of the best teams in MLS since maybe their opening night win over Seattle.  Portland, despite their good karma at home, just does not play well on the road.  They are two different teams depending on where the game is played.  For Timbers fans, the one bright sport was getting to see their new DP in action as Diego Chara was subbed on in the 46th minute.

As 2008 gave way to 2009, the Houston Dynamo and their fans were faced with many questions: Will a stadium deal get down this year?  How can the team replace the offensive contributions of Nate Jaqua and Dwayne De Rosario?  Will the Dynamo break down and sign a designated player? Who will back up long-time goalkeeper Pat Onstad? And, will defender Bobby Boswell go to Europe or sign a new contract with the Dynamo?  As the Houston Dynamo prepare to report to training camp on Monday February the 2^nd, several moves have provided answers to some but not all of these questions.

The Houston Dynamo began firming up their 2009 roster on January 23^rd when they signed former Herman Trophy semi-finalist and two-time All American from San Diego State University, Tally Hall.  The 23 year old goalkeeper has spent the last two years with Denmark’s Esbjerg fB.  Hall was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2007 SuperDraft, but their rights have since expired and the Dynamo claimed him as a discovery player.

On Monday January 26^th the Dynamo further strengthened their defense for the 2009 season when they signed former MLS Defender of the Year Bobby Boswell to a long term contract.  The Dynamo initially picked up Boswell in a post-season 2007 trade deal with D.C. United, where Boswell had fallen out of favor.  After a rough start during the 2008 Pan Pacific Cup, Boswell eventually made himself a crucial part of the Dynamo’s back line and of the 48 matches played by the Dynamo in 2008, Boswell started in 43 matches.

With the acquisition of Julius James in the De Rosario trade and the signing of Boswell, the Dynamo traded defender Patrick Ianni to Seattle Sounders FC.  Between an inconsistent 2008 season and the fact that Ianni is no longer a Generation Adidas player, the time had come for Ianni and the Dynamo to part ways.

Finally, the signing that has truly captured the attention and imagination of Dynamo fans was broken by Ives Galarcep on Tuesday and made official by the Dynamo in a press conference today – the acquisition of 18 year old forward Felix Garcia from the PDL’s Laredo Heat.  For those unfamiliar with the geography of Texas, Laredo is situated on the Rio Grande and is the southern terminus of Interstate 35, making it one of the biggest ports of entry between the United States and Mexico.

The potential of signing this young prospect; who scored the winning penalty kick for the Heat in the 2007 Championship, has played with the USMNT U-20 squad, and has trained at the Dynamo South Texas Academy; has been rumored for weeks here in Houston.  Dynamo COO Chris Canetti was a guest on the 1560 Soccer Show here in Houston on January 5^th, and when asked about Garcia, he stated that if Garcia made the move from the PDL to the MLS he’d probably sign a Generation Adidas contract and go into a weighted draft where other teams would have a shot at acquiring him as a developmental player, and he played down the prospect of signing him directly from Laredo.  It may have been a smoke-screen, but more likely it was a conservative response to a situation that was still be played out, and in the end the Dynamo were able to sign the young striker, with impressive speed and finishing, as a transfer from the Laredo Heat.  The icing on the cake, for the Dynamo, is the fact that Garcia has signed a Generation Adidas contract.

The adjective most used to describe Garcia is “raw,” which under the coaching of Dominic Kinnear and John Spencer, could pay dividends for years to come, not just for the Dynamo, but also for the U.S. National Team.  As Canetti stated today, “He’s obviously a player with a lot of potential, and we’re looking forward to maximizing that potential. We are going to be very patient in his development and are eager to see him grow as a professional player under the positive training environment that Dominic Kinnear has established.”

The signing of a young, gifted player from the streets of Laredo during a week when the MLS has been presented with the potential of having three of its players move to three big European clubs, could prove to be a fingerpost in the history of the MLS, if it so chooses.  While there is a certain attractiveness to signing older, established players who spent incredible years with some of the biggest and most successful clubs in Europe, there is no shame in being a league that develops raw talent and then reaps the benefits of the rewards by transferring developed players to the bigger leagues that have lost interest in developing talent.  While this type of attitude has kept teams afloat in Brazil and Argentina, imagine what this approach could do for the MLS, which could take this money and not just pay overhead, but reinvest it to grow the league’s stature and respect around the world.

As an aside, I would like to take a moment to introduce myself to the readers of Major League Soccer Talk.  I am Brian H. Zygo, based out of the Alief area of Houston, Texas.  I am proud of the fact that I am the first MLS credentialed correspondent for World Soccer Wrap, though not the last.  In addition to covering the Houston Dynamo, I am the host of a weekly podcast concerning Calcio, World Soccer Wrap: Serie A, and I am a co-host of the 1560 The Game Soccer Show, a weekly show on 1560 AM here in Houston, Texas.   With the start of the 2008 MLS Playoffs, the Soccer Show was given a trial run and it was recently made an official part of the station’s weekly line up.  The show airs at 7:00 pm central time, and this Monday we will have Dominic Kinnear as our in studio guest.  For those of you not in Houston, you can listen online at http://www.1560thegame.com/ or listen, watch, and chat live with us at http://www.1560.tv/  But those of you who listen to the Major League Soccer Talk podcast will recognize me as an occasional guest since 2007.