MLS fans were treated to four games last night instead of the usual one or two, as the schedule makers begin to crowd in a few more league games in anticipation of international friendlies and late-season CONCACAF Champions League matches.  In a cool twist, all four had some playoff implications as the results had a definite impact on positioning for the playoffs and may prove critical down the stretch (although with ten teams making the playoffs that is an easy statement to make).

For those watching So You Think You Can Dance or enjoying an evening free of television, here is a recap of the action from last night.

Vancouver Whitecaps 0, Columbus Crew 1: The ‘Caps continued their miserable inaugural season with a case of what could have been, while Columbus continues to solidify a top three spot based on Jeff Cunningham’s milestone goal.  The striker scored his 133rd MLS goal in the 90th minute to not only give his team the victory, but to tie him with Jamie Moreno for the all-time lead in MLS goals.  The home team had plenty of chances in the first half, dominating possession but failing to convert, and had a great chance in the second half when Alain Rochat was dragged down in the box in the 72nd minute.  However, Terry Dunfield’s penalty was easily saved and, when Shea Salinas was sent off with a red five minutes later, it was a matter of time before the Crew would score the game winner.

New York Red Bulls 5, Toronto FC 0: On their most recent road trip, New York had a record of 0 wins, 1 loss, and 3 draws.  They took out their frustration at home against a hapless Toronto side.  Thierry Henry scored his ninth goal of the season in the 33rd minute and it was all New York from that point forward.  More coming soon from Daniel on this one.

Chivas USA 2, San Jose Earthquakes 0: This match could come back to haunt San Jose as the two teams will be battling for a wild card slot at the end of the season.  It was Robin Fraser’s decision to insert Ben Zemanski in the 58th minute that turned the tide and gave the Rojiblancos an energy boost in midfield.  His goal (seen above) in the 64th minute broke a scoreless tie and Nick LaBrocca’s strike in the 84th minute put this one out of reach for San Jose.  Speaking of the ‘Quakes, they will have to face Philadelphia this weekend without Steven Lenhart, who will miss the game due to yellow card accumulation.

Sporting Kansas City 1, Colorado Rapids 1: Colorado is quickly approaching the Chicago Fire’s tie record and Kansas City extended their unbeaten streak to 9 as these two teams battled to a draw at Livestrong Park.  Conor Casey did what he does best in scoring his goal in the 32nd minute: he used his strength to corral a long free kick and placed a shot just out of Jimmy Nielsen’s reach.  Again, it was a good substitution by a manager that made the difference, as Peter Vermes brought on C.J. Sapong in the second half for Teal Bunbury and it was the rookie Sapong who scored the equalizer.

The Columbus Crew have a knack for late game heroics recently.  This past weekend it was Rich Blachan grabbing a goal late in stoppage time to salvage a tie with the Red Bulls.  Last night it was a furious second half rally full of controversy that saw home fans booing the game-tying goal and Will Hesmer playing the hero late in stoppage time.  The 2-1 win by the Crew moves them into third in the Eastern Conference, while the loss casts doubt on Real Salt Lake’s place in the MLS Cup race.

This was the first match between the two teams since their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match-up.  The scoring started early for the visitors when in the seventh minute they were awarded a corner kick.  The kick, taken by Nelson Gonzalez, was flicked past Hesmer by Jamison Olave for his first goal of the season.  Emmanuel Ekpo was the victim as he fell while trying to mark Olave and allowed the open shot.  It was the fourth time in six games, according to the MLS website, that the Crew have conceded a goal before the tenth minute of the game.

The Crew tried to equalize and had more chances throughout the first half and the beginning of the second.  The game changed in the 76th minute when Justin Meram was tripped in the box by Olave and the Crew were awarded a penalty.  What happened next can only be described as bizarre. Jeff Cunningham, who has struggled all season to score and was a goal behind Jaime Moreno for the all-time MLS goals record, had been designated by Robert Warzycha to take any penalties.  Despite this, Andrés Mendoza stepped up to take the kick and took the ball away from Cunningham.  Chad Marshall came over and tried to arbitrate, and then Cunningham, according to his account after the game, allowed Mendoza to convert the PK.  As relayed by Shawn Mitchell in Crew Xtra, Cunningham after the game said:

Despite converting the penalty, some in the crowd booed Mendoza when he was subbed off in the 85th minute.  But the night would be full of cheers for the Crew faithful, as Josh Garner in the 82nd minute sent a shot from about 20 yards out that hit the thigh of RSL defender Chris Schuler and deflected past Nick Rimando for the second, and decisive, goal.   The Crew had to defend the lead fiercely however, as the visitors made one last push to equalize.  Three minutes into stoppage time Tony Beltran had a great chance on goal with a quick shot off a corner that forced William Hesmer to extend and make an incredible finger-tip save to preserve the tie.

The Crew move into third place in the Eastern Conference with the win and have built a three game winning streak.  But good luck guessing where this team is going.  After beginning the season with an incredible shutout streak, the club gave up three goals to Portland in their draw and has begun a nasty habit of allowing early goals.  Readers, feel free to share where you think the Crew are going because I am having a hard time figuring it out myself.

As for Real Salt Lake, this team is not looking like the favorites for the MLS Cup like many thought they would be this season.  While their depth has been severely tested by injury and national team call-ups, they seem to lack creativity in their attack.  Since losing to Monterrey they are 2-2-3, not exactly world beaters.  There is still time to turn it around, and they have a few games in hand over their opponents, but it may be time to worry about RSL this season.

Photo by Greg Hickman

On March 19, the Columbus Crew dejectedly walked out of RFK Stadium in Washington on the wrong side of a 3-1 game.  The team allowed two Charlie Davies goals (one a penalty kick) and looked outclassed, out played, and in for a long season.  The result came after they were shown the door from the CONCACAF Champions League by losing 4-1 to Real Salt Lake.  After an offseason where the team jettisoned many of its bigger named players to make room in the salary cap and committed to a rebuilding effort, the team looked destined for a long, long season.

A month later, Columbus sits in a playoff spot.  The team has not allowed a goal since the second Davies’ goal and this weekend held the highest-scoring team in MLS to no goals.  While not an offensive juggernaut, the team is scoring enough to get results.  So are the Crew back to their normal spot near the top of the Eastern Conference for good, or is this an illusion that will wilt away in the summer months?  The answer is, of course, not that simple.

At first glance the schedule up to this point for the Crew has been daunting, but upon closer examination looks to have been quite easy.  After the trip to DC, the Crew hosted the Red Bulls and Dallas, two 2010 playoff teams and teams expected to compete for an MLS Cup this season.  But the Crew played New York during an international break and essentially forced a draw with a “B” team, while Dallas has struggled mightily this season and is still sorting out personnel issues.  The trip to Chivas led to a scoreless draw, not surprising how bad Chivas is, and while Sporting Kansas City is promising, they have a horrendous defense to go with a great offense.  So the schedule has not been a good guidepost to the season so far, except to say the Crew don’t lose to bad teams.

One constant this season has been the defense, which should not be a surprise considering that was one area the team didn’t unload their star power.  MLS star Chad Marshall was retained and paired with a number of new players who have excelled to this point.  Julius James was picked up off the smoldering heap that was DC United’s 2010 backline and has seen a career resurgence.  Rookie Rich Balchan has started all five games and played extremely well.  In net, Will Hesmer has played very well after some uncertainty this offseason as to who would be the starter due to injuries.  The team has not allowed a goal in four matches, a team record and an incredibly accomplishment.  In their last match, Dilly Duka had as many shots on goal (2) as all of the Kansas City players combined.

Another reason for their positive play has been Robbie Rogers, their one consistent offensive threat.  The rift that existed between Rogers and head coach Robert Warzycha has seemingly been resolved; the Crew team on the pitch in DC looked lost and without a real offensive threat until Rogers stepped on the pitch.  So far this year Rogers has scored as many goals (2) as he has the past two seasons.

The upcoming schedule also should be a reason for optimism among Columbus fans.  This weekend, they visit a Toronto team in flux then host the expansion Whitecaps and struggling Sounders (although the Sounders may be finally turning their season around).  Things get tough with back-to-back trips to San Jose and Portland, but they end May by hosting Chivas.  Conceivably, the Crew should pick up at least 12 points through the end of May.

But the reason why Rogers has been so good for the Columbus offense is that the play of the Crew forwards and midfield have been terrible.  Consider that Portland scored as many goals in its home opener as the Crew have scored this season, and that two of those goals came from penalties.  Eddie Gaven has been ok but not really good up front, and while it is still early Andres Mendoza has been a disappointment.  Jeff Cunningham looks his age and fails to convert quality chances.

So can the Crew continue this run and qualify for the playoffs?  In an Eastern Conference with few clear favorites, it is not out of the realm of possibility for them to grab a top three spot if their defense continues to play well.  But for this team to challenge New York for first or even challenge a resurgent Philadelphia or DC, they need to find more consistent offense.  Without a goal scorer either emerging or being acquired this summer, Columbus could be on the outside looking in this September.

Recently my computer ran into a series of issues that has rendered it incapacitated and made me realize its place in my life.  It loads slowly and lacks many of the modern amenities in many computers, but when working properly it is has enough memory to run fairly quickly and is perfect for the tasks for which I need it, mainly posting to this site, running my fantasy teams, and doing other mundane tasks like email and social media.  I mention this because my computer is a lot like the MLS re-entry draft: the pieces available aren’t going to wow your friends and make you the envy of the league, but drafting right can give you the piece that is perfect fit for your club.

As with any draft, some teams were able to land the piece that is right for them while some whiffed on their picks.  As such, below are my winners and losers from today’s draft with one caveat.  Teams have a week to negotiate with their selections and failing to sign them allows the team to hold their rights, so there could be trades and non-signings over the next week which could alter these rankings, so check back for changes.

Winners

Los Angeles Galaxy: The team showed the aggressiveness and willingness to spend wisely that so many clubs refuse to do.  Seeing former Arena-coached player Juan Pablo Angel sitting undrafted after three picks, the team traded its fourth round pick in the Superdraft to Houston for the fourth pick and picked up Angel from New York.  The forward has scored 61 goals in the past four seasons, so he is definitely still a contributer for the Galaxy.  Adding Angel to pair with Edson Buddle upfront or being the scoring option off the bench makes the Galaxy the early 2011 Supporters Shield favorite.  Plus they picked up a needed young midfielder with their original pick.

Chivas USA – The club that lost its big-name star in Jonathan Bornstein this summer and missed the playoffs got the chance to finally replace him by taking Jimmy Conrad with the second pick.  It gives the team a veteran defender and a player who can help them begin the climb back to the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference.

Colorado Rapids - The defending champs publicly said they were going to focus on the Superdraft and international market for club improvements.  However, the club picked up veteran defender Tyrone Marshall with the last choice in the first round, good depth for a team that needed defending depth.  Now if they can keep Omar Cummings they may be set.

Major League Soccer – As part of the new CBA the organization created this odd draft system where players with a certain playing time can become sort of free agents.  This makes the “win” side because it gives MLS a little press in the slow winter months.

Losers

MLS fans who like Ronaldinho – The unhappy AC Milan star and LA have been negotiating behind the scenes for weeks now about a possible move to the Galaxy where the Brazilian would be the team’s third designated player.  The selection of Juan Pablo Angel could endanger that depending on how negotiations go.  If Angel is the team’s third designated player, then Ronaldinho or another big-name international star loses that slot.

D.C. United – Going into this draft process, D.C. United clearly needed two things: offense and defense.  The club has eschewed defense with its two picks of Joseph Ngwenya in the first part of the draft and today with Josh Wolff.  But the club passed on a ton of bigger named players who might have had a more definite impact.  Consider this: United this offseason released Danny Allsopp, who had five goals for the club.  The two re-entry selections had a combined three goals in 2010.  A disappointing draft.

Jaime Moreno:  If Jaime Moreno decides he still wants to play, and at times he has hinted as much, his chances took a hit today as he went undrafted and enters the free agent pool.  But more importantly Jeff Cunningham was taken by the rebuilding Columbus Crew, who needed a veteran striker.  Now Cunningham will have a chance to pass Moreno in the all-time MLS scoring list for good, a nice honor for the veteran but a misfortune for the current record holder.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto – The 2008 MVP went unselected over two rounds and is now a free agent.  Ouch.

Who are your winners and losers from this draft?

The final list of MLS players eligible for the new re-entry draft was released today, and many of the more famous players were the same ones on the expansion draft list from last month’s draft.  As a reminder, players with a certain amount of service time with a club who have had their option declined without a bona fide offer are eligible for the re-entry draft.  This process was a concession to the player’s union to allow players more freedom of movement outside their contracts.  To see a breakdown of the re-entry process, see here.  The draft will take place over the phone on December 8 beginning at 2 PM, and the draft order is by regular season record (worst to first) with the expansion teams picking last; hence D.C. United will have the first pick.  A second round will take place a week after the first round.

The catch in the rules is that any player taken in the first round of the draft must agree to pick up a player’s option from their previous club or make a bona fide offer, which would cost roughly the same as the player’s previous contract.  However, players taken in the second round can negotiate a new contract.  My hunch is that many teams will pass on players in the first round for fear of being saddled with their contracts, and the December 15 second round will be much more active.

You can see the entire list of players here, but some names do stand out.  Jimmy Conrad, who I suspect is probably the first pick in this draft, was on the list.  Other high-profile players include New York Red Bulls Juan Pablo Angel, MLS second leading all-time scorer Jeff Cunningham, Galaxy defenders Kema Kovalenko and Jovan Kirovski, Columbus star Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Sporting KC’s Josh Wolff, and Philadelphia’s Fred.

Who do you think DC United will take first?  And how many of the big names will still be around on December 15?

Not even 24 hours after crowning its champion, MLS was back to business by requiring its clubs to list its protected players for the expansion draft.  The expansion draft is just one of several drafts taking place this offseason for MLS, and the unprotected list for this draft has some interesting names.  Most notably is the number of designated players left unprotected – seven, which is two more than the number protected by clubs.  But since no club has yet to win an MLS Cup with a DP, maybe this is not surprising.

You can see the entire list of players here.  The unprotected players can be sorted by a few general categories:

Designated Players – Not David Beckham, but some of the lesser name DPs have been left unprotected.  Some are disappointments that the club is looking to shed the salary of.  But some of the more “name” DPs exposed include the Red Bulls Juan Pablo Angel and Seattle’s Blaise Nkufo.  Maybe the best of this group is the Quakes’ Geovanni.

Past Stars – MLS’s second-leading goal scorer is available, as Jeff Cunningham was made available by FC Dallas.  Also, as part of their rebuilding, the Crew put Guillermo Barros Schelotto on their list, making a veteran leader available for either expansion team.  And instead of being placed in the re-entry draft, Sporting KC’s Jimmy Conrad was left unprotected.

2010 Playoff Stars – Colorado is protecting most of the starters from its MLS Cup-winning club (with the notable exception being Anthony Wallace) but FC Dallas is exposing a number of its big names: Eric Avila, Atiba Harris, captain Daniel Hernandez, and Dax McCarty.  Playoff qualifiers Seattle (Nyassi) and Real Salt Lake (Grabavoy) also made the decision to possibly part ways with some key contributors.

Players Leaving – Yes Jonathan Bornstein is leaving for Mexico, but MLS rules still state he needs to be placed on the unprotected list.  Just a weird quirk.

Players Not on the List – One player that was expected to be on the list was Brian Carroll, but the Crew traded him today to the Philadelphia Union.  While Carroll is reunited with his former coach and Columbus clears more cap space for rebuilding, I am sure Vancouver and Portland executives were looking seriously at drafting him.  There are also quirky decisions scattered throughout the league, like New England holding on to two keepers.

Obviously factors like need and cap space will factor into who is selected, but pretend you are the GM of one of these expansion teams.

Soccer fans in the U.S. have long debated whether playoffs should be part of the beautiful game.  Yesterday’s Real Salt Lake/FC Dallas match showed exactly why the MLS playoffs can be special, as the lower-seeded Dallas knocked off the defending MLS champions with a 1-1 draw, 3-2 win on aggregate.  Real Salt Lake came into the match knowing they needed a win outright and played like it the entire game, but failed to convert numerous chances in the second half.

As could be expected, the match began with Real Salt Lake on the attack and Dallas looking to score off the counter.  And it looked like they would do that in the 4th minute as Jeff Cunningham crossed it to an open Brek Shea who finished, but was called just a step offsides.  Colorado had problems maintaining possession the entire first half and every time it seemed as if they would string together a couple of passes and get into an offensive rhythm, Dallas would force a turnover.  When Real Salt Lake did have chances, they were primarily started by Fabian Espindola who was able to beat Jackson repeatedly.  His teammates, however, failed to do the same with the rest of the Dallas defense.

In the 17th minute, Dallas again attacked on the counter.  This time, MVP candidate David Ferreira sent in a cross from the right that Shea chested down to McCarty who pushed the ball past Rimando for the 1-0 lead.  This increased the intensity of the Real attack but Dallas consistently disrupted Real scoring chances and pressured the home team’s defense  with counterattacks.  RSL had their best chance in the 40th minute when Grabavoy had a good shot from distance that Hartman knocked right to Espindola.  Hartman had fallen on the punch and Espindola, who had an almost open net but was accelerating toward the ball, kicked the ball over the net.  Will Johnson had another long shot that just missed the next at the end of the half, bu Martin Chavez also missed a chance to put Dallas up even more in the 45th minute.  He was released on a pass by Cunningham but he just pushed his shot wide.

The second half saw much of the same, except Real Salt Lake was able to string together possession and get some quality chances on goal.  The problem for the home team was Kevin Hartman decided to make his case for why he should have been Goalkeeper of the Year.  For example, in the 49th minute, Espindola gets a pass over the top and with just Hartman between him and an equalizer, Hartman makes a great save with his foot to knock the ball out of play.  In the 73rd minute RSL again had a great opportunity as a ball in deflects away from Hartman who was off his line, except as the ball bounced toward the net no one in claret could finish the chance, and Dallas cleared.

The home club finally got on the board on the 80th minute when Borcher passed a free kick to sub Robbie Findley who kicked it past Hartman.  Findley was very close to being offside but there was no call, and RSL finally found something that would stick.  Findley would be the center of the home team’s attack as he was constantly targeted with passes into the box in the waining minutes, but he failed to convert.  A Beckerman pass over the top failed to find Findley’s head in the 88th minute that looked to be an automatic goal.  But the best save of the night may have been at the 90th minute.  RSL continued its pressure and got a shot which was redirected at the last second by Espindola, yet Hartman made the save off his legs.

The man of the match was certainly Kevin Hartman, who at times was the only player keeping FC Dallas in the match.  As so many other visiting teams have experienced, the Dallas players were absolutely gassed toward the end of the match due in part to the altitude.  Hartman covered any mistakes (except for the one Findley goal) and played just out of his mind.  The visitors were also lucky their keeper was not hurt more seriously on a 77th minute collision that saw him receive treatment.

For the defending champions, the loss of Javier Morales hurt more than I thought it would.  Despite many attempts on goal, they simply could not convert quality chances in the second half.  A perfect example was a cross by Warner in the 89th minute through the box and through the Dallas defense that found no Real players; it was perfect for that second goal.  By the time RSL began to string enough passes together and create opportunities, Hartman and the Dallas defense were making great stops and growing with confidence.

Kudos to a great crowd, as always, at Rio Tinto tonight.  The sold-out stadium was noisy and into the match, even when the team fell behind early.  But for the third year in a row the defending champion fails to repeats, and this year all three lower seeds have advanced to the next round.  That must make Bruce Arena a bit uneasy.

The defending MLS champions were out-coached and outplayed in today’s first round matchup between the two Western Conference clubs, as FC Dallas got a late goal from Eric Avila to beat Real Salt Lake 2-1.

The match saw FC Dallas frantically try and win outright as they knew winning in Salt Lake City was something no club had done all season.  Schellas Hyndman made some great tactical decisions throughout the match that ensured Dallas would go to Utah with an aggregate lead.  David Ferreira, while he did not notch a goal or assist, helped set-up both goals and was the main cog in the Dallas offense.

The first half was Hyndman’s argument on why he should be the manager of the year.  Salt Lake struck first in the fourth minute as Fabian Espindola took a pass over the top, fought off his defender and fired his shot past Kevin Hartman for the early 1-0 lead.  And FC Dallas struggled early to equalize as RSL applied pressure on 3/4th of the pitch, harassing Dallas as soon as the defenders received possession. And every time Dallas was able to advance the ball into the offensive end, RSL prevented Ferreira from creating any chances; he and Kyle Beckerman became best friends in the first twenty minutes.

Hyndman responded in two ways, one planned and one unplanned.  Halfway through the half he shifted Chavez to the right side of the pitch, which allowed FC Dallas to take advantage of Ned Grabavoy and create quality chances.  The second change was replacing Milton Rodriguez with Jeff Cunningham in the thirty-second minute.  Rodriguez was banged-up while attempting to score a few minutes prior on a close play in the box.  Roughly ten minutes later Cunningham scored the equalizer by fighting off two defenders and making an athletic play to score.  While it may have been the obvious substitution, it was a decision that would mirror another important decision later in the match.

The second half saw much of the same as the first: FC Dallas having a few chances at goal but Real holding on.  Ferreira hit the post in the fifty-fifth minute in Dallas’s best chance early in the half.  In the sixty-ninth minute, RSL’s second leading goal-scorer Javier Morales kicked Dax McCarty in the chest, leading to a yellow card.  The problem was that he had received an earlier yellow for getting into a slap-fight, so Morales was sent off and will miss the return leg.  FC Dallas returned the favor six minutes later when Atiba Harris went up for a ball with Will Johnson and threw an elbow that caught Johnson in the head.  He was given a straight red, and will also sit out the next match.

FC Dallas continued to squander chances but apply pressure when in the eighty-seventh minute Hyndman took off Jair Benitez for Eric Avila.  Just as the announcers were sharing that Dallas was going three across the backline for more offense, Ferreira found Avila who made a few moves and shot a bullet past a diving Rimando for the winning goal.  Real Salt Lake challenged Kevin Hartman in extra time, but failed to score the equalizer.

So the teams will face off next Saturday with Dallas ahead in aggregate.  But as I mentioned earlier RSL is undefeated at home and will need to continue that streak to have a chance at advancing in the playoffs.  The loss today also ended their unbeaten streak but extended another one – they are 0-9-0 all-time in Pizza Hut Park.

But what do you think about the coaching decisions and both teams’ play?  And did the crowd look as sparse as it did to me on Fox Soccer Channel, or was it just sparse on the sun side of the stadium?  It certainly was not as loud as Colorado the other night.

USMNT Head Coach Bob Bradley annouces roster for January Camp

A pair of Scandinavian stand outs as well as few MLS emerging stars headline Bob Bradley’s 30 man roster for the annual January training camp.  Rising MLS stars, Omar Gonzalez, Chris Pontius and Kevin Alston will have the opportunity to show their skills to Coach Bradley ahead of the opening of camp on January 4th. The camp leads up to the first match of a vital year for the US Men’s National Team, against Honduras on January 23rd.

The January camp typically includes the best players from MLS as well as the Scandinavian leagues which are on winter break. Although typically made up of players from MLS and Scandinavia, the January camp allows the brightest stars of the past MLS camp, a chance to show their worth with the national team. This year, such stands outs include MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Zach Thornton, MLS Champions Nick Rimando, Robbie Findley and Kyle Beckerman as well as MLS Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham among others. In addition to their MLS compatriots, several Scandinavian players join the mix including, Marcus Tracy and Alejandro Bedoya who have earned a place on Bradley’s radar with strong seasons in their respective leagues.

Here’s the complete roster:

GOALKEEPERS: Kevin Hartman (Kansas City), Troy Perkins (Valerenga), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)

DEFENDERS: Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC), Brandon McDonald (San Jose Earthquakes)

MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Jeff Larentowicz (New England Revolution), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

FORWARDS: Justin Braun (Chivas USA), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake),  Marcus Tracy (Aalborg)

What are your thoughts on this roster? Who do you feel should have been included? Who should have been excluded?

Testify in the comments below.

The end of the regular season has put me in a contemplative mood. Not only because I am left trying to figure out how the San Jose Earthquakes missed the postseason again, but because I am asked to fill out my 2009 MLS Awards Ballot. Following the Quakes as closely as I do, I enjoy access to players and coaches from all MLS teams as they make their way through Buck Shaw Stadium. As I study my choices for Coach of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, and so on, I look back on those interactions and interviews for clues that will help my decisions. With that in mind, I don’t hesitate to fill in the name for Most Valuable Player – Jeff Cunningham of FC Dallas.

For most of the 2009 season, San Jose and Dallas remained rooted at the foot of the Western Conference standings. Each week I’d calculate how the Quakes could surpass the Hoops and perhaps make a run up the table. Saturday, June 7^th, saw the Earthquakes visit Pizza Hut Park with a chance to jump over their bottom feeding rivals – but a late Kenny Cooper goal tied the game at 2-2. San Jose would never get any closer to Dallas in the standings as they slowly faded away over the long summer.

FC Dallas would also continue to struggle as the season approached the halfway mark. Poor defending kept them from making up ground to any of their conference rivals. It was becoming apparent that Cooper would be leaving in the summer transfer window, while Cunningham was lacking any scoring productivity up front. Crowds at Pizza Hut Park were well below 10 thousand and the supporters were getting frustrated.

But then a remarkable turnaround began, started by the signings of Heath Pearce and Jair Benitez in defense and the resurgence of Cunningham as an offensive threat. The Jamaican-born forward, now a citizen of the United States, scored twice against the New York Red Bulls on Independence Day in a 2-1 victory. He collected Player of the Week honors with that accomplishment – an award he would go on to win three more times over the second half of the season. By the end of July, Pearce and Benitez had shored up the defensive line, and Cunningham was tallying scores at a blistering pace. In a 6-0 victory over Kansas City on August 1^st, he scored four times to set a single-game career high. The once US Men’s National Team member has gone on to score 16 goals during his last 14 games, an incredible accomplishment that now has him leading MLS in scoring with 17 goals – one more than the Colorado Rapids’ Conor Casey. Tack on his league fourth-best 8 assists and Cunningham clearly shines brightest as MLS’s most potent offensive force.

The renaissance in Frisco, Texas had gone relatively unnoticed by the rest of the league as no one gave the Hoops much chance of making it to the MLS Cup playoffs. When a road game against the hapless San Jose Earthquakes rolled around earlier this month, Dallas was sitting at 33 points in the Western Conference, but riding a 5-3-1 streak since the All-Star break. In a league built on competitive parity, I had seen the Quakes do something similar in 2008 – rise from obscurity to contend for the postseason. Might this Dallas squad be following that same destiny?

That mid-week match at Buck Shaw Stadium was the home finale for San Jose, and they certainly wanted to give their supporters something to cheer about in an otherwise dismal year. However, Cunningham and his teammates would have none of that, as they dispatched of the Quakes with relative ease 2-1. Cunningham assisted on the first goal by David Ferreira, and then finished off the game in the 81^st minute with his league leading 17^th goal of the campaign. As the somber crowd filtered out of the stadium, the Dallas victory officially eliminating San Jose from the playoff race, and I made my way to the visitor’s locker room to meet the Man of the Match myself. After a brief interview with Coach Schellas Hyndman, where he praised the playmaking of his star forward, I joined a small group of reporters waiting for Cunningham to emerge from the showers.

With his straggly beard and small frame, Jeff Cunningham does not strike an imposing figure. The mercurial forward is playing for his fifth team in as many seasons, and the rumors are that he was not a good presence in the locker room. I have experienced inaccessible players before, and braced myself for another such encounter. Instead, I was met with a smile and a friendly hand shake. He quickly impressed me with how quick he was to praise the defensive line. “You should be talking to those guys, not me” he said as he pointed out Pearce and Benitez at the other end of the room. Goalkeeper Dario Sala was also commended before the attention turned back onto his game night heroics.

He exuded confidence when describing his performance on the night, outwardly scolding himself for not converting on two scoring chances he had in the first half. The game winning goal was not a classic, just a simple finish from a well weighted Dax McCarty through-ball, but it did give him 17 goals on the season and the league lead. When I asked him specifically about the race for the MLS Golden Boot, Cunningham was very candid with his reply. “It means so much to me. I think about it often, I can’t sleep sometimes because I’m thinking I really need to do well in this game. I was thinking about (Conor) Casey somewhere in his hotel room (currently preparing with the USMNT) watching this game and it put added pressure on me. I need to keep the pressure on Casey.”

This wasn’t the standard one-game-at-a-time variety of response; rather, Cunningham was honestly stating his desire to be the scoring champion in MLS. I appreciated his almost cocky answer, and the notion that his single minded focus on scoring provided him with so much motivation. FC Dallas has benefited from his prolific scoring as well, and currently stand tied for the last playoff position going into the final weekend of the season. Cunningham relishes the idea of making it into the postseason. “We’ve been playing some good football the last month, two months, really since the All-Star game. If we make it in, there are going to be a few teams afraid to face us.”

Even if FC Dallas does not qualify for the postseason, the efforts of Jeff Cunningham cannot be discounted. Without his goals and assists, we wouldn’t even be discussing the realistic probability that the Hoops sneak into the playoffs with the seventh or eighth seed. Forwards are paid to score goals – without them a team is doomed to mediocrity – making them the most valuable commodity on the roster. To me, Cunningham is the best forward in MLS this season. He deserves the league’s Most Valuable Player award.