Last year was a good year for one of MLS’s premier franchises.  The Sounders won yet another U.S. Open Cup and advanced past the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League.  While they could not vanquish their nemesis Galaxy in the regular season or playoffs (and were knocked out early by streaking RSL), the team again saw overwhelming fan support, some great moments on the pitch, and a fond farewell (on the pitch at least) to Kasey Keller.

Going into 2012, the team is looking at a three-front battle: in addition to defending their Open Cup title and trying to win that elusive MLS Cup, they face a tough road in the spring in the CCL.  Last season, the team relied on its impressive depth to compete in all three competitions, but that depth has taken a hit this offseason.  How they restock players will determine if they can take challenge for the Quadruple in 2012, or at least take home more than one trophy.  Let’s play “Three Questions” with the Seattle Sounders:

1. Will the defense take a step back in 2012?

Center back is solid on this team, with Jeff Parke becoming an excellent MLS defender and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado being more than an adequate defender.  Where the concern lies on this team is at the two full back spots and at keeper.  Let’s start with the man between the pipes; Michael Gspurning comes over from Austria after he fell out of favor with his current club.  Keller’s retirement meant more than losing one of the best keepers in MLS; it meant losing the heart and soul of the team, as well as a guy who knew how to boss a defense.  Gspurning is good, but how his skills translate to MLS and how well he can work with his defenders will be telling for this team.

As for the full backs, Seattle lost James Riley and Tyson Wahl both to Montreal so will have to be replacing two important players.  To do so, they signed Swedish international Adam Johansson to compete for one spot and took Marc Burch in the Re-entry draft for another.  They join Leo Gonzalez and Michael Tetteh in the starting competition.  While Johansson has proven ability (he has international caps), Burch is more of a spot/part-time starter at this stage.  How the LB/RB battles shake out will be important going forward.

2. Is the depth still there?

As I mentioned above, with three competitions going this season Seattle again needs its depth to come through if it wants to compete in all three.  That 2011 depth took a hit this offseason as they have lost some key role players.  Besides the full backs mentioned above, the team has lost Erik Friberg (Malmo FF), Pat Noonan (LA Galaxy), and Nate Jaqua (New England Revolution).  In the process, the team got younger and the salary cap shrank, but the team still needs some quality second stringers to fill in during the busy season.  Otherwise, they may have to make a decision like the LA Galaxy to push aside a competition (maybe U.S. Open or Supporters Shield?) to focus their goals.  Rumors are flying that they are looking overseas to fill gaps, trying to sign internationals like Christian Sivebaek.

3. What about Fernandez and Montero?

Two critical players are the subject of the rumor mill this offseason, and how these rumors are resolved will decide how this team will look in 2012.  The first is Alvaro Fernandez, who in light of some interest from Palermo has expressed through his agent a desire to play in a bigger league.  Or maybe, seeing teammate Mauro Rosales’ new contract, he simply wants to see the same kind of love (although he is already a designated player).  Regardless, the team needs to figure out his situation quickly before their midfield is dealt a major blow by his departure.

The Montero rumor is more vague, simply that he has gotten interest from Europe, but the bigger question may be will Montero take the next step forward in his development.  The young designated player has been streaky during his MLS career but when he’s hot, he simply racks up goals for Seattle.  If he takes that next step to being a consistent scorer, Seattle will be hard to stop.

Chivas USA had a new head coach and a new system last season, but after a slow start the team looked to be set in neutral in the competitive Western Conference.  However, the acquisition of Juan Pablo Angel and a too late run at a playoff spot gave this team a bit of life and fans a reason for optimism.  As the club watched cross-town rivals the Galaxy celebrate with the MLS Cup in their stadium, the future looks mixed for the franchise.

Next up in our 3 Questions series is Chivas USA, a team who has not qualified for the playoffs in two years after a nice run of success to begin the franchise’s history.  Is next year the year when they begin a new streak?

1. Is management committed to this team?

The key to this question is who is making the personnel decisions.  Chivas decided to pass last season on every big name that came through the allocation process.  The speculation was that they were saving their powder for a big signing, and although they took on Juan Pablo Angel from the Galaxy, that big signing never came.  It may come this offseason, but the way the club has gone about building has been confusing.

This offseason so far has not settled those “cheap management” rumors.  Losing Zarek Valentin to Montreal in the expansion draft was very confusing considering that he is a young talent, but as noted here he was coming off his Generation Adidas and the team might have had to take on his entire contract.  If money is the deciding factor on player moves, management has to reconsider the business they are in or begin to realize that good players do cost money.

2. Will “breakouts” Kennedy and Angel carry over into 2012?

To call Juan Pablo Angel a “breakout” is a bit misleading, but Chivas fans haven’t seen that much of a revival since season one of The Walking Dead.  After being ineffective for the Galaxy, LA unloaded him on Chivas to make room for Robbie Keane.  Angel proceeded to score seven goals in nine appearances for the Goats.  Can he do the same in 2012?  First the team has to work out compensation: his New York-signed contract paying him $1 million is way too much, so he and the team have to come to an agreement.  This is even more critical considering Justin Braun was traded to the Impact.

The other shock of 2012 was keeper Dan Kennedy, who quietly put together one of the best seasons in MLS.  I remember seeing him play at DC United this summer and was incredibly impressed with his poise.  He has inked a new contract with the team so he will be set as the unquestioned starter in 2012.  But as a bright spot for the team last season, can he carry over his form in 2012?

3. Are the newcomers the key to success?

Like New England, Chivas has been replacing some of their departed players with MLS veterans.  The club grabbed Arturo Alvarez from RSL in the first stage of the re-entry draft and made trades for midfielder Ryan Smith (Sporting KC) and James Riley (Seattle/Montreal).  As I mentioned previously, it looks like there is help coming from overseas but again that is untested talent in MLS (although definitely it is talent).  You can argue that injuries and inconsistent play really hurt this team’s chances last year, but the acquisitions to this point don’t seem to address these issues.  But like the Revs maybe a few veterans will help with a playoff push.

Join MLS Talk this Sunday night beginning at 9 PM ET as we provide live analysis and insight into the match between the Houston Dynamo and the LA Galaxy.  Join us for a discussion on the teams and tactics, as well as the occasional opportunity to sound off on ESPN’s coverage and the atmosphere at the Home Depot Center.  We look forward to your thoughts and insights as well.  Make plans to join us now, beginning with the pre-game at 9 PM!

The question I wrestled with in my head last night was this: if there were no playoffs or a playoffs with just four teams instead of 10, would this weekend be as exciting?  Regardless of how you feel about the playoff format or the playoffs in general, the answer I came up with was YES.  Looking at the fixture list, there are some damn good matches this weekend.  Would, for example, the New York and Portland match be as exciting if they were not in a playoff race?  My answer is most definitely, for reasons listed below.

The fact is this weekend’s action is a mixture of generally good matches, critical playoff-push games, and injury drama all around.  Here is part one of a guide to this weekend’s matches (all times ET), with a key to each game and a prediction that undoubtedly will be horribly wrong.  Share your own predictions and keys to the games below.  Part 2 will come out tonight or tomorrow morning.

Sporting Kansas City v. Philadelphia Union (Friday, 8:30 PM, Fox Soccer)

The odd thing about this game is that after this weekend the winner could be in first place in the East while the loser could conceivably be outside the tenth playoff spot.  Philadelphia is one of a couple of MLS teams that broke a long winless streak last weekend, but as NY showed getting that second win in a row can be tough especially against a good opponent.  The Union are thin right now and missing Sheanon Williams is a HUGE loss for a defense that had been struggling recently.  The bench is thin, so the visitors need their offense to be ready to score, while Kansas City as usual needs to hold off late comebacks and play some defense.

Prediction: Sporting KC 3, Philadelphia Union 2.  I like there to be some goals in this game, with the magic of LIVESTRONG winning out

FC Dallas v. Houston Dynamo (Saturday, 4:00 PM, Telefutura)

Is Brek Shea tiring at the wrong time after a much increased work load?  This is the type of game where Dallas will need their A-game from their stars.  A key to this game is who wants it more, and the answer may be the visitors.  Fourth in the West may be an ideal playoff position, while Houston is in a battle just to qualify.  With a Champions League trip to Tauro FC on Wednesday, maybe Dallas pumps the breaks just a little.

Prediction: FC Dallas 1, Houston Dynamo 1.  A spirited game that drags at the end.

DC United v. Real Salt Lake (Saturday, 7:30 PM)

The Chivas draw on Wednesday makes this an almost must-win for DC, and they face the hottest team in MLS right now who will be getting local boy Kyle Beckerman back.  Ben Olsen called out his team in public on Wednesday, so who knows what was said in the locker room or the effect it will have.  The key to this match will be if RSL can shut down Andy Najar and Santino Quaranta on the wings; DC’s offense stagnates without being able to spread the field.

Prediction: DC United 1, Real Salt Lake 1.  DC takes an early lead and loses it in the second half.  I’ve seen this movie before

Columbus Crew v. Los Angeles Galaxy (Saturday, 7:30 PM)

This game seems like the lock of the weekend – the Galaxy can basically seal the Supporters Shield against an injured and struggling Columbus Crew squad.  But here are a few reasons Columbus could pull the surprise: Chad Marshall and Emilio Renteria could both be starting for this game, although Renteria is more likely to come off the bench.  The Galaxy, while not taking this game lightly, have a must-win CCL match on Wednesday.  And with their depth not being superb and some starters having nagging injuries, the starting XI for the Galaxy might not be their ideal XI.

Prediction: LA Galaxy 3, Columbus Crew 1.  Remember what happened last time the Galaxy lost a midweek CCL game?

New York Red Bulls v. Portland Timbers (Saturday, 7:30 PM)

Wouldn’t it be great if MLS could flex schedule games? Who wouldn’t want to watch this soap opera?  Let’s go out on a limb and assume Rafa Marquez doesn’t play.  Does that mean a return to the solid defense NY showed against FC Dallas last week?  Normally you would assume a team besieged by controversy and full of talent would rally at home against a team with a miserable away record.  But nothing has been normal about this season for New York.

Prediction: New York 2, Portland 1.  For one day, NY settles some controversy and slides into a wild card slot.

Photo from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

UPDATE: The DC United-Portland Timbers match has been postponed; a make-up date will be announced next week.

The expected landfall of Hurricane Irene has caused MLS and other major professional sports teams to shift their schedules in anticipation of dramatic winds, rain, and flooding.  Irene is expected to reach land by Saturday and move up the coast through Sunday evening.  While meteorologists have stressed that the hurricane could change trajectory and intensity between now and the anticipated landfall, some states have already declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the weather.

Three MLS games were scheduled to take place on the East Coast this weekend, including the much-anticipated New York Red Bulls/Los Angeles Galaxy match.  Because all three games were expected to take place during the storm’s strongest point at those locations, all three have been rescheduled.  The most high-profile of the three matches, the nationally televised game between the Red Bulls and Galaxy, is now rescheduled to October 4 at 8 PM and will be shown on ESPN2.  The timing works for the Red Bulls, as they will play at Toronto on October 1st then not have another game until October 15.  The rescheduling is not so nice to the Galaxy, as they play Real Salt Lake at home the weekend before flying to New York.  The back-to-back high-profile matches will be a challenge for this veteran team.

Originally scheduled to take place the same time as the NY/LA match, the Philadelphia Union match against the New England Revolution was rescheduled late this afternoon to Wednesday, September 7 at 8 PM ET.  The match, scheduled to be shown on Galavision, will be still be shown on the station.  The Union will squeeze this match into the part of their schedule that sees them play at Real Salt Lake, vs. Portland, and vs. Columbus in a two week period.  New England is the biggest beneficiary – they actually do not play again until the reschedule date before flying home to host FC Dallas.

In a match featuring two teams on the outside of the playoffs looking in, DC United was scheduled to host the Portland Timbers Saturday evening.  However, DCU announced early this afternoon that their match against Portland on Saturday was moved from 7:30 PM to 2 PM, and all pre-game activities are cancelled (see update above).  DCU was scheduled to hold a LatinFest celebration and an induction ceremony for Black-and-Red great Richie Williams, who helped the team win three MLS Cups.  MLS notes on its website that a definitive announcement about the game will be made Friday afternoon, as Irene’s trajectory may bring bad weather to the DC area earlier than expected.

“With the safety of our fans and clubs top of mind, and thanks to the cooperation of our clubs and broadcast partners, Major League Soccer has rescheduled two games that were originally set for this weekend,” said Nelson Rodriguez, Executive Vice President of Competition and Game Operations, on the MLS site. “We expect that Hurricane Irene will likely cause hazardous travel and unplayable conditions throughout the Northeast. We appreciate our fans’ understanding of these decisions and the media’s assistance in communicating the message.”

This weekend, Tony Tchani became the latest victim of one of the dumbest soccer rules on the books.  After scoring his goal for a Toronto franchise that is probably at its lowest point, he ran off the pitch and jumped up to the stands to celebrate with the fans.  Already sitting on a yellow card, the referee gave him a second and sent him off.  Columbus took advantage and grabbed an equalizer, keeping the Crew’s unbeaten streak alive and denying Toronto a valuable three points.

This is not the first time something like this has happened this season – Eric Hassli was given a second caution when, after a goal against New England, he stripped off his jersey to reveal….another jersey.  Regardless, he was sent off for two cautions.  The issue of goal celebrations and harshness is receiving a lot of thought in soccer circles this week not just because of the Tchani celebration, but because of an EPL incident as well.  When Tamir Cohen scored the game-winning goal for Bolton against Arsenal, he raised his shirt to show a picture of his father, also a professional soccer player who had died recently in a car accident.  Referee Mike Jones issued a celebration yellow as Cohen was crying and honoring his father.

First, let’s establish the fact that by now players should know a simple fact – if they do anything besides a small dance or celebration on the pitch with teammates, they will receive a yellow card.  Tchani and Hassli should have known this and they deserved their punishments knowing that officials crack down on these things.  That said, officials should not punish goal celebrations, but especially in MLS.  In fact, I’d encourage MLS and USSF to have a chat with their officials and encourage them to let celebrations slide.

For my explanation, read on….

The FIFA Laws of the Game state that “reasonable celebrations are allowed, but the practice of choreographed celebrations is not to be encouraged when it results in excessive time-wasting and referees are instructed to intervene in such cases.” FIFA rules note (pg 133) that an official may must caution a player if:

• a celebration includes inflammatory gestures
• he climbs onto a perimeter fence
• he removes his shirt or lifts his shirt, regardless of if a shirt is on underneath
• he covers his face or head with a mask.

Obviously officials take these rules very seriously despite the fact they are only guidelines.  In Tchani’s case, he did jump onto a perimeter fence but it was in his own fan section at home.  The rule is in place for players in hostile arenas to prevent inciting opposing fans by taunting them and to prevent unnecessary delay of games.  In this weekend’s incident, neither happened.

In their defense, MLS has said Tchani should not have received the yellow, but I’d encourage them to take it a step farther.  I want MLS to come out and say that if a player has a creative or unique goal celebration that does not unnecessary delay a game or taunt fans, then they encourage the player to show their creativity.  Why should they do this?  Exposure.  What drives Sportscenter and sports highlight shows more than creative celebrations?  Those are the type of things that get MLS attention.  What was the main highlight in the DC United-LA Galaxy match?  It wasn’t Magee’s goal, it was Charlie Davies trying to drive a locked VW.  One of the most viral soccer videos of the past year was this incredibly funny goal celebration from Iceland; fan interest in MLS would be peaked if they saw videos on ESPN of funny celebrations or teams creatively honoring a goal.

Obviously there would have to be some limitations.  Celebrations away from home do have the potential to incite opposing fans, so referees should have the leeway to take that into account when deciding to issue yellow cards.  And of paramount importance is the clock; any celebration that goes on for too long or wastes too much time should be a yellow card.  The question is how long is too long, but I am ok with that being a subjective call as long as officials err on the side of allowing too much celebration.  Officials always have the leeway to add on time at the end of a half to make up for celebrations; I would say anything that takes a player away for over a minute is excessive.  And if the league is still concerned with what celebrations will do, Graham Poll has an excellent suggestion: fine a player for any goal celebration that includes removing a shirt (or I’d suggest jumping into the stands) and give the money to charity.

MLS is missing an opportunity to increase its media presence when in the modern media anything that goes viral on the Internet is picked up by major networks and cable stations.  Hits, as in web hits, are the name of the game and MLS should allow its players to show their creativity which consequently will attract attention to the league.  The league should want snippets of their games to be spread on Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter, and the best way to do that is to allow attention-grabbing celebrations.

Let the celebrations continue!

Photo by Mafue

Columbus opened the weekend with a 2-0 victory last night over a ten-man FC Dallas team.  But today has a full slate of intriguing match-ups.  Storylines to watch include:

• Can the Union grab an eye-opening point or three and get a result on the road against LA?
• Will New England be in the top three of the Eastern Conference with a win over visiting Portland?
• Is Houston a playoff contender and can they trouble the Red Bulls at home?

Once again, for those without Direct Kick, share your thoughts on your favorite team’s match.  Who played well, who didn’t, and who stood out.  Let the debate begin!

Photo by compscigrad

After the shine of the first weekend has worn off, MLS gets into the grind with some of its biggest names missing for international duty.  Some teams have a second chance to show they’ve improved, while some have another chance to prove they aren’t bottom feeders.  Make sure you vote in our poll below for your most interesting match of the week:

• Congrats to RSL coach Jason Kreis.  The team announced that in addition to retiring his number 9 this summer it has extended his contract through the 2013 season.  Kreis is the youngest MLS head coach to win an MLS Cup and has an overall coaching record of 51-42-34.
• With Landon Donovan playing for the USMNT this weekend, Bruce Arena will give the captain’s armband to Mr. David Beckham in their match this Saturday versus RSL.  This is the first time in three years that Beckham will serve as captain.
• Speaking of the national team, they will wear their new red kit this weekend against Argentina.  Take a look and learn to love it, because they will wear this one in the 2011 Gold Cup.  I am a bigger fan of the blue myself, but it’s still a good look for the team.
• The New York Red Bulls released forward Salou Ibrahim this week.  The well-traveled Ghanan scored three goals in 19 games last season.  In addition, the Red Bulls are facing some injury and depth issues, so their match this weekend against Columbus could be quite interesting.
• New England’s search for an international striker may be coming to an end.  The club brought in Danish striker Rajko Lekic on trial and may make a move to sign him from his current club Silkeborg.
• And finally, the Ochocinco experiment seems to be going well.  Get the latest from the MLS site.

Our long national nightmare is over.  The MLS schedule is out.

About a month before the beginning of the season, MLS finally released the entire schedule for all 18 MLS teams.  Previously, only each team’s first home game was known, and some clubs like the LA Galaxy got an early jump on releasing the schedule by leaking the dates and opponents of some key matches.  But finally, you can plan your life around your favorite team’s schedule and start buying your plane tickets for those away trips.  See the league schedule here.

As for the long awaited television deal… it will be a bit longer of a wait.  But MLS did release the ESPN schedule for the year.  ESPN will broadcast 21 matches, 17 on ESPN2 and 4 on the Worldwide Leader.  All of them fortunately will be available on ESPN3.com and ESPN Deportes.  Eight matches will feature the Red Bulls, six the Galaxy, and five Seattle, including the opening match pitting the Galaxy at the Sounders.  Absent from the TV schedule?  New MLS team Vancouver, rebuilding Columbus, new management Toronto, and MLS Cup contender Dallas.  Odd that MLS couldn’t fit a new club and one of its better clubs on the TV schedule.  See when your favorite team is on ESPN here.

The schedule also goes out of its way to emphasize regional rivalries.  We knew ahead of time about the Cascadia Cup pitting Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland, but the league didn’t schedule the games back-to-back as promised.  In addition to this Northwest rivalry, the league has created a I-95 Corridor rivalry (D.C. United, Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bull, and New England Revolution), the SuperClasico (the Los Angeles derby), the Rocky Mountain Cup (Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids), and the Battle for El Capitan (Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas).

So what do you think?  Do you like your team’s schedule?  Excited for the Rocky Mountain Cup or sad your team isn’t involved in a Cup contest?  Sound off below.

At the beginning of the year, I asked readers for feedback on different features they would like to see on the site, with the hope of giving some new content and new opportunities for discussion.  One new idea was to do a round-up feature that would capture the stuff that didn’t make it on to the site but is worth noting about MLS, the lower soccer divisions, the national team, and Americans abroad.  My goal is to do this post every Monday during the MLS offseason, and Fridays during the season to allow discussion on those stories that may have been missed during a busy time or just overshadowed.

Let me know if this is the kind of post you find useful, either in the comments or on Twitter (@roberthayjr).

• The biggest news over the weekend was the divisional realignment in MLS for the 2011 season.  The Dynamo are packing up their bags and moving to the Eastern Conference to provide a perfect balance of nine teams in each division.  Houston is slightly more eastern than Dallas, hence the shift.
• As expected, the U.S.-Egypt friendly was canceled.  The next United States friendly will be March 26 against Argentina.
• D.C. United released a third kit for the first time in its history, and it puts the red in the Black and Red.  See the pictures here.
• In other D.C. United news, Andy Najar was invited to join the Honduras U-20 squad, an invitation to which he has not responded.  Najar is one of those talented MLS players with dual nationality that Bob Bradley’s staff is wooing to play for the U.S., but Najar has not tipped his hand either way.
• The Galaxy have signed 22 year old midfielder Miguel Lopez on loan for the 2011 season from Quilmes of Argentina’s Second Division.  He has been in the Argentina soccer system since age 10 and was a teammate of new Galaxy draftee Paolo Cardoza.
• MLS has released its new budget and roster rules for the 2011 season, in response to the roster expansion to 30 players.  To be honest, it is so technical that I will leave it to the excellent Drew Epperley to explain them.
• Portland looks to be about to sign Columbian striker Jorge Perlaza after a brief trial.  The 25 year-old speedster will be an excellent addition to a club that already looks like it will score a host of goals.
• The international transfer window closed yesterday and there were a host of Americans on the move, most notably Jozy Altidore to Busapor and Michael Bradley to Aston Villa.  I plan on having a post with detailed thoughts on all American transfers up later today.

What else happened this weekend in American soccer?