The Columbus Crew were certainly a surprise team last season.  After cutting ties with a number of veterans and going with a roster that looked lacking on almost every part of the pitch, head coach Robert Warzycha coaxed a great season out of a sometimes combustible team.  Robbie Rogers earned his way onto the U.S. men’s national team with superior MLS play while Dilly Duka is now an up-and-coming talent.  The team was in the playoff hunt from April on and by playing stout defense combined with timely goal scoring, this was a team that played tough all year.  They even treated the fans to a historic MLS moment when Jeff Cunningham broke the record for most MLS goals in a career.

Going into this offseason, this again looks like a rebuilding effort.  But can the team meet or exceed the levels they achieved last season?  Let’s continue the “three questions” series with the Columbus Crew:

(Two notes.  First, we continue the series via the 2012 Superdraft selection order.  Columbus, despite a better record than New York, drafts tenth, followed by FC Dallas then Toronto.  The Reds have New York’s pick from the Dwayne De Rosario trade, but we’ll do the Red Bulls Three Questions after Dallas.  Second, the series will take a short break tomorrow and Sunday with a “12 Predictions for 2012″ post.  We’ll pick up with Dallas on Monday.)

1. What (or with whom) is the deal with Rogers and Ekpo?

In baseball, going one for three is a good day.  In MLS contract negotiations, it is a miserable failure.  The Crew offered a long-term deal to team leader Chad Marshall and he signed on the 19th.  This was a critical move to lock up one of MLS’s best defenders and one of the team’s two best players.  However, their contract offers to Emmanuel Ekpo and Robbie Rogers have yet to be accepted.  As of now, Rogers has been linked with English Championship side Leeds United but has not signed a deal.  Ekpo was left on the Crew’s unprotected list in the expansion draft and has allegedly been working on a loan deal to a European club.

Both of these players are critical components to this team, Rogers even more so than Ekpo.  Depending on how their fates come down will dictate how this team’s offseason goes.  Losing Ekpo but not Rogers would be a minor victory, but losing both could be devastating.

2. Clumbus

As in no “o”.  The Crew lost Andres Mendoza to the Mexican league and Jeff Cunningham was let go.  Mendoza was a locker room problem (see his hogging of penalty kicks) and the game has passed Cunningham by (his form was painful at times last season) but they both at least provided credible goal threats, Mendoza especially.  Combined with the possible departures of Rogers and Ekpo, this team has a gaping hole at the top.  Emilio Renteria returns but the only other forwards under contract with this team are either unproven no names (Meram, Horton) or depth players (Heinemann).  The Crew have to invest in replacements up top or risk having to over-rely on their defense.  Which leads me to…..

3. Is there a plan in the front office?

For the second winter, the Crew are in rebuilding mode, and the fans are unhappy.  After their impressive run in 2008 and 2009, there was no doubt this team could not be kept together.  But looking at this squad, what’s the plan?  Last season Warzycha was firmly on the hot seat but earned his way off.  Is he the Crew’s coach no matter what?  What if they get off to a slow start?  Also, the team has not publicly given a strategy for building in 2012.  They added depth on defense by acquiring Carlos Mendes but they look totally unprepared to lose their big-named players.  They need to give some indications as to whether they are rebuilding, retooling, or some other strategy.

The difference between MLS and most other major American sports leagues is that two teams with losing records can play a low scoring game in the rain and have it be one of the most exciting games of the year. Actually, it may have just been one of the most exciting 20 minutes of the season, as Portland kept their playoff hopes alive (and extinguishes DC United’s) with a 1-1 draw at RFK Stadium last night.

Portland took the lead in the 24th minute on a header by Kenny Cooper, who got free of Brandon McDonald in front of the net to redirect a cross from former DCU fullback Rodney Wallace. Portland dominated the early run of play and looked like the team fighting for a playoff spot, controlling the midfield and pressuring a DCU defense starting two rookies.  DC head coach Ben Olsen went all-in with his lineup by starting Charlie Davies and Josh Wolff in front of Dwayne De Rosario, Andy Najar, and Santino Quaranta.  Despite the offensive firepower, it was Portland who controlled the flow and limited DC’s chances in the first half.

A tired DC and comfortable Portland began the second half stuck in the midfield, but it was Dwayne De Rosario that snapped the home side out of its funk in the 73rd minute. His curling top shelf goal energized the crowd and led to a frenzied final twenty minutes. Before the final whistle blew, fans saw the following:

• Bill Hamid make two incredible saves on Timber break aways that easily should have put the game away for Portland.
• A shot by Brian Umony that got past Hamid but hit the top bar and bounced just in front of the DC goal line.
• A disallowed goal by DC sub Blake Brettschneider late in the match that looked to be the game winner, occurring after Troy Perkins had gone too far outside his goal but earning an offsides flag.
• Joseph Ngwenya continuing his miserable season by missing a six footer with a reaction save by Perkins, followed immediately by another reaction save off Brettschneider’s follow-up.

When the final whistle blew, the score remained deadlocked and Portland lived to fight another day. The Timbers, if New York loses tonight, need to win this weekend at RSL to secure a playoff spot. DC, however, was eliminated with the draw and will now sit home a club record fourth consecutive playoffs.

All eyes now turn to New York where the Red Bulls tonight have a chance to clinch the final playoff spot.  Keep checking the site for more analysis and commentary on the race for the MLS playoffs.

In the long history between these two teams (winners of the first five MLS Cups), there has never been an ending quite like this.  The Chicago Fired dealt DC United’s playoff chances a major blow while keeping themselves alive for a late playoff run by scoring two second half stoppage time goals to stun DCU 2-1.

Most of the action in this match took place late in the second half.  For most of the game DC aggressively probed the Fire defense for a goal, knowing they needed to win to take advantage of the New York and Portland losses. Despite creating a few good chances, DC had no shots on goal in the first half. Chicago, meantime, was content to sit back and hit DC on the counter, a strategy which almost paid off late in the first half. A Marco Pappa strike was bobbled by DC’s Bill Hamid but he recovered to prevent the follow-up shot.  The second half saw both teams have periods of dominance, but as it dragged towards the finish line the sense in the stadium was that one mistake could be the difference.

On a normal night, one mistake would have.  Santino Quaranta was taken down in the box in the 90th minute and Dwayne De Rosario converted the penalty to break the scoreless tie.  DC players had gone down in the box all night, so to them the penalty seemed like poetic justice.  However, almost immediately after the goal, things fell apart.  The DCU defense, which had overall played pretty well, gave Sebastian Grazzini some space and allowed him to score on a rocket in the 92nd minute.  Less then two minutes later, it was deja vu all over again as Gonzalo Segares, who had committed the penalty on Quaranta, beat an offside trap and used his yards of free space to send in a perfect cross from the left, finding Diego Chaves at the back post.  The replay above shows that Perry Kitchen kept Segares onside while the rest of the defense settled in hoping for an offsides flag.

“You kind feel bad, a little bit for [DC United], but that’s how the game is,” said Chicago manager Frank Klopas after the game in a boisterous lockerroom.  ”For us, it was a great comeback and a great feeling… for our guys.”

The win keeps Chicago’s small playoff chances on life support.  They need to win their final game and hope New York loses theirs by a lot.  Regardless, this is the kind of win that can give a team and fans some positive vibes heading into the offseason.  It’s hard not to see a sense of excitement about a team that was a finalist for the U.S. Open Cup and made a late playoff run after firing its manager midseason.

On the other side of the pitch is DC United, a team that had its playoff destiny in its own hands.  It had a favorable schedule and games in hand.  Now, with two games this upcoming week, they join Chicago on playoff life support.  They need to beat Portland on Wednesday and Sporting Kansas City Saturday, then hope that New York, Chicago, and Portland lose out (note: the great DC scribe Martin Shatzer breaks down DC’s playoff chances better than I do).  Not impossible, but the play of the team of late doesn’t suggest this team is making a run.  The team has lost its last four games, including to lowly Vancouver, and would need to win back-to-back games for the first time since 2009 to even think about the playoffs.  It’ll be an interesting last week, and this game made it even more interesting.

Photo by Connor Turner

Those who know my writing know that I have an affinity for DC United and have followed the team, with varying levels of intensity, since its inception. So it should surprise no one that I have been closely following the Black-and-Red this season, not just because of rooting interest but because this has shaped up to be an intriguing season for a number of reasons. Ownership essentially hit reboot after last year’s disastrous campaign and brought in a new coach who was incredibly familiar to MLS fans. The team went through a semi-purge and brought back to the States a striker who needed redemption after a horrible accident and a seeming snub from the national team picture. MLS’s most honored franchise itself needed to remain relevant in an era of flashy new franchises and stars, more professional play, and a growing distance between the dominant days of the late 1990s/early 2000s.

So more than halfway through the season, DC stands a much-improved team over last season. They sit in the middle of the Eastern Conference and two points off the final wild card spot. Their defense has shown signs of improvement while their offense has shown signs of explosiveness. Like many MLS teams, DC United is good but not great, and the next two months will determine if they can reach a the next level where they can grab a playoff spot. In the Eastern Conference, this may well mean a top-three seed.

Which brings me to the original question: is the 2011 version of DC United good enough to make the playoffs? Below are a series of pros and cons of if they should be considered playoff contenders. Agree or disagree? Sound off in the comments section.

DC United Should be Considered Favorites to Make the Playoffs

Dwayne De Rosario: Right now the trade with New York is looking like genius for the Black-and-Red. During a stretch where Charlie Davies is looking a bit worn-down and some key offensive players have struggled, the former MLS MVP is kicking it into another gear.  He essentially willed DC to a draw against Toronto when down a man the entire game, he broke through with two goals in San Jose when a scoreless draw looked likely, and he has set up teammates countless times for scoring chances. This was the DeRo New York hoped they were trading for, and if he continues to play this way he should be considered for the MVP award. Regarding DC’s playoff chances, he gives them the opportunity to win every game just through his play-making ability and is arguably still one of the league’s top players.

Favorable Schedule: Here is DC’s next four matches – Vancouver, at Chicago, at Kansas City, and Portland. While not a cakewalk, DC has a much easier slate of opponents in the next three months than many of its competitors in the Eastern Conference. It has already played Los Angeles, Dallas, Colorado, and New York twice and will play Real Salt Lake at home. While they still have to go to Philly and Seattle, their schedule is loaded with teams in the lower half of the league including Chicago and Vancouver twice.  And the team still has games in hand over the teams in front of it, providing them with the opportunity to pick up points while opponents are idle.

Weak Eastern Conference: While New York, Philadelphia, and Columbus are generally acknowledged to be the top three teams in the Eastern Conference, the truth is DC is only three points behind the third-place Red Bulls with two games in hand.  Even with a negative goal difference, there are no unbeatable teams in the Eastern Conference that would prevent DC from advancing in the standings.  All three of the top teams have weaknesses and the two teams in front of DC (KC and Houston) have even bigger question marks, with DC playing Kansas City twice in the next two months. If United were in the Western Conference, they would have to settle for a wild card run but in the East, they could make a play for a seeded spot.

Away Wins: DC United’s away record this year has been quite impressive: 4-3-3 with a zero goal differential.  Their impressive results include draws at the Home Depot Center, Pizza Hut Park, and Rio Tinto, and wins at JELD-WEN (first MLS team to do so) and Red Bull Arena. While there have been some embarrassing  results as well, this team shows impressive fortitude on the road and is not afraid to play in even the toughest arenas, which sets them up nicely to late-season visits to Kansas City, Chivas USA, and Seattle.

DC United at This Point Should Not Be Considered Playoff Contenders

Home Record: With the 3-3 result hosting Toronto, DC United has now fallen to 2-3-6 at home on the year, including seven straight MLS games without a win at home. When you consider the great fan support the team receives, such a record is completely unacceptable. To compound the problem, the draws and losses seem to happen in inexplicable ways: late comebacks by Houston and Philadelphia as well as dominating New England before allowing a late counter. No serious playoff team can play so poorly at home, and the ultimate test for DC’s playoff aspirations occurs this Saturday when Vancouver (winless on the road) visits RFK Stadium.

Defensive Liabilities: While the team has improved defensively from last season through trades both before and during this season, the back-five for the Black-and-Red are an impediment that could prevent this team from making the playoffs. While Bill Hamid is the future of the U.S. national team, he’s only 20 in his first full MLS season as a starter, and his red card on Saturday shows that he is still learning the position. Fellow starter Perry Kitchen is a rookie and 19 years old, while Dejan Jakovic is coming off a long-term injury. The backs also have a tendency towards maddening displays of carelessness; it was starter Brandon McDonald’s failure to corral the ball in the 7th minute that led to Hamid’s red.

Lack of Set Piece Performance: Credit to Chris Webb on the MLS Talk Podcast for bringing up this talking point about DC United, but the team struggles mightily on set pieces and corner kicks on both ends of the field. Until Saturday’s De Rosario goal (which was in no way defended well) the Black-and-Red had gone an insanely long number of games since its prior set pieces goal and in the past few seasons have struggled to score when awarded a free kick in the opponent’s territory. And when defending set pieces it’s even worse: witness the breakdowns in the games versus Houston and New England, among others. DC simply cannot defend corner kicks consistently to this point, a scary proposition in late games.

Whither the goals? We all know DeRo can score and can score a lot, but can he score enough? Charlie Davies has slowed down after his fast start, likely due to his continued physical rehabilitation and teams learning how to defend him. While Chris Pontius is dangerous, he can go through stretches where he tends to hit the post or drift too far inside to play effectively on the wing. The DC offense needs to be more consistent and a scorer needs to step up to take the current load off of DeRo. The players are there, they just need to take that next step.

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.

Found At soccerchris.com. Will anyone pick Colorado to win this year?

After weeks of previews, discussions, and debates, we are roughly 36 hours away from the beginning of the fifteenth MLS season.  The league has seen an offseason full of drafts, some national team names fleeing to Europe, some old friends returning to the league, some of the league’s first faces becoming the next wave of head coaches, and a new playoff structure that divides fans but gives us some intriguing championship possibilities.

And now it’s time for some soccer.  As a reminder, join me tomorrow evening on this site as we live chat during the MLS First Kick – Los Angeles pays a visit to Seattle for the league’s official first match.  As for the predictions below, the MLS Talk writers were asked to submit their predictions for the final rankings of the 2011 season, as well as the conference playoff winners, MLS Cup winners, and recipients of some of the more high-profile postseason awards.  Agree or disagree?  Sound off in the comments section below.

There were some common elements in our conference standings.  First, we all thought New York was the class of the East and a lock for the #1 seed this year.  As for the rest of the conference, there are some… differences.  Out West, everyone has Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles as the top two seeds, in some order.  Everyone also had the Sounders making the playoffs.  The Wild Card picks were diverse, including some of us who thought the West would have all four wild card spots.  Here are your 2011 conference predictions (playoff teams in bold):

Daniel Feuerstein

Earl Reed

Kristan Heneage

Robert Hay

MLS Cup predictions: Daniel, Earl, and I agreed that the MLS Cup champ would be a one seed, with Daniel taking the hometown Red Bulls as his pick and Earl and I picking Real Salt Lake.  Kristan went out on a ledge and took DC United to win their fifth MLS Cup.

Most Valuable Player: Again, the top teams reigned in this category.  Daniel selected former Arsenal man Thierry Henry, Earl and Kristan picked U.S. national Landon Donovan, and I went with Alvaro Saborio from the future MLS champions Real Salt Lake.

The Golden Boot: There was much uncertainty in this prediction, and only Earl and I were ambitious enough to wager a guess.  Earl picked my MVP Saborio to take the top goal scorer crown, while I am tipping my cap to our Sounders contigent and picking surprise candidate Fredy Montero.

Coach of the Year: Last season’s coach of the year was veteran coach Schellas Hyndman, although only three of those coaching years were in MLS.  All of our coach of the year selections were new MLS coaches, with Daniel seeing Toronto head man Aron Winter wining the award while Earl and I again agreed upon DC United’s Ben Olsen.

Newcomer of the Year: This category spurred some interesting thoughts from the group.  Last year’s controversial winner was Thierry Henry, showing that MLS sometimes values a name over contributions on the field.  Our predictions were somewhat all over the place: Daniel went with Fabien Castillo of FC Dallas, Earl and I chose Omar Bravo for Sporting KC, and Kristan went with Erik Friberg of the Seattle Sounders.

Rookie of the Year: Much like Newcomer of the Year, the 2010 MLS Rookie of the Year race was controversial and had three worthy candidates.  With a loaded draft class this past offseason, you would expect our picks to be very random, and they certainly are.  Daniel continued to predict great success for the Red Bulls by tabbing Juan Agudelo to win the award.  Earl, Kristan, and I were influenced by the University of Akron hype and took Will Bruin, Darlington Nagbe, and WIll Bruin respectively.

Most Improved Player: I asked everyone to submit a suggestion for this category because every year there is an MLS player or two who finally fulfill their hype or potential, and suddenly become big names in the league.  Kristan and Daniel thought that Dane Richards, the Red Bulls winger, would be that player in 2011, while Earl picked Richards’ teammate Tim Ream.  Since I wanted to show my Black-and-Red colors a little, I thought the player who would finally fulfill his promise would be D.C. United’s Branko Boskovic.

From mlssoccer.com

Just weeks before the beginning of the season, MLS yesterday finally released its playoff format for the 2011 season.  As dreaded, it will include 10 of the 18 MLS teams, and officials acknowledged the number could change as more teams join MLS.  As for the current structure, the playoffs will go as such:

• The top three finishers in each conference will qualify for the playoffs.
• The four teams outside the top three in each conference who have the best records will qualify for the playoffs as wild cards.  This is regardless of conference affiliation.
• In the first round, the wild card with the best record will take on the wild card with the worst, and the other two will face off in the second first round matchup.  The format is single game at the higher seed’s home field.
• The conference semifinals will pit the remaining wild card team with the lowest record with the Supporter’s Shield winner.  The other wild card will face the top seed in the other conference, while the second and third seeds in each conference will play.  The semifinals will be a home-and-home series.
• The winners of the semifinals will face each other in a game at the highest remaining seed’s home field.  The winners of each conference final will face off in the MLS Cup.
• No dates have been anounced for the playoffs.

So if the current playoff structure were in place last season, Seattle would have hosted Chicago and Colorado would have hosted San Jose in the wild card round.  Assuming the top seeds would have won (for the sake of the example), Seattle would have faced Los Angeles in the Western Conference semifinals (while Real Salt Lake and Dallas would have faced off) and Colorado would have played New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals (while Columbus would have played Kansas City).

My initial thought upon seeing the bracket is that this is the best MLS could have done if wedded to the idea of a 10 team playoff. The structure rewards success in the regular season by having the teams with the best records face opponents who had played more recently.  I think having the conference semifinals as home-and-home with the other rounds are single games is very odd, and I think MLS should just go to single matches for the playoffs, although that would hurt some teams’ gates.

The big winner in this format however are the conferences.  If you were a single-table proponent the format shows that at least for the near future MLS has no plans to deviate from the conference structure.  In fact, playing well within your conference is a reward, as it allows you to compare yourself just with the other nine teams in your conference for the playoff race, instead of last season when you had to do well not only in-conference but in a combined table to qualify for the playoffs.

The other big winner in the short term is the Eastern Conference.  This playoff structure allows a pretty good team a good chance to make a run at the MLS Cup.  It is universally acknowledged that New York is the heavy favorite to win the East, but take a team like Philadelphia.  The Union have good enough talent to be one of the better teams in the East this season, but still have enough glaring holes that, if they were in the West, they would probably finish outside the top four.  In this playoff structure, they have a good shot at the two seed in the East, where they can play another pretty good Eastern Conference team.  If they win, they move on to face New York most likely, not an easy task.  But New York could be facing a team like Seattle in the semifinals and have a better chance of being upset.  If Philadelphia wins the conference final, they are one more win away from an MLS Cup.  Can’t happen?  How is that path different than Colorado’s last year?

But what do you think about the playoff structure, and is it as big an advantage to Eastern Conference teams as I think?

The rumor mill was in full tilt Tuesday with the news that national team member Charlie Davies was sent by his French club Sochaux to train with D.C. United in Florida, with a successful training leading to a year-long loan.  Yesterday, the Black-and-Red confirmed Davies was in camp and was being given a fitness tryout to see if he is physically ready to receive playing time again.  Assuming Davies is fit, United would have the striker they have sought this offseason and Davies would have a chance to rehabilitate his career.

The reaction not surprisingly has been mixed, with some opining that this is exactly what Davies needs to restart his career (and DCU their franchise) and others saying that this deal is not only not workable, but possibly a mistake.  My thought is this deal is a win-win.  Davies gets the chance to see exactly where he is in his rehabilitation and how far away he is from competing for a national team spot, if that is even possible.  Sochaux gets to see if Davies, whom they have put on their bench once since the accident, is a potential addition for them or a valuable trade chip.  And D.C. United and MLS have a familiar face for U.S. soccer fans in the nation’s capital.

But the focus of this post is not to analyze this from a personal angle, but from a league-wide angle, specifically does the Davies acquisition make D.C. United an MLS Cup contender.  If you look at the circumstances, the answer looks to be “possibly yes”. This scenario would assume that not only is Davies close to his previous level of health, but that the Black-and-Red avoid the injury bug that infected them last year.  These things of course are unknown and a major assumption, but they are not impossible.

DCU’s offseason has been a frantic remake of the club such that the team that finished last in goals scored in 2010 and close to last in goals allowed are bringing in a series of new faces in a variety of positions.  The entire back line will be a mix of now-healthy players (Jed Zayner, Dejan Jackovic) and acquisitions (Rodrigo Braseca, Perry Kitchen) that will help relieve pressure off of now-healthy highly-rated academy product Bill Hamid in goal.  The midfield is also vastly improved with the Dax McCarty trade and the continued emergence of MLS ROY Andy Najar.  In fact, the roster looked set except for that elusive big-play striker.  United had acquired Josh Wolff and Joseph Ngwenya, but neither has been a big scorer in their career and both look to be more complementary forwards.  Now, with a potentially healthy Charlie Davies, DCU has that playmaker up front to score and take the pressure off Najar.

However, the names of the players in the previous paragraph are for the most part not likely to elicit shivers of expectation.  After all, besides Najar and McCarty, none of the DCU starters can be considered currently elite or close-to-elite (maybe a healthy Santino Quaranta, but that’s a stretch).  But the second factor in a potential D.C. United Cup run is the conference.  Look at the 2011 Eastern Conference.  Besides a loaded New York team, who is the second best team in the conference?  Last year’s second best team is going through a total rebuild.  Teams like Chicago and New England competed for playoff spots but both have glaring weaknesses.  Toronto is talented but in flux with a totally new leadership team.  Kansas City has a ton of talent and upside, but still have defensive holes to plug.  Philadelphia is going in the right direction but still needs some more offense.

With a new ten team playoff structure, a middling club can make the playoffs and, depending on the structure, automatically have a chance at the MLS Cup.  But if D.C. United turns out to be the second place Eastern Conference team, and the league continues to value conference finishing and give the #2 conference seed a bye, then the playoff schedule could fall out well for DCU.  We saw this last year: Colorado, a very good but not one of the best teams gets a favorable playoff schedule and makes a run to the Cup.  A high-finishing good team in 2011 can do the same thing, especially if they play in the weaker Eastern Conference.

So should we begin to add a fifth star to the DCU jerseys?  Not by a long shot.  This scenario is based on a lot of conjecture and assumption.  But if Charlie Davies is healthy and on his way to recovery, then there is a path to success this season for United.  They could enter that second tier of clubs in 2011, right behind the Galaxy/RedBulls/RSL types, and that might be enough for the team to make some noise in the playoffs.

MLS Talk has been buzzing all week about the proposed changes to the 2011 season and the reaction to the most recent playoffs.  Some of this is spurred by Don Garber’s press conference and MLS Cup halftime show; some by the abysmal TV ratings and odd playoff pairings; and some by simmering tension over format and style in the US soccer community.

We’ve said our piece on a number of these issues (and you have reacted), and now it’s your turn to be the boss of MLS.

Below are the changes that Don Garber discussed over the past two weeks.  Let’s pretend YOU were named MLS commissioner today, and the board allowed you to adopt one change to MLS for the upcoming year.  You can choose from any of the changes announced in the past two weeks, as well as any considered or debated changes announced the past two weeks.  The board has only said that your goal is to “improve MLS”.  So……

(Please note – this is an unscientific study of what are the most pressing issues for our readership, so take it for what it’s worth).

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.