DC United’s poor home form continued as New England snapped a nine match winless streak and shocked DC 1-0 in front of Sunil Gulati and 15,000 plus at RFK. Matt Reis made six saves and kept New England in the match long enough for a late go-ahead goal from Stephen McCarthy.

The first half saw a different DC United team than the one that lost to New England 2-1 in March. The Black-and-Red dominated in the midfield and created a fluid passing game that stretched the field and created some quality scoring chances in the first half. The problem for DC was that the forwards could do nothing with the passes; Charlies Davies struggled to create quality chances as New England doubled him every time he touched the ball.  A turning point in the game came in the 43′ when Davies missed a penalty kick. The penalty was called due to a cross that Pat Phelan elbowed in the box; Davies immediately stepped up to take the kick and skied it over the net.  The blown chance epitomized the half for DC; they had numerous chances but either a failed connection on a pass or Matt Reis’ gloves prevented a go-ahead goal.

The weather (90+ degrees and humid) and DC’s draw with Dallas on Saturday left the team looking slower and less aggressive in the second half. And again it was the usual problems for DC that came back to haunt them. New England started the match in a 4-3-3 but switched to a more attacking 3-5-2 in the second half. The 57′ substitution of Sammi Nyassi for Kevin Boggs also gave the Revs some pace they missed in the first, allowing more chances down the wing. One of those chances resulted in Perry Kitchen coolly knocking the ball out for a corner, a corner which Chris Tierney expertly placed where an unmarked McCarthy headed it into the corner of the net. The score was not unexpected, however, as New England two minutes prior had a golden opportunity on a corner that they had misheaded.

“It’s obviously a tough [loss] to take because of the opportunities we had early to put a game away,” said DC head coach Ben Olsen after the game.  ”If you don’t do that, we’ve all seen the script, right?”

The win was the first for the Revolution since May 14 when they beat Vancouver 1-0 at home.  What was particularly encouraging for the Revs was they won the game without Benny Feilhaber (red card suspension) and they bounced back from their weekend thrashing by Philadelphia.  The 3-5-2 formation did put some pressure on the wings and helped the visitors create some good opportunities late as well as pressure rookie fullback Perry Kitchen.  While Shalrie Joseph struggled as a attacking/central midfielder (understandably), Rajko Lekic played well up top for New England and created some chances.

All of this would have been a moot point if not for Matt Reis, who had an incredible game and made some critical saves, especially in the first half when DC was pressuring.  Late in the game he put an exclamation point on his match with a deflection off his leg of a point-blank De Rosario attempt.  Head coach Steve Nicol praised him after the match: “He made a couple of saves at real important times.  He gave us the strength to go on and win the game.”

DC falls to 2-3-5 at home, the kind of record that halts any talk of playoff contention.  The two newest acquisitions (De Rosario and Brandon McDonald) were the best players on the pitch, with DeRo creating numerous opportunities (as well has having great scoring chances) and McDonald not only organizing the defense but solidly stopping a few quality New England chances.  Another star for DC was young keeper Bill Hamid, who made a couple of great stops and was aggressive and confident in goal.  But again, it was set pieces and defensive lapses that hurt this team in the end, as well as an inability to convert early chances.  Whether it be tired legs or growing pains, DC let a great opportunity to climb the standings slip by yesterday.

Photo by Lorianne DiSabato

As MLS fans, we often fail to realize how lucky we are that our clubs offer us a wide variety of fan experiences.  If we are attending a game with a soccer newcomer or our kids, we can sit in the more traditional American sports seating sections and watch the action from our seats.  If we yearn for a more European hooligan atmosphere, then MLS can provide a passionate, inspired fan section where even the most mild-mannered professional can show their undying support for their club.  The beauty of the fans section is that every team has them: original clubs like DC United provided the roadmap for MLS fandom to the new high-profile groups like the Philadelphia Union.

At times, however, the passion of the fans and club management will clash and the idea of appropriate devotion become murky.  We saw an example this offseason when Toronto FC supporters led a revolt against the team’s (mis)management to encourage them to stop raising prices while failing to put a quality club on the field.  Who owes what to who is an interesting debate.

This weekend, the relationship between New England Revolution management and supporters reached a boiling point.  For a full (but biased) account I recommend the profile on the fan site The Bent Musket as well as accounts on these other sites, but in essence The Fort was told to tone down their swearing during the match.  In particular, management wanted one phrase stopped that the fans chanted at opposing keepers.  As the post recounts, The Fort was slowly cleared out during the match to the point where by the end of the game it was pretty much empty.  Of course any time there are narratives like this, the accounts have to be taken with a grain of salt but it looks like the relationship between the team’s most hardcore fans and the ownership is reaching a straining point supposedly over conduct.  I would also stress details are still emerging, and we will update this account as they emerge.

But an essential question is illustrated by this incident: in the debate was over language and the club asking the supporters to tone it down, who is right? Should a club tell supporters what to chant?  In Europe, it is common for ownership to speak with fan groups and try to prevent offensive chants, but this is primarily in cases of blatantly racist chants.  Swearing is just part of the game; you can’t go to a Serie A match without a referee being called a cuckold or worse.  In England, some of the best chants rained down upon opposing players are much worse than what The Fort yelled at keepers.  Like most sports, soccer is all about passion and the desire to influence opponents by intimidating them, and preventing may be taking away an important part of the game.

Conversely, in a country where soccer is a niche sport, it is important that families and casual fans find a welcoming atmosphere.  So often, non-soccer fans imagine English hooligans as the average soccer fan and look down on attending professional games.  Additionally, practically every American child plays soccer at some point in his life and are perfect marketing targets for any MLS team.  Parents are not going to want to take a child to a game where they can learn new words, so management is conceivably justified in trying to maintain a clean language environment.

So what do you think: are the New England Revolution justified in trying to clean up The Fort’s language?  What obligation does ownership have to creating a “family friendly environment”?

As winter settles in and the MLS offseason is in full swing, it is not too soon to plan those warm weather summer tours where international teams play MLS squads.  The advantages to both sides are obvious – MLS teams can show they can compete with their international colleagues while the international team can entertain their American fans.  And both sides usually benefit financially from the games.  Last season, the following English teams made the trip across the pond – Bolton, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, and (gulp) Portsmouth.

And one club has already begun to plan a 2011 summer tour – EPL Talk reported Manchester United has already begun planning a visit.  Rumor has it that one of the matches will be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, which not-so-coincidentally is the headquarters city of Man U sponsor Aon.  No other details have been announced, but on the heels of a successful visit last year you can expect the team to be in high demand.

Here are five other English clubs I’d like to see visit the U.S. this summer, with a recommended location and opponent.  Below is a poll where you can vote on which clubs you would like to see this summer.  Over the coming weeks I will post polls for other leagues and nations, so stay tuned.

Arsenal – Rumor has it that Arsene Wenger does not want to tour the U.S. and finds more value in the club’s training in Austria and occasionally Asia.  No team however would benefit more from a visit to the U.S. than the Gunners.  They have a huge U.S. fanbase, many of whom have never seen the club in person, and would be guaranteed to sell out their matches.  In addition, their majority owner is an American, so a U.S. tour makes perfect sense.  Dream match – Arsenal v. Colorado Rapids (same majority owners) at Invesco Field, Denver.

Chelsea – The defending EPL champions visited the U.S. in 2009 and played in the World Football Challenge against, among others, AC Milan.  This is another club with a huge American following that skipped last year, making their reappearance good for ticket sales.  If they win the league this season, it would make their matches even more marketable.  Dream match – MLS All Stars v. Chelsea.  Because Man U did it, so should Chelsea.

Everton – Really there is one reason, possibly two, why an Everton tour would make sense: Tim Howard and, if he makes an England move, Landon Donovan.  American soccer fans who want to follow an EPL team naturally have to consider the club because of the American national team keeper and Donovan’s time with the club.  Everton should take advantage of having Howard and schedule a tour while America he’s still on the club.  Dream match – Everton v. New York Red Bulls at New Meadowlands, NJ.  A homecoming for Tim Howard.

Liverpool – Despite having a down season, the club is still one of the most popular in the world.  And now is the perfect time for them to come over as they were recently purchased by John Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox, and he could show off his nice new purchase to his American supporters.  In fact, this dream match-up is a no-brainer: Liverpool v. Revolution in Fenway Park.

Tottenham Hotspur – The club’s recent resurgence has attracted a lot of attention from casual soccer fans and attracted some American fans looking to attach themselves to an EPL team.  The emergence of Gareth Bale gives them a marketable young star, and the other big names on the team make them a compelling matchup for any American club.  Dream match – Tottenham v. Seattle Sounders in Seattle.

The second round of the MLS Cup Playoffs has the two higher seeds in each conference hosting their opponents from last week’s match-ups. In the four matches from last week, the home teams either tied or won leaving the seeded favorites with work to do if they hope to advance to the conference finals. The path seems more difficult in the Eastern Conference, where the Columbus Crew and the Chicago Fire each trail in their aggregate-goal series by a one-goal deficit. Starting tonight at Crew Stadium and ending Saturday in Bridgeview, Illinois, the pressure is on for the two best teams in the east.

In the Western Conference, the higher seeds faired much better in their first matches. Both the Houston Dynamo and the Los Angeles Galaxy earned hard-fought draws against their respective opponents the Seattle Sounders FC and Chivas USA. The schedule makers treat us to a doubleheader on Sunday, with Robertson Stadium doing their best Qwest Field impersonation — but splashed in orange — for the second seeded Dynamo, and the Home Depot Center hosting the two Los Angeles clubs. Because of the drawn first games, these return leg contests are winner-take-all.

On the surface, it is fair to say that the playoff results have been as expected. Predictably defensively minded match-ups in the Western Conference were borne out in Seattle and Los Angeles. The scoreless draw at Qwest Field seems to favor Houston going into their game this Sunday, but they will need to keep in mind that last year saw them in the same situation, and they went on to lose 3-0 to the New York Red Bulls. No one in Dynamo Orange wants to repeat their home collapse of 2008; the team will not take this year’s opponent as lightly. Back at the HDC, host Chivas USA and the Galaxy did eventually draw 2-2, but not because of good attacking soccer, rather as a result of poor defending. Take away the brutal displays at both ends of the field and that match was evenly played throughout. The total defensive calamity should not be repeated the second time around as the Galaxy assumes the title as “home team.”

The Eastern Conference week one results were equally predictable. Neither host dominated play, but did enough to finish with one-goal advantages heading into their return leg matches. Real Salt Lake preserved a 1-0 victory over the scoring-challenged Crew — no goals in nearly four straight games — in a rather pedestrian affair. Columbus returns home with a line-up that should include reigning league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and playmaker Alejandro Moreno, both missing from the first game, making the prospects for the Crew that much more promising. The Chicago Fire returns home after having surrendered a one-goal lead to the New England Revolution in a 2-1 loss at Gillette Stadium. They will need to halt the momentum of the Revs with a win at Toyota Park to keep their season alive.

Will all four higher seeds advance to the MLS Cup playoff semi-finals this week? Based on the results of the last week, the answer appears to be an unequivocal “yes.” However, history tells us otherwise, as a dramatic number of higher seeded teams have lost to their lower ranked opponents in these aggregate-goal home-and-home playoff series since they were instituted by MLS in 2003. Out of the 24 series in the past six years, the higher seed has advanced in just 15 — a winning percentage of 63%. The prospects for the higher seeds get even worse when looking at the specific circumstances the four teams are in this year. 7 out of 12 times (58%) the higher team survived after losing the first leg of the series, and 4 out of 7 times (57%) the higher team advanced after a first match draw. If the past is a good predictor of the future, that unequivocal “yes” becomes an obvious “no.” Only in that first year (2003) did all four higher seeds manage to make it to their conference finals, and as many as three higher seeds have been eliminated (2005) after the first round.

So, there has to be an upset this year, right? As we’ve discussed, history tells us this is most likely. The playoff adage that “anything can happen” should be better phrased as “something will happen.” I would argue that the playoff seedings are essentially meaningless given that the higher seed does not really gain an advantage in the current playoff structure. Sure, they get to host the second game of the series in front of their home fans, which could include any necessary extra-time and penalty kick shootouts, but that doesn’t significantly outweigh the fact that they still play at the lower seed in game one. In fact, because team parity is the rule in MLS, it should come as no surprise that the higher seed has survived only 63% of the time since 2003.

Given that the higher seeds in the Eastern Conference have the more difficult path to the semi-finals due to their one-goal deficits, the most likely team to suffer at the hands of a lower seed is the Chicago Fire. For this, look no further than their home record over the 2009 regular season. The Fire weren’t much more than an average team at Toyota Park, gaining only 5 wins out of 15 home matches. Needing a win on Saturday to keep their season alive, the Fire will need to buck that regular season trend. Also not in favor of the Fire is their scoring output at home, just 16 goals (and 17 goals allowed) in 2009. The statistics suggest a New England result in this match-up, and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

While I still expect the other higher seeds to advance, including my overall pick for the MLS Cup — the Houston Dynamo — the Fire look to be the odd team out this postseason. Sorry Chicago, better luck in 2010.

- Photo by Katy Umana

After what appeared to be another typical slow Dynamo start to the 2009 MLS Season, losing away matches to the San Jose Earthquakes and D.C. United and only getting draws with Columbus Crew and RedBull New York at home, the pressure was on the Dynamo to get a victory as they hosted the Colorado Rapids on April 20th. In the 20th minute of the match, Brian Ching finally ended the Dynamo’s 254 minute scoring drought when he found the back of the net. The Dynamo held their lead late into the second half, and just when it looked like the Dynamo would get their first win of the 2009 season, the Rapids were awarded a penalty kick in the 84th minute. While it was Ching’s goal that put the Dynamo on the scoreboard, it was the amazing goalkeeping of Pat Onstad that secured the victory.

Following the previous week’s 0-0 draw with RedBull New York, the Dynamo’s Coach, Dominic Kinnear, stated that he felt his squad was on the verge of breaking out of their winless doldrums. As to whether the victory over the Rapids will be the start of a winning streak for the Dynamo is questionable because they were going into an off week and would then have to travel to New England to face the Revolution on the plastic surface at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.

While the Dynamo were once again off to a rough start, the New England Revolution managed to beat the Western Conference’s Earthquakes and FC Dallas, while getting draws with I-95 rivals DC United and RedBull New York. This strong start to the 2009 season was achieved despite the injuries plaguing players like Taylor Twellman, Matt Reis, Kheli Dube, and Steve Ralston.

Last weekend the Revolution made their first visit to Real Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium and ended up leaving the Beehive State with their worse regular season loss ever, giving up six goals in the second half of the match, while failing to score any goals of their own.

This Sunday when the New England Revolution host the Houston Dynamo (2:00 p.m. central on Telefutura), soccer fans will be treated to two teams with a strong history of battling each other and two teams eager to get a win and the three points. As MLS fans are aware, the Dynamo’s back-to-back MLS Cup victories in 2006 and 2007 came at the expense of the New England Revolution while the Revolution beat the Dynamo in the 2008 SuperLiga Final.

The advantage on Sunday goes to the Revolution, thanks to the expected return of Matt Reis and Kheli Dube, as well as the fact that the Dynamo have yet to win at Gillette Stadium, but it will not prove to be an easy victory.

The Dynamo took advantage of their off week to play the PDL’s Laredo Heat in a reserve match, which the Dynamo won 4-0. This match marked the first time that the team’s new signings took the pitch for the Dynamo. Defender Andrew Hainault looked solid on the back line while a jet lagged Ade Akinbiyi was instrumental in the team’s first two goals. It should also be noted that despite never having won at Gillette Stadium, the Dynamo have only lost one match in Foxboro (the Revolution won the 2008 SuperLiga Final on penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw).

If Sunday’s match stays true to form and the history between these teams, this meeting between the Revolution and Dynamo will not be a defensive slog, but rather a match highlighted by aggressive, offensive styles from both teams. In the end, it will be the soccer fan who is the true winner, even if the match ends 0-0.