As the preseason gets into full swing and rosters begin to stabilize, it’s time to take a look at the men who pull the strings and have the greatest impact on the team itself.  The modern manager is part tactician, part showman, and part PR man.  The best are the ones who can bring a diverse team together and make it into a trophy-winning side.  Rarely can a side win an MLS Cup, Open Cup, or Supporters Shield with a mediocre or poor manager.  However, at times its the team that makes the man and only the perfect marriage of players and manager that can make a championship.  A manager is especially important in MLS, with the salary cap and built-in rules designed to promote parity.

These men are masters of the realm, the best managers in MLS today.  The following ranking is my own top five managers in MLS going into the 2012 season.  Keep in mind this is not an all time list but simply looking ahead to the 2012 season.  Agree or disagree?  Make your opinions known in the comments section.

5.  Piotr Nowak:  Maybe the restructuring going on in Philadelphia is Nowak’s way to challenge himself.  The veteran coach has taken a new franchise and by year two had made the Union into a Eastern Conference championship contender.  Building the team around a stout defense and the timely scoring of his offense, Nowak has made the club in his image and, even with the departures, Philadelphia is now a team to watch every year.  His work with DC United, leading them to their fourth MLS title in 2004, only adds to his coaching resume.  Although he does not have the large number of trophies some of the others on this list have, he is undoubtedly established himself as one of the best head coaches in the league.

4.  Schellas Hyndman:  Although at times his decisions are questionable (Brek Shea as a full back?), Hyndman is a long-time collegiate coach who finally got the right opportunity to prove his worth with FC Dallas in 2008.  His defining win was a 3-0 defeat of Los Angeles in the 2010 Western Conference finals over a team that looked like the best in the league with a healthy David Beckham.  Although Dallas lost the 2010 MLS Cup in overtime, the former SMU head coach has done a good job balancing his roster and replacing departed players, especially in the midfield.  Under his watch David Ferreira blossomed into one of the most dangerous midfielders in the league and with some promising youth coming up through the system this year, Hyndman may soon be able to chase down that elusive MLS Cup.

3.  Sigi Schmid:  For a guy who never played professional soccer, Schmid gets this league.  His uncanny ability to identify talent and his in-game ability to identify mismatches has made the former UCLA Bruin the brain behind the constantly-successful Seattle Sounders.  A team with a rich history and demanding fan base, Schmid gave the league a blueprint for how to compete in MLS from year one, a blueprint that teams as recently as Montreal are looking to emulate.  He is the most successful U.S. Open Cup head coach in the modern era and has guided the careers of many of MLS’s greatest stars.  His LA Galaxy team was also one of two MLS clubs to ever win an intercontinental cup.  He is the winningest head coach in MLS history and has the Sounders poised to challenge for the 2012 MLS Cup.

2.  Dominic Kinnear:  The coach of this year’s Eastern Conference champions narrowly edges Sigi Schmid in my rankings because since 2006, Houston has been one of the league’s most successful teams.  Besides winning back-to-back MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007, this year may have been his best coaching job, leading an arguably less talented team to the MLS Cup.  All of this is even more impressive considering the fact that the team has worked within a tight budget and a changing ownership situation.

1.  Bruce Arena:  The National Soccer Hall of Famer continues to prove that he is arguable the greatest American soccer coach of all time.  Even though he had three famous designated players, it was his work with the Galaxy’s defense that was most impressive about the 2011 Galaxy.  The keys to the defense were that the two major contributors, A.J. De La Garza and Omar Gonzalez, were Arena draftees.  Arena guided a dominant team through a dominant season, essentially staking claim to the MLS Cup early in the season and never relinquishing it.  His history is unparalleled in the U.S., but even going into the new season he is still in a class by himself and recognized by many as the best head coach out there.

In their second year in MLS, the Philadelphia Union surprised the league by combining unbreakable defense with timely scoring.  Philly was in the top three of the East most of the season before slipping a bit at the end of the year and bowing out of the playoffs to eventual champ Houston.  Regardless, the year has to be seen as an unquestionable success, as the team secured a lucrative shirt sponsorship deal, packed its new soccer stadium, and showed that it could compete long-term in MLS.

So, with the calendar turned to 2012, where does this team stand in the offseason?  Has it improved or what does it need to do to improve?  The Philadelphia Union are up next in our “Three Questions” series:

1. What will you do, Freddy Adu?

Freddy Adu joined his fellow U.S. national team hopefuls by going overseas to train with a foreign club team to improve his skills and get additional playing time.  However, unlike some of his teammates, it looks like the short training spell could turn into something longer.  Reports from Spain suggest that struggling Rayo Vallecano may be impressed enough with his training to extend an offer to the forward for the rest of the season.

Adu’s impact on the Union last season was less than expected (or at least less than the optimists expected) but two factors were at play.  First, he played less than half a season and was adjusting back to MLS after spending time in some vastly different European leagues.  Second, he was added as “instant offense”, an impact player off the bench where a full year in MLS might see him starting more often.  Honestly, his departure would not sink the Union, but it would leave them needing to find another veteran scorer.  His leaving or staying may dictate where Philly turns the rest of their offseason attention.

2. Have the offseason signings addressed their needs?

As soon as the book closed on the 2011 season, the Union were opening their check book (or whatever the 2012 equivalent is).  They offloaded Justin Mapp and some pricey depth players and addressed some glaring needs: forward (Josue Martinez), left back (Porfirio Lopez), and central midfielder (Gabriel Gomez).  In addition, they added another hometown signing in Jimmy McLaughlin who joins Zach Pfeffer as the team’s second “local” youngster.  While the team still has some positions it can beef up (especially if #1 comes true) the front office did what they did last offseason, struck early to address their needs and filled in where necessary.  Soon enough we’ll see if this strategy works again.

3.  What is Sebastien Le Toux role on this team?

In their inaugural season, the French-American was a scoring machine for the Union, notching 14 goals and being named to the MLS All Star team.  Last season, his scoring decreased but he played more as a creator, setting up his forwards to score their own goals.  Despite his scoring dropping, the team’s record improved.  So is Le Toux a scorer or a creator?  A Van Persie or a Fabregas?  How Nowak uses his going forward will give this team a definite identity going into a season where they will no longer be considered underdogs, but potential favorites in the East.

The “expansion” Portland Timbers had a debut MLS season to remember.  The team quickly became the darling of the TV networks with their passionate and creative fans, the team played an exciting brand of soccer, and the resurgence of Jack Jewsbury gave them some high-profile players.  The team even had a goal of the year candidate and an MLS moment of the year.  All that was lacking was a playoff berth, something that will not be any easier to obtain with their Western Conference rivals either improving or remaining strong, plus a new playoff format.

They say second acts are the hardest things to pull off in show business, so can Portland match the excitement off the field while taking the next step on the field in 2012?  Here are three questions for the Portland Timbers in the next two months before their First Kick 2012 match-up with the Philadelphia Union.

1. How much of a role will Valencia play for this team?

Portland generated quite a bit of buzz this offseason when they signed Colombian Jose Adolfo Valencia to a “young DP” contract, the first in MLS history.  In addition to being the son of the famous Adolfo Valencia of Bayern Munich, “El Trencito” is a rising international star that has Portland fans salivating over his creativity and speed.

However, before the team begins inducting him into the Hall of Fame, he is only 19 years old and his only professional experience has been playing in Colombia’s first division.  While MLS isn’t the cauldron that the EPL is, playing in a foreign country in a new league will be an adjustment.  How he handles that adjustment off and on the field will be critical to Portland’s chances in the new year.

2. Who will stop the goals?

Portland’s biggest weakness last season was their defense, allowing 48 goals last season, fifth worst in the league.  So far this offseason, the only thing the team has done to address this (more on this topic below) is to re-sign Troy Perkins and David Horst.  Perkins was a solid keeper last year, who needed a change of scenery after a disastrous second tour with DC United the prior year.  While he played well enough to deserve an extension, can he maintain that level of play in ’12?  At least his restructured contract will free up some spending money.

As for Horst, the center back is a physically intimidating prospect at 6’4″ but struggled to remain consistently healthy last season.  The team is betting that he will be healthier this season, but that may be a bit of a gamble.  Regardless, the team does need to invest in the back to ensure that it gets stronger there.  Some have suggested that will come through the draft, but a combination of draft/signings to add some quality depth will be essential for this team to progress in 2012.

3. Who else will Portland sign?

If you scan the transaction records for Portland this offseason, the only moves that have been made are the ones discussed above.  They have been quiet in the re-entry drafts and signings, save for Valencia.  There is still time for the team to wheel and deal, but where do they want to go this offseason?  We’ve discussed their defensive needs but more midfield depth and potentially a young keeper would be good additions.  If Valencia is the real deal up front that is less of a need, but is Kenny Cooper with this team long-term after some blow-ups with John Spencer?  if not, they need to sign a few quality and veteran forwards.

On the eve of the second leg of the conference semifinals, the league has stirred some intrigue around one of its teams not in the playoffs.  According to Steven Goff of The Washington Post, soccer fans in the Baltimore, MD area have begun to receive surveys gauging their interest in locating an MLS franchise in the city.  Obviously this is a major issue for fans of DC United, whose franchise has been searching for a home and for the past few years has been rumored to be moving to Baltimore or outside of DC.

According to Goff and Craig Stouffer of The Examiner, the survey asks how likely would fans follow and attend the games of a team in a soccer-specific stadium in the Westport area of the city; the questions ask about a new franchise or a relocated franchise.  The survey then asks which of the following teams residents would lobby hardest to have move to Baltimore: DC United, Columbus Crew, Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bulls, or other.  The final two questions ask specifically about DC United’s relocation to Baltimore.

Some DC fans have already begun to prepare themselves for what seems to be an inevitable move, but I can see a few different reasons why MLS is doing this survey at this time.  Here are my thoughts (and for my previous thoughts on DC United in Baltimore, check out my previous article):

DC United is preparing to move to Baltimore

In an incredibly informative interview last month with Goff, DC United President Kevin Payne was blunt about his team’s courtship with Baltimore:

We’re not hiding anything. We are trying to work through some issues with the District and we are having conversations about how to get something in the District, but we’re having those same conversations with Baltimore. I’m not sure I want to categorize it, but the state of Maryland, Maryland Stadium Authority and city of Baltimore know how to do this. They’ve done it successfully.

DC United last year did an economic benefit study with Baltimore last year so they have some research to back-up potential moves.  And the team has discussed outside of the city stadium sites, including failed negotiations with Upper Marlboro, MD, to build a soccer stadium there (similar to how the Redskins play in Landover, MD, not DC).  Before the end of the season, DCU presented Events DC, which owns RFK Stadium, with almost an ultimatum to either renovate the stadium for soccer use or the team is gone.  How much the city is willing to put into a fifty year old stadium is unknown.  So the most likely reason for this survey is that it is the first step in a multi-year process to move DC United to Baltimore.

DC United is aggressively trying to have DC call its bluff

Despite the negativity surrounding DC United’s stadium situation, it is not all a dark cloud.  The Poplar Point stadium is up in the air, but has never been declared absolutely dead.  In fact, with changing DC demographics and the continued development of the Southwest Waterfront, this may turn out to be an economic option intriguing to the DC Council.  With the grassroots movement Keep DC United picking up combined with the thought of losing what is essentially a business to Baltimore (and the DC government hates losing large businesses to competing regional cities), these tactics by the league and the team are just pressure points to keep the issue on the DC Council’s radar.

MLS is feeling out Baltimore for relocation of another franchise

In all likelihood the inclusion of Philadelphia, Columbus, and New York was a poor attempt to not make the survey all about moving DC United to Baltimore.  But what if MLS is considering Baltimore not just as a landing place for DC United but any other troubled MLS franchise?  If DC works out a stadium deal somewhere in the nation’s capital, could Baltimore be a destination for a team like Columbus, whose attendance has fallen and MLS has publicly worried about its financial well being?   If this was the case, Baltimore would have to compete with cities like Las Vegas and New York, who are also clamoring to get into MLS (or in NY’s case, have a second franchise).  Baltimore is a good location with a good sports tradition, only two major league franchises, and some soccer tradition.  So while maybe the survey was about testing Baltimore as a landing place for any team, I find it unlikely that they would be surveyed now to establish themselves as relocation site #1.

MLS is considering Baltimore to host an expansion franchise

Many of the arguments for the previous idea apply, but I find this even less likely.  The twentieth team will probably be the New York Cosmos, but MLS has publicly courted Minnesota, San Antonio, Las Vegas, and even Miami about housing an expansion MLS franchise.  For Baltimore to suddenly be the new home of a 20th, 21st, or 22nd team, they would have some work to do.  But maybe, just maybe, the survey is designed to see just how much of a possibility this is.

Anyone who has been looking for a new home understands the feeling of displacement that comes with it: the yearning for something new and different which you can model after your vision, while still feeling unsettled because you haven’t found that perfect place yet.  In June, MLS fans looked at Kansas City and either pitied or ignored them.  For a team who should have had Ricky Nelson sing its theme song, the season looked like a lost one.  Despite the new name and new logo, it was the same ol’ Kansas City, going from road game to road game trying to hang on until they could move into a new home.

Yet after last night’s 2-1 victory over Columbus, Sporting Kansas City sits atop the Eastern Conference.  With the Eastern Conference margin so narrow, their position may be tenuous (especially with DC and Philly having games in hand) but they are the in-form team in the East right now.  How did a team that looked so beaten early in the season rally to become maybe the favorite to win the top seed in the East?

The first place to look is last night’s game.  A few things stand out that point to reasons for their success.  The first is their suffocating offense, something that has been there all season but is really beginning to click.  Kei Kamara is an absolute weapon, and playing next to Omar Bravo in a 4-3-3 type formation allows him space to find his shot.  Teal Bunbury, who has struggled all year and is seemingly on the “outs” for the U.S. national team, is beginning to contribute in little ways and refine his game; while the goals aren’t there yet the consistent play is.  Add in some quality play from midfielder Graham Zusi and the rotating cast of starters, and this team can score with anyone.  Even the threat of their offense is dangerous, as both goals last night came from Columbus defensive mistakes under pressure.  The first was a penalty after Robbie Rogers took down C.J. Sapong in the box, the second was a Julius James own-goal after a throw-in.

But the biggest key to the KC ascent has been their defensive improvement.  The team that went from allowing over two goals a game to running a streak of late blown leads has now settled into a pretty good team defensively.  They have allowed 11 goals in their last 10 games after giving up 28 in their first 21.  The starting back four last night had an average age of 24, which while not terribly young was still somewhat inexperienced.  However, two players that have really helped defensively are keeper Jimmy Nielsen and centerback/midfielder Julio Cesar.  Both are veterans with years of international experience who are providing veteran leadership to the club.  While their defense is still not up to par with some of the elite MLS teams, it has improved to their point where it is no longer an eye-closing liability.

Outside factors also have played into Kansas City’s rise, the biggest being their obvious home field advantage.  After playing the first ten games of the season on the road, Sporting KC has gone 8-2-6 at home.  Their field is beautiful and creates a definite home field advantage, which gives the team a boost.  They also are benefiting from an Eastern Conference with no dominant team which of course has both allowed them to overcome early season struggles and grab needed points (like they did last night).

Looking ahead, can Kansas City keep this up?  Their schedule sets up nicely to allow them to control their own destiny: they play an inconsistent San Jose team on the road this weekend, then host New York and travel to DC, both of whom are chasing them.  New York’s away record (2-4-9) and DC’s home record (4-3-7) bode well for them.  However, Kansas City may have set themselves up for a late stumble, scheduling a friendly against CD Guadalajara on October 12, three days before the Red Bulls match-up.  Regardless, Kansas City is hot right now and securing the Eastern Conference crown is not only a possibility, but maybe even likely.

It’s good to be home.

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.

The talking point since First Kick has been the same: the Western Conference is vastly superior to the Eastern Conference.  For the past six months or so, we’ve heard about the top teams in the West and their chances of winning the MLS Cup.  Recently, with the playoffs looming, the talk has focused on how either FC Dallas or Real Salt Lake will enter the playoffs as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference due to MLS’s weird playoff system.  Yet for all the focus the Western Conference has received in the playoff talk, we are witnessing an incredibly exciting Eastern Conference playoff race, where the stakes could be incredibly high.

This past weekend’s results threw the door to the Eastern Conference open and, instead of beginning to clarify the top three teams, kept eight teams in contention for the three guaranteed spots.  One of those eight (Toronto) is realistically eliminated, and another (Chicago) would have to go on a tough but possible run of games, but that still leaves six teams within seven points of first place with roughly five matches to go (or more if you’re DC United with games in hand).  Teams that had seemingly locked up spots now have to battle to hold on, while teams that faltered earlier in the season now see a path to late season redemption.

The key component to increasing the logjam was the Columbus/Philadelphia match.  With the Union able to get back on the winning track and denying the Crew three points, the first place team in the East was kept close to the rest of the pack.  If they had found a way to scratch out a win, they would have been four points clear of second place Sporting Kansas City, not an insurmountable lead but certainly a bit of breathing room.  As it was, they could not find a way to take advantage of a close Sporting KC loss to Real Salt Lake.  Instead of a battle for second, this Friday’s SKC v. Philadelphia match could be for first place.

The teams currently looking up at the top three also shuffled themselves this weekend into a muddle that may go down to the last match to settle.  The Houston Dynamo, who looked like a solid bet for a top three spot before suffering a small swoon, are now level on points with Philadelphia after this Saturday being the most recent team to beat San Jose.  Their victory kept them ahead of the New York Red Bulls who were involved in the most intense match of the weekend.  Despite a late push from FC Dallas, the Red Bulls defense held on to a 1-0 win for their first victory since July 6.  The win also moved them two points clear of DC United who lost for the first time ever in Seattle.  In fact, DCU was lapped 3-0 by a Seattle team that looked to be firing on all cylinders.  However, with their games in hand, DC is still well positioned to make a late move into the top three, especially with road games against Columbus and Philadelphia, as well as a home tilt with Kansas City to close the season.

But as things stand, the East could still sneak two teams into the four wild card places.  So why the stress over the top three?  Imagine, if the season ended today, the plight of the New York Red Bulls.  As the #10 seed, they would have to travel to Pizza Hut Park to face FC Dallas in a single elimination game.  If they won, they would then play a home-and-home with the Galaxy which, if they survived, would see them facing the winner of RSL/Seattle.  Now consider if they jumped two spots in the East and grabbed the #3 seed.  Not only would they now get to sit out the wild card round (huge for an older team) but they would get an Eastern Conference foe in a home-and-home before the conference final.  This week will go a long way to determining the favorites for the top three, as not only do we have the Philly/SKC match but RSL makes an East Coast swing to face New York and DC.  So while the West may have the better teams, the East has a better playoff race.

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.”

Going into the MLS regular season and CONCACAF Champions League games last night, American soccer fans knew it was going to be an interesting night.  The CCL matches would determine who would advance to the group stage while the three MLS games had major playoff implications.  However, even I was unprepared for the intense level of play and implications that came out of the games last night.  For those otherwise occupied or who may have missed some of the action, here is a quick recap of the games from yesterday:

FC Dallas 1, Alianza 0: Congratulations to FC Dallas for their first trip ever to the CCL group stage, although Mother Nature was the twelfth (wo)man on the pitch for them last night.  The game-time temperature stood at 107 degrees and the Salvadoran side did not handle the temperatures well.  Their task was made even harder by the fact that they needed to overcome a 1-0 deficit and the Dallas away goal lead.  Ugo Ihemelu scored the game’s only goal on a 36th minute header off a corner kick.  The outstanding statistic is that Dallas had almost 75% possession in the match.

Sporting Kansas City 2, Real Salt Lake 0: With their glut of home games remaining, it is time to talk about SKC as a playoff contender.  The home team took it to RSL early and were rewarded with two first half goals from Roger Espinoza (29th) and Teal Bunbury (34th).  Even more amazing than the early lead was the fact that Sporting KC held it with ten men for almost forty minutes in the second half.  Espinoza was sent off in the 57th minute for a tackle on Beckerman, but RSL couldn’t mount much of a challenge.  The unbeaten streak now stands at 14 games.

Chicago Fire 1, Philadelphia Union 1: The Chicago Fire started both of their new midfielders tonight and the move paid off as the team got a point off playoff contender Philadelphia.  Sebastian Grazzini was a threat in the first half and almost scored in the 10th minute.  However it would be the Union’s Veljko Paunovic who struck first in the 35th minute to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.  The Fire’s other newcomer, Pavel Pardo, equalized in the 54th minute by intercepting a Union clearance in the box.

Seattle Sounders 2, San Francisco 0: The man of this match statistically was los Monjes keeper Miguel Torres who made 12 saves and saw 35 total shots from Seattle.  But the true man of the match was Nate Jaqua who scored in the 98th minute to give the Sounders a 2-1 win.  Alvaro Fernandez scored the critical first goal in the 41st minute and the Panamanian visitors seemed content to play defense and try to hit on the counter in the second half.  Five MLS teams have now advanced to the CCL group stage.

Portland Timbers 3, Los Angeles Galaxy 0: While the Sporting KC streak continued, the Galaxy’s ended with a thump.  Even without Jack Jewsbury, the Timbers looked in control early.  Mike Chabala got the scoring started in the 26th minute on a little back-and-forth with Darlington Nagbe.  Jorge Plaza added a second goal on a sliding shot 33rd minute while Eric Brunner slammed the door shut in the 68th minute.  The Timbers successfully negated the Galaxy midfield and limited the Galaxy’s attack for most of the match.

From mlssoccer.com, phillysoccerpage.net, espn.com

Before the season, the Philadelphia Union offense may have been thought of as a three-headed monster. Last year, the duo of Danny Mwanga and Sebastien LeToux accounted for 60% of the goals scored by the team. Adding the unpredictable Carlos Ruiz to this tandem seemed to give the Union a great offensive presence going into 2011. Pundits (including myself) were predicting that the Union’s troubles would come in the defensive third. The offense was not going to be a question mark, right?

That was March, and this is nearly June. The Union defense has been one of the stingiest in the league, allowing only 8 goals thus far. If there has been a trouble area thus far, it has been in the attack.

Union fans were delighted with the production of six tallies over the weekend, nearly doubling their entire season’s output in one outstanding display. In their victory over Toronto FC, Mwanga picked up two goals as the match waned. Conspicuously left out of the same match was Ruiz, even though the Guatemalan decided the previous week’s match versus the Chicago Fire with a wondergoal from distance.

The trouble for me is that I still can’t say that these two players are in form. At times Ruiz has looked more like a 40-year old striker than one that is only 31. Mwanga seemed uncomfortable with the addition of Ruiz early on, the two mixing like oil and water on the pitch. In recent weeks both players have looked more at ease in Peter Nowak’s system, but they seem to thrive when the other is on the bench. While Ruiz was on the field when Mwanga opened his 2011 account against the LA Galaxy, the goal was a result of a defensive error, not through the normal offensive build. It seems that Nowak has caught on, and the juggling of these talented forwards has found results.

This leads us to the Frenchman LeToux, Philadelphia’s main stalwart in 2010. A year ago any offensive discussion about the Union began with his contributions. If he wasn’t burying the ball in the net, he was setting up his teammates. What’s the difference this season? In my opinion, not much.

LeToux has been a workhorse thus far. Some fans want to point to his lack of goals from open play as an indication that he has regressed from last season. Statistically that may be true, but it would have always been a challenge for LeToux to match his output from 2010. The Union are a young squad. Players like Mwanga, Jack McInerney, Roger Torres, and Kyle Nakazawa must begin to step into more prominent offensive roles on the team. In my mind, Nowak knows this, and has begun to transition LeToux back into a midfielder.

Soccer isn’t always an additive sport. Let’s take Real Madrid. They scored the most goals in La Liga in the 2010-11 campaign, with 102. How many did they score in the 2009-10 season? 102. Cristiano Ronaldo set a record for La Liga with 40 goals scored this season. His gain in goals didn’t equate to a gain for Real in goals; they lost production elsewhere. The same may be said for LeToux and the Zolos.

Expecting LeToux to score 14 goals in 2011 is unrealistic. Yes, the Union have room to grow from a scoring standpoint, finishing 11th in the league in goals scored in 2010. But for a guy who scored 1 goal for Seattle in their inaugural season, his rise in production in 2010 went against the grain.

And yet, in my opinion, I think LeToux is currently playing the most consistently good football on the team. Yes his giveaway enabled Toronto’s second goal on Saturday. Yes, his free kicks have looked abysmal thus far. But he’s leading the team in shots taken, and his work rate in the forward ranks has been second to none. He has taken 20 shots, with only 6 finding frame. Eventually a few of these chances will slot past the keeper.  Ten goals for LeToux would be a great contribution within the current makeup of this team.

Clearly the Union are not the three-headed monster that we imagined, with nifty passing leading to three strikers engaged in quality finishing. The first two weeks of June will have to be a different story anyway, because Ruiz will be playing for Guatemala in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Regardless of who is up front, there is a tale in the Chicago and Toronto results that may belie the real cure for what ails Philadelphia.

In 2010, the Union finished near the bottom in shots taken. Notably they put 47% of those shots on frame, which ranked them third in the league in shots on goal. In 2011, they currently stand dead last in shots taken, and only 35% of those have ended up testing the keeper. Only Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake have been less accurate with placing their chances, and both of those clubs have played two fewer games than Philadelphia.

Ruiz’ game winner against Chicago was a half-volley from 25 yards, a prayer answered on that May evening. The first goal in that match was Michael Farfan’s 19 yard blast off a set piece for his first MLS goal. Then in the Toronto match, Justin Mapp scored the 2nd goal on a shot from 23 yards out. And it wasn’t so much the pace but the placement in the bottom right corner.

The rest of the goals against Toronto weren’t shots from distance, but the one thing you noticed (beside’s Mwanga’s tap-in) was that each taker seemed to take something off the shot and instead put a premium on accuracy. In that match, 9 of their 15 shots were goalbound. Now that kind of accuracy isn’t easy to reproduce, but the fact remains that the Union can do a better job of placing their shots.

I’m not so worried about the striking trio right now. They will find their scoring touch, as Mwanga did twice at BMO Field on Saturday. What the Union needs is an improvement in the placement of their shot attempts. If they can get their proficiency back to 2010 levels, this may be the start of something special in the Delaware Valley.