The most intriguing pick-up in the 2012 MLS Superdraft was the one not made in Kansas City.  The Portland Timbers traded forward Kenny Cooper to the New York Red Bulls for the team’s 2013 first round Superdraft pick and conditional allocation money.  The move, announced prior to the draft, clears up some intriguing personnel conundrums for both teams.

For Portland, it allows them to end the Cooper experiment after the team picked him up via free transfer.  His season was decent, as he scored 8 goals for the Timbers, but it was marred with inconsistency and a falling out with head coach.  His trade frees up cap space and adds another pick in next year’s draft.  In addition, if the Red Bulls keep Cooper for a second year they will receive an unknown but significant allocation amount, according to Ives Galarcep.

The trade for New York, however, shows their concern with the forward position.  Here is a list of the forwards under contract with the Red Bulls and why this trade makes sense in light of each of their situations:

• Thierry Henry: I know it is only supposed to be a two month loan deal to Arsenal, but ask any Arsenal fan and they will tell you that extending Henry for the rest of the season would be an excellent move for Arsene Wenger.  The rigors of half an BPL season (as well as Champions League and FA Cup) will take away any offseason rest Henry would have gotten.
• Juan Agudelo: I noted in my NY “Three Questions” post that Agudelo’s falling out with Hans Backe has been followed by renewed interest from Liverpool and a few other clubs overseas.  The tea leaves seem to read that a transfer that will net the Red Bulls some money will occur in the near future, a move endorsed by both parties.
• Luke Rodgers: Michael Lewis reported in the aftermath of the trade that a concern in the front office was that Rodger’s U.S. visa would not be renewed in time for the start of the season.  Rodgers was on a one-year work visa to play in the U.S., and his arrest record in England is delaying that extension.  Combined with Agudelo’s seeming departure, this delay would leave the team very weak at forward.
• Corey Hertzog: Certainly has potential, but having him as a full-time starter in 2012 is not a good proposition for a team that has MLS Cup aspirations.

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.

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.

A report out of Toronto indicates that MLS fans had better get their overcoats ready for First Kick 2012.

Duane Rollins reports that Toronto FC executives told a fan gathering that they expect the MLS season to begin Saturday, March 10, with the First Game logically falling on March 8.  The start, which would be the earliest in MLS history, would be earlier than usual because the league would incorporate the three World Cup qualifying periods into the schedule.  The executives also confirmed that the league would be keeping the 34 game schedule which, with the addition of Montreal, would necessitate unbalanced scheduling.

The Toronto FC executives confirm what many season ticket holders knew and subsequent league sources have confirmed, that the league would keep its 34 game schedule for now.  How the unbalanced schedule will shake out is unknown, although the league executives did meet two weekends ago to discuss next year’s schedule.

While the new schedule will allow players to participate in World Cup qualifiers, the earlier schedule will conflict with the CONCACAF Champions League.  The quarterfinals are scheduled to take place March 6-8 and 13-15, meaning some MLS teams could miss the beginning of the season and First Kick would be hosted somewhere besides Seattle for the first time in four years.  Some teams may also start the season on the road as the weather may prevent hospitable home openers; Rollins notes that Toronto would likely play at Rogers Center to begin the season.

So assuming the five teams currently in the CCL are not eligible to host First Kick due to continuing in the competition, where is the logical place to hold First Kick 2012?  It would have to be somewhere that could guarantee a huge crowd, TV viewers, and not be too cold.  My guesses for hosting would be Portland (crowd guarantee) and New York Red Bulls (big names, good crowd) with the MLS Cup winner (assuming it isn’t one of those teams) paying a visit.

What do you think of the early start to the season?  What is your prediction for the First Kick match-up?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by Structures:NY

It’s catch-up time.  In both games in hand and playoff positioning.

In the shadow of the CONCACAF Champions League matches six MLS clubs will take the pitch tonight in critical games for playoff positioning.  One of the matches is a match-up of heavyweights, while the other two look to be mismatches that could be surprises.  What do all three have in common?  All three results could go a long way to helping or even ending the playoff hopes of three teams, while boosting the playoff positioning of a fourth.  Below is a breakdown of each match; all three can only be seen on Match Day Live or Direct Kick.

DC United v. Chivas USA – 7:30 PM ET – RFK Stadium

Coming off their resounding loss at Seattle, DC faces a struggling Chivas side they dominated less than two weeks ago in Los Angeles.  However, there are two differences this time around – no Chris Pontius for the home side and DC’s miserable home record.  Bill Hamid should be back for tonight’s match which will help DCU in net; Joe Willis was solid but not great in net this weekend.  The key will be to secure the home field – DC is 1-1-2 in home matches since July, a record that will keep them out of the playoffs if they keep it up.  Chivas, meanwhile, is seeking its first win since August 6.  Chivas will have Marcos Mondaini back for this match, which could prove useful against a DC midfield that looked suspect against Seattle.

Bottom line: DC needs 3 points to remain in the playoff race.  A loss effectively puts their hopes on life support, a draw could do the same depending on other results.  I see DC squeaking out a close 2-1 win here.

New York Red Bulls v. Real Salt Lake – 8:00 PM ET – RB Arena

Their win versus Dallas this weekend has reinvigorated a New York team that had hit a major slump.  That win basically set up this week perfectly for New York: wins versus RSL and Portland mean they have an inside track to the playoffs.  Their defense shone this weekend after some shaky recent performances but maybe the benching of Rafa Marquez has given them a spark.  The key question is will the team’s depth allow them to play at the highest possible level in back-to-back-to-back must win games, to say nothing of the rest of the season.

Real Salt Lake will be looking to repeat its 3-0 beat down of the Red Bulls in early August.  The visitors are riding a four-match winning streak and could conceivably clinch a playoff spot by Sunday if the various playoff scenarios play out.  The visitors will critically be missing Kyle Beckerman due to yellow card accumulation, and Tony Beltran will also miss this match due to an abductor strain.

Bottom line: RSL will miss Beckerman against a possibly resurrected New York side, which needs a result more than the visitors.  Still, I’m not 100% sold that NY is back on track and I think the backline will struggle against the RSL attack.  I predict a 2-2 draw on this one.

Portland Timbers v. San Jose Earthquakes – 10:30 PM ET – JELD-WEN

The quotes are flying in this one, which Lovel Palmer saying, “(this) game makes or breaks our season,” a sentiment John Spencer only somewhat disagrees with.  The Timbers are riding a four game unbeaten streak and have won three of those matches, but have only two matches left at home while playing four of their final six on the road, where their record is not quite so good.  Much like DCU needs to begin racking up wins at home, Portland needs some road wins.  Darlington Nagbe will start again after a good performance against New England, and if Kenny Cooper is hitting a hot streak, this team can score with the best of them.

San Jose is likely battling for respectability in this one, as even their home town paper is saying their playoff chances are “slimmer than a pair of skinny jeans“.  The ‘Quakes actually had the lead against Houston at the half this weekend, but gave it away to continue their slide.

Bottom line: This is an absolutely must win for Portland, and at home they will get it. 2-0 victory for the Timbers.

If you listened to the most recent episode of Feuerstein’s Fire, you will know that I was a bad U.S. soccer fan and watched the Costa Rica friendly via DVR the morning after the match.  Watching the game after the fact made me realize how my sports viewing has changed just over the past year – it was quiet as I watched the match.  Not quiet as in the house was quiet and the dog was sleeping (although that was also true) but the social media noise was quiet.  I tend to watch matches with a computer in front of me, reading Tweets as they come in and both laughing at the jokes while enjoying the thoughtful commentary in 140 characters or less.  But that was obviously not happening this weekend as I watched a replay of the match hours after it occurred.  Chuck Klosterman wrote a thoughtful piece in June for Grantland on how DVR is changing our sports culture, but I know for me personally its Twitter that has improved my sports viewing experience, especially for soccer.

Not having Twitter in front of me made me feel a little empty.  I am able to compose my own thoughts on games and don’t need positive reinforcement from others, but I like to know that other people are watching the same game and noticing the same things.  As those of you who are on Twitter know, there are some really smart soccer writers and observers on Twitter.  When someone like Grant Wahl comments on an aspect of the game that you also noticed, I personally love the positive reinforcement that he and I are watching this game the same way.  Call it self-centered, but everyone likes it when someone else agress with an observation.

Conversely, Twitter helps me catch the things I miss in real time.  As you know, I am a fairly late convert to soccer, really beginning to follow it intensely after the 2006 World Cup.  As such, I don’t have the historical knowledge of the game or the teams that many other fans and writers do.  I can find these thing out after the fact, but when I am writing for MLS Talk and the information is available during a match, that helps improve my viewing experience and post-game analysis.  Same is true for those rules I may not know as well or for the interpretation of the rules as the game is happening; Twitter for example helped explain in real time why Portland took three successive penalties in their May 29 game against DC United.  Again, I could have waited for the post-game write-ups but instead I knew the correct answer to my questions immediately.

But my favorite part about following Twitter during a game is the camaraderie with those watching the same match.  Even though we are in different parts of the country (or, in some cases, around the world), Twitter allows me to quickly interact with fans as the game is happening.  If you follow me on Twitter, you can tell that there are some people that I enjoy trading comments with during specific matches, both in MLS and the BPL.  You will notice that some of those conversations work their way into the articles for this site.  It is also the hash tags that allow fans to interact with others fans they may have never met; I know the number of people I follow has expanded immensely solely due to funny and insightful comments during a match.  This is especially the case in a boring match.  As little as four years ago, running blogs and post-match posts filled this valuable role, but they were usual after-the-fact statements that helped little in understanding and enjoying the match as it currently happened.

I am probably not saying anything revolutionary for people on Twitter and if you hate the idea of it, I probably am not convincing you to get an account.  But it is amazing how in so little time I am addicted to a social media site to the point that not having it up while watching a match feels odd.  I can safely say my ability to learn more about soccer and connect with great fans would not have happened without Twitter.

By the way, follow me @roberthayjr and Major League Soccer Talk @MLSTalk.

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.

About three weeks ago MLS had unquestionably its goal of the year, as Vancouver’s enigmatic DP Eric Hassli scored an amazing goal to even his team’s score with Seattle at 2.  At the time, pundits and media alike proclaimed it the favorite for goal of the year (or possibly even the best goal ever), unless of course a keeper scored or something equally ridiculous occurred.

Fast forward to Sunday, and the ridiculous may have occurred.

Rookie Darlington Nagbe helped his Portland Timbers get on the board against visiting Kansas City with an incredible goal.  A shot is punched wide by SKC keeper Jimmy Nielsen but right to Nagbe, who collects it, bounces it twice, and unleashes a bullet past his teammate’s head as well as past Nielsen for the goal.  It was an incredible shot, considering the ball never touched the ground.  So it begs the question: who had a better goal this season, Nagbe or Hassli?  Vote and leave comments below.

And, to help with the voting, here is Hassli’s goal: