Relegation Fighters - MLS Game Progress Thread. [*Established Clan*]

[perpetua]

The Season of Rebuilding Begins

Los Angeles are 2nd in the Western Conference after collecting 7 points from 5 home games and losing their lone away game.

The season started with a win for Los Angeles, but consecutive losses to FC Dallas, New England and MetroStars left the Galaxy with only three points from 4 matches.

Home draw against MetroStars and a win against Colorado gained some much needed points for the Galaxy carrying them to second place in the weaker Western Conference.

Strengthening the team is the priority for Douglas de Paula this season, as scouts now turn to South and Central America after completing an exhaustive search of US national players.

Old DC United players Mike Schmidt and Jason Wright have been added to the squad after their release from United. Another United player joined LA as forward Greg Gomez was swapped for Alejandro Moreno. Gomez's old teammate from Antwerp, Justin Barton was also recruited to provide much needed width to the midfield.

Young Paraguayan attacker Gustavo Gomez was also picked up for a small fee as he looks to bring much needed aerial prowress to the Galaxy attack.

[Guest]

Night and Day

Night and Day is what can be used to describe last season and this season for the New England Revolution. Last season after 6 games, the Revs were winless, which actually stretched to 15 games. This season after 6 games, the Revs are unbeaten. They sit in 2nd place in the Eastern conference with a record of 2 wins, 4 ties and 0 losses. The big difference from one year to the next? The playmaking and timely goal scoring of Argentine Daniel Montenegro including a goal in injury team that led to a tie versus the Metrostars, some big goals from Pezza, and an improved defensive scheme that has led to only 3 goals allowed in 6 games. New England's manager Jimmy Ventura has refused to be involved with the media including any playoff talk as he realizes that it's a long season and anything can happen including slumps and goal scoring droughts. The Revs hope they can keep up a consistent pace all year and forget about the disaster that was last season.

In transfer news, the Revolution are rumored to be negotiating with several foreign teams and players to fill their left back spot. They have one TI slot that can be filled so there should be some news soon regarding that situation.

[ryanmt]

Early Struggles for San Jose

'Embarrassed, but optimistic' was all that rookie manager Ryan Thompson had to say on his personal feelings after his team's opening loss 0-4 away to Colorado. The Earthquakes went on to lose their next two games and were actually goalless through the first four games, undoubtedly causing many fans to question San Jose's decision to appoint the previously unknown Thompson. The 'Quakes followed their disastrous start with a 4-2 win over 10-man Kansas City and a 1-1 result against FC Dallas. While it would seem that progress is being made, the doubts surrounding Thompson's ability still remain. Thompson says, "For me, some of our troubles have to be attributed to our first three opponents all being more match fit and in better form because of North American Champions Cup matches. The team was also not used to playing with only three at the back, which I prefer. These factors, plus my own personal failure to have the team prepared, led to other teams jumping all over us. I take responsibility for this, but am remaining postive because the boys seem to be making improvements."

In related news, the Earthquakes completed the signing of Belgian defender Anthony Vanden Borre, who takes a TI roster spot and arrives at the expense of Brazilian midfielder Ederson. San Jose was reluctant to release Ederson, but felt adding the young defender was essential.

[Al Clark]

Former SJ Boss Chimes In

After being approached by the press crew from mlsnet.com, former SJ gaffer Al Clark had this to say on the recent goings-on in MLS.

"Well, seems a lot has happened in the short time since I left. We've got a few new faces, new Champions [Congrats to Lee and his Crew squad] and some old faces back again, like DeMarcus Beasley. DMB is great player an nop doubt helped push Columbus to the next level"

As for the goings on at Spartan Stadium....

"Well, I was a rookie too, so it's nothing new for the Quakes ownership to go in that direction. It wasn't a promising start, but I'm sure that Ryan will steady the ship."

He Continued....

"I must admit, I'm astounded he saw fit to cut Brazillian startlet Ederson in favor of Anthony Vanden Borre. VDB didn't work out too well when he was in San Jose under me, and did little at the Metros to justify such drastic action. I hope that this doesn't turn into the cross he has to bear his whole reign."

Asked if he planned to get back into the MLS fray any time soon, Clark simply replied "No. I have other commitments at this time. "

Would he ever be back "almost certainly".

[Ricky Lung]

METROS COACH CHECKS IN

Metrostars head coach checks in on former SJ boss recent thoughts.

"I agree with what coach Clark said a while ago. I was also stun when I heard the news. I knew that coach Thompson was going to sign VDB and cut one of his TI, but I never expect Ederson will be the one. I thought coach Thompson will cut Zenia Sankovich. Ederson is very promising playmaker and can score if he needs to. I have coached RS Futebol for a couple of seasons, and he was absolutely brilliant in those two years. On the other hand, VDB played 4 years here in MLS, and he hasn't shown a lot yet. He is still searching for that breakout season. The bright side is that he is only 20 years young. Anyways, I am not here to criticize other coaches' actions, this is just my thought."

[Orksrule40k]

The flame still burns but is struggling in the wind

The offseason was very good for the Fire. We worked out a deal with Kansas City for Pablo Mastroeni involving Shalrie Joesph going the other way. He will add valuable leadership qualities to the dressing room, and it's probally his best chance at getting a shot at the MLS Cup.

In other news, It's about bloody time, Damani Ralph finally nabbed his green card freeing up a Senior International slot. This slot is valuable because we had four Senior Internationals before, and now we don't have to release anyone. It had been rumored that Ralph may have been the oddman out, so in a sense he saved his roster spot by finally getting his stuff together. For the third Transitional International spot on the roster we put an offer in for Marian Kurty but he snubbed us in favor of Mexican Club C.D. Obregon. We then decided to purse other targets and we took a long hard look at FC National Bucharest's Romanian under 21 international midfielder, Alexandru Daniel Candu. He cost in the region of 200k GBP, which is a mere pittance for the club. He is a young player who has the potential to become a dominant midfield maestro in the MLS.

The draft saw us without a first round pick because of the deal that brought Scott Ellis here from DC United, but we picked a good player with our second round pick. The pick was made by assman Sigi Schmidt and he chose Micheal Henning who is a solid left sided midfielder. I don't think I would've made the same pick as we have plenty of cover on that side, in the form of Justin Mapp, Brain Parrish, Damani Ralph, and Robert Muschamp. We I guess this the price you pay for going on a bender the week before the draft.

Champions Cup 1st round

Saprisa 0-1 Chicago

Kostantin Hazurov finished off a beautiful fluid passing move and when the ball was centred by Robert Muschamp, he made no mistake.

Chicago 4-2 Saprisa

We advance to the next round thanks to a solid team performance.

Curtin headed home a freekick in the 4rth minute from the penalty spot, Mapp belted a 30 yard freekick on 65, Hazurov put away a penalty 81, then four minutes later Hangeland scored with a 20 yard rocket. ( A rocket that good of come off the boot of Renaud Cohade ) :wink:

Champions Cup 2nd round

Chicago 0-0 Cruz Azul

The Mexican side took the game to us and we struggled to get things going with out Robert Muschamp.

Cruz Azul 2-1 Chicago

Cruz Azul once again dominated but struggled to finish off the chances. Future USMNT #1 Scott Ellis was in great form and he seeing the ball so well that it could've been a beach ball. We got off to a great start Florin Cernat opened the scoring with a breathtaking strike from just outside the area bending past the keeper on18 minutes. After this, we decided to set our stall and defend this lead and sit back since it was a valuable away goal. We held the lead until the 71 minute when they finally broke through out stalwart defending. However, Cruz Azul needed to push forward insearch of a winner, it came with just 2 minutes remaining. The lads were tired and in need of a break but our conditiioning was there yet and we were sunk when Ellis failed to control a rebound which fell nicely into the path of Guillermo Robin Alvarez.

The regular season hasn't seen us hit our stride yet. We've struggled in front of goal but the boys at the back have been outstanding so far. The East does look like a real competitive conference and all the teams are capable of making the playoffs and who knows from there.

[perpetua]

[perpetua]

Good run for the Galaxy

Manager Douglas de Paula unveiled a newly designed tactical formation against Eastern Conference powerhouse DC United in an attempt to solidify the defense. The new look Galaxy took a point from United when an early second half goal by Greg Campbell was cancelled out by a strike from teenage phenom Tom Keevan in the middle of the second half.

Following this draw, LA went on a tear beating San Jose, Chicago, Kansas City and FC Dallas, scoring nine goals and conceding only one.

Their winning streak was put to a halt by Columbus after LA jumped ahead 2-0 in the first half. Second half told a different story however as manager Douglas de Paula could not have a moment to speak to his team to tighten up the defense and Stoyko Sakaliev took advantage of this by scoring two goals to equalize. After Sakaliev's second, manager de Paula finally pulled his team together but it was too late as LA dropped 2 points againt last year's champions.

LA are now unbeaten in 8 games after losing three matches following the opening day win against Kansas City. With every team in the league in injury crisis, the Galaxy have had their share of injuries as well, losing Mike Schmidt for 4 months, Gustavo Gomez and Jason Wright for a couple of weeks and Danny Califf for a week in addition to the long term injury sustained by Mike Lowery earlier in the season. LA have also secured the services of defensive midfielder Bruno Octavio for the third and final TI spot on the team as he will look to bring a more attacking style of play to the defensive midfield position.

[Ricky Lung]

INJURY CRISIS IN MEADOWLANDS

Going into the season, the Metros are hoping they can improve on last year's success, but injuries certainly set them back. Coach Lung never has the starting eleven that he planned during the preseason out there for even one game, and they will not have one for the rest of the way, since Tao will miss the rest of the season. Newly signed Malaysian striker Ryan Ng missed the first month of the season. Then they lost Chen Tao during the second game of the season. When Ng was finally fully recovered and ready to make his MLS debut, Metros' number one goalie Arenas went down, and will miss a month. Now Arenas are ready to go back out there, yet the team will lose the service of Capano and captain Lizarazo for three weeks.

Despite all the injuries that the Metros have experiencing, they are still staying close in the East. After twelve games, they are sitting 4th in the East with 16 points, 5 points back of second place, defending champs, Columbus Crew, and two points ahead of the Chicago Fire.

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[ryanmt]

Thompson Granted Indefinite Leave

The San Jose Earthquakes have announced that manager Ryan Thompson has been allowed a temporary absence from his managerial duties for unspecified personal reasons. Regarding this announcement, Thompson himself has stated, "I do not know how long I will be gone. I can only say that I aim to return as soon as possible. In the meantime, I have every confidence in my assistant Rudi Wojtowicz to guide the team until I am back. He has been given instructions to continue fielding the players in the same formation with which we have been working."

The timing of Thompson's temporary departure will likely be seen by many as inconvienient. After a forgettable start to the campaign that gained Thompson some doubters, the Earthquakes have made large improvements and now find themselves comfortably sitting in second place in the Western Conference. "My players have come through for me," says Thompson. "I hope they will continue to give everything they have and apply more pressure on the L.A. Galaxy while I'm away."

Finally, Thompson says that he has no regrets over his decision to release the Brazilian Ederson in order to sign youngster Anthony Vanden Borre. "Anthony has been a stalwart for us in our back three and has even filled in admirably on the right flank because of some injuries we've had. He's still very young and will continue to develop as a player."

[perpetua]

[Orksrule40k]

At a Wits End

Chicago Manager Vinny Jones, is on the verge of losing it. The team has lost faith in his strict disciplinarian ways. He may be looking to move on after the season or during it should he get the sack. The Board is happy because all they care about is the bottom line, not team perforance so the sack is unlikely. So with all the first team regulars unhappy and looking to move to bigger clubs there are huge problems in the windy city and something has to give and soon.

[Ricky Lung]

NEW COACH TAKES CHARGE AT GIANT STADIUM

Either the Chairman has no patient or the managers really are not good enough to lead the team yet. The Metros appointed their fourth coach in five years.

Lung III got fired and Ng takes his spot.

Will the Metros miss the playoff again?

[perpetua]

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[Orksrule40k]

Jones takes a pop

.

These are comments taken from beleaguered Fire boss Vinny Jones after the second time, league rules and the fates conspired to leave him without a keeper for a league match.

"Come on, this is a bloody farce isn't it? The USMNT didn't even play our boy in the qualifing games, he just sat on the bench while we took a 3-0 pounding on the chin. Then we couldn't withdraw him from the squad for the next time, and we got hammered 4-0 at home. Where does the MLS stand on this issue, they basically just told us that it was tough luck and they couldn't do anything. I mean, they should've let us postpone the matches or given us some sort of special dispensation to sign a keeper temporarliy. It was a bad dream that turned into a nightmare.

Well anyways this has lead me to believe that i'm done here in Chicago and I will be stepping after the current season. I've lost this team and I'm sick of dealing with all their primadonna issues. Players not showing up to training, players deamanding to leave when they play rubbish. I got news for anyone who thinks that they are too good for the MLS. GET OVER YOURSELVES, YOU'RE NOT and that's why you're here because nobody else thinks you can hold down a first team place at a bigger club. So loose your ego, suck it up, go out do your job with some professionalism added it. As for me......"

[perpetua]

[perpetua]

2008 Playoff Conference Semi-finals Announced

..........Vs..........

#1 Columbus Crew .......... #4 New England Revolution

..........Vs..........

#2 DC United ..................... #3 Chicago Fire

..........Vs..........

#1 SJ Earthquakes ............... #4 FC Dallas

..........Vs..........

#2 LA Galaxy ................. #3 Colorado Rapids

[perpetua]

2008 Playoff Conference Finals Announced

..........Vs..........

#2 DC United .......... #4 New England Revolution

..........Vs..........

#1 SJ Earthquakes ......... #3 Colorado Rapids

[perpetua]

2008 US OPEN CUP: DC United

United Win the US Open Cup again

Beating Charlotte 1-0 in the final, United took home the US Open cup for the second year in a row showing their squad quality and depth is not to be taken lightly.

When reached for comment, manager Tom II was not available having been away from the team for personal reasons for the last few weeks.

[perpetua]

2008 MLS Cup Finalists Announced

..........Vs..........

#1 SJ Earthquakes .................. #2 DC United

[perpetua]

2008 MLS CUP: DC United

2008 Assistants duke it out

With the managers of DC United and San Jose Earthquakes absent from leading their teams for personal reasons, these two sides faced eachother in the MLS Cup final.

United looked strong throughout the game giving few chances to San Jose as Ivan Robelto and Jeremiah White capitalized on their chances to bring the cup back to the RFK for the 5th time in their history.

[Orksrule40k]

Out without a Wimper

A 3-0 defeat at RFK was the fitting end to the Vinnie Jones era in Chicago. The Fire didn't show up at all and left future USMNT international Scott Ellis flailing in sea of goal mouth traffic. So Chicago whimpered out of the postseason, without sending any messages. Coach Jones only had this to say at the post match press junket, "It's been emotional" and as quickly as he had come in he was gone.

In other news former Brest Canadian International Jason Gazzola has taken over the reigns at Kansas City and he's looking to make sweeping changes to the MLS's worst team.

[Guest]

New England wins first ever playoff series but goes no further

It can't be described as a disastrous season as the New England Revolution made it to the semifinals of the US Open Cup and the MLS Cup both times being thwarted by the DC United. The Revolution shocked the MLS world by defeating the defending champion Columbus Crew by a scoreline of 2-0 at home and a 1-0 loss on the road. The game on the road should have been more than 1-0 but the only thing that matters in fooball are the balls that go in. DC United went on to defeat the Revolution in the semifinal of the MLS Cup by a score of 2-0 despite being outshot by the Revolution.

When asked about the win against Columbus and the successful end to the season, Revolution manager Jimmy Ventura had this to say...."When you end the season like that, winning 3 in a row and than upsetting the defending champions in the first round of the playoffs, you know you have a good team to work with. We just need to stay consistent, healthy and keep working and we should be a higher seed and maybe get a semifinal game at home. The guys left the field with their heads held high"

Ex-Chicago Fire manager Vinnie Jones had this to say when he heard the outcome of the Revolution-Crew series...... " :shock: "

[ryanmt]

Absent Thompson Praises Quakes

Speaking in a telephone interview, San Jose manager Ryan Thompson has praised his team for winning the Western Conference and reaching the finals. "I cannot express how proud I am of my players for achieving all that they did in spite of unusual circumstances. [san Jose Assistant Manager] Rudi [Wojtowicz] did an oustanding job. He has earned a lot of credit for the team's success. Maybe the team is better off without me. I'm joking, of course." On the MLS Cup Final, Thompson stated, "I watched the final on television and can say that D.C. United were very strong and deserved winners." On his own status, Thompson said, "I'm unable to return just quite yet, but hope to as soon as possible."

[NickG]

Inconsistent performaces both define and end Dallas's season

Thomas Tannaï was introduced as the new manager in Dallas just a few days before the first playoff match against San Jose. The tall Frenchman was thrilled to have a shot at management, and his name was brought to the Dallas board's attention by recently-fired manager Nick Gutierrez, having become an associate of Tannaï during his almost-as-brief spell with Brest in France. Tannaï comes in with a tactical style very similar to the former boss: a 4-1-2-2-1 formation, with attacking mids out on the wings with forward diagonal runs.

The first match vs. San Jose was a good one. Dallas held control of the match for most of the time, though to be sure SJ had their moments of brilliance. The game remained at a 0-0 deadlock, though, until Junior Khanye was brought down just past the 81st minute just outside of the penalty area. In the resulting free kick, Ronnie O'Brien slotted it home, and Dallas held on for a comfortable 1-0 win.

In the second match, however, Dallas's famed inconsistency reared its ugly head. After an uneventful first half, Jimmy Conrad was brought on as a fifth defender to try and sit on their lead. He would end up doing the exact opposite. As San Jose attempted to get in one of many crosses in the second half, Conrad found his boot in the way of one of them, but was unable to control it, and the ball trickeled past Mathew Rothwell and into the net. 1-0 on the game, 1-1 on aggregate. Not five minutes later, SJ's Phillips breaks free of the defense, and calmly slotted it past Rothwell, putting SJ ahead 2-1. Despite a spirited fightback, including three seperate 1-on-1 chances for Ronnie O'Brien, that's how the game would end. Tannaï would refer to this as a "troublesome" loss.

In offseason news, Dallas has traded its 2nd and 4th round picks to KC, in exchance for the big striker Preciado. He brings much needed size to the Dallas front line, and may just be the target man the club has been looking for. Taylor Twellman and the disappointing Jean-Phillipe Peguero are now rumored to be on the trading block.

[Orksrule40k]

Gazzola's Vison

My vision for the Kansas City Wizards is to help develope Canadian youngsters. So, all 3 Si and Ti roster spots will eventually be allocated to Canadian players, this will take place over a transitionary period. However, I feel that this will be an important step for Canadian soccer and one that will improve the MLS and the Canadian National team.

My first day on the job, Rios comes in and asks for a leave of absence to go back to Argentina for personal reasons and I gave him a month to sort himself out. Jose Reyes missed training, what a great first impression, I levied a fine of 2 weeks wages for this unprofessional behavior. I also managed to work out a deal with Big D who swooped in for Preciado. It was an amicable decision and we recieved the 2nd and 4rth round draft allocations from Dallas.

Next morning, Greg Allen handed me his request for a transfer. I said "Greg what is this?" then I proceeded to rip it up, his eye welled as a tear formed in the young man's eye. "Listen you have a future here and I'm not prepared to let you leave. " Also, 16 year old Sudanese refugee Basim Al-Otaybi was released, we did give him a plane ticket back to his warravished homeland and he seemed reluctant to leave. "Oh well, it's an imigration issue now."

Rios returened from Argetina, he's refreshed and is prepared to stay at the club and play for us, but time will tell if he's sincere or if can finally settle in the area. The club parted way with Clint Mathis, Josh Wolff, and Jamar Beasley as their contracts expired, this prompted Jorge Florentin to withdraw his request for a transfer. Ofcourse, he came of the list but since he's a non-Canadian foreigner his time here is running out. The club also announced the release of Jose Reyes, "He got off on the wrong foot and I'm sick and tired of fining him 2 weeks wages , so he's finished here. His head isn't quite right and hopefully he can latch on somewhere and prove me wrong.

[perpetua]

[perpetua]

Goal of The Season

[perpetua]

Rookie of the year hours for Dan Richards

LA Galaxy had little to smile about towards the end of the season as long term injuries to strikers Greg Campbell, Gustavo Gomez, Chris George left the team without a striker. Other niggling injuries to several other players didn't help either.

Douglas de Paula finally realized he had made a mistake in carrying only 3 strikers for the season and moved to pick up Marco Velez from Richmond. The strong striker brings versatility to the team as he is also capable of playing in defense.

Brazilian attacking midfielder Magnum has also joined the club from Brazilian outfit Paysandu. The hardworking midfielder is a luxury at LA's current crop of midfielders but adds needed depth.

Goalkeeper Oscar Barrios left as his contract expired and youg keeper Michael Jackson joined in from St. Gallen of Switzerland. Jackson is a talented 23 year old who returns to the MLS after 3.5 seasons in Europe.

Going into the draft, United also picked up experienced midfielder Dema Kovalenko. Dema has been a fixture at Chicago and DC United and remains one of the best at his position in the league.

[perpetua]

[perpetua]

A third of the way in and the Galaxy look strong

After 11 games into the season, LA have managed to rebound from their losing start to the season against FC dallas to collect 21 points and the best goal difference in the league.

Much of the credit goes to Rookie of the year Dan Richards who has excelled with his tricky dribbling down the right flank. Emil Martinez has also been solid down the left contributing with 5 assists.

The Galaxy still don't have a consistent scorer having 3 players with 3 goals, and 4 players with 2 goals. Despite the talented trio of Greg Campbell, Chris George and Gustavo Gomez who can play up front, a large number of goals have come from set pieces. Brazilian manager Douglas de Paula hopes to remedy this by going to a more attacking formation, hoping to get his strikers more involved in the matches and give more confidence to his young strikers who are struggling to return to full fitness since their long term injuries last season.

[Orksrule40k]

[Orksrule40k]

[Orksrule40k]

[Orksrule40k]

[Orksrule40k]

[Orksrule40k]

2009 Playoff Conference Semi-Finals Announced

..........Vs..........

#1DC United ..................... #4 Columbus Crew

..........Vs..........

#2 Chicago Fire ................. #3 New England Revolution

..........Vs..........

#1LA Galaxy ...................... #4 FC Dallas

..........Vs..........

#1 SJ Earthquakes ............#3 Colorado Rapids

[Orksrule40k]

We have the usual suspects in the Eastern Conference Playoffs this season and the questions are the same. Can anybody dethrone DC United? Is this the end of their dominance, as a tumultuous offseason looms in the distance? Will the Crew beat the odds again and go on a magical championship run? Is it the Fire's time yet? Can the Revs put it together when it counts? Will the Metrostars trade their 1rst round draft pick?

The West is a different story. The teams all beat upon each other and Kansas City, so they are very evenly matched. We could see a few upsets, and I'm tipping Colorado to make it through. However, LA will be tough as coach Omer is a tactical genius. This should be an interesting finish to the season as it unfolds tonight.

[Orksrule40k]

2009 Playoff Conference Finals Announced

..........Vs..........

#1DC United .....................#3 New England Revolution

..........Vs..........

#1LA Galaxy .....................#3 Colorado Rapids

[Orksrule40k]

2009 US OPEN CUP: New England Revolution

Revs Capture Their First Trophy for Their Cabinet

The US Open Cup pitted the New England Revolution against the Chicago Fire. It was a very tight affair and Chicago needed a late goal to send it into extra time. Both managers were looking for their first silverware. Daniel Montenegro had a superb game and Dwight Pezzarossi popped up with the winner in the second half of extra time to seal victory for the Revs. Congrats to Jimmy well done!!!

[Orksrule40k]

2009 MLS CUP FINAL

..........Vs..........

DC United ................................LA Galaxy

[Orksrule40k]

2009 MLS CUP: DC United (Tom Yaglowski II)

The 2009 edition of the MLS Cup feated a team built by Omer against a team coached by Omer. LA took the lead just before halftime from young Paraguayan Gustavo Gomez. After the break, DC came out with the determination to take control and they took the game by the scruff of the neck with a brace from Alva. Then late on, ex-DC player Dema Kovalenko forced the game into extra time. Robelto gave the edge back to DC with a goal at the start of the first extra time session, but a mistake from Denecour in the second period forced it into penalties. DC held their nerves to claim the crown once again. Dema Kovalenko and Gomez missed for the Galaxy and Alejandro Moreno missed for DC. Now, it starts allover again and we are all in first place.

[Guest]

http://www.fmusa4you.com/forums/images/avatars/gallery/Soccer/revs.gif

New England Rejoices

The 2009 MLS season is over and once again the New England Revolution were defeated in the quest for the MLS cup at the hands of DC United. DC handed New England a 2-0 loss. New England has started making a habit of upsetting teams in the first round of the playoffs only to be thwarted by the evil empire DC United. Revs manager Jimmy Ventura was quoted in the post game press conference as saying "If you can't beat them, sign them". More on what that might mean later.

New England fans, however, finally have a reason to rejoice as they defeated the Chicago Fire in the US Open Cup by a score of 3-2. It was a very close affair and went back and forth with New England taking the lead only for Chicago to take it back shortly after. But Dwight Pezzarosi put the game away minutes later and New England went on to lift the trophy and have New England fans disperse into the streets to celebrate. It was the first time since 2004 that New England has won the US Open Cup. The first cup win was under Nick Gutierrez's reign. This is the first time Jimmy Ventura has won a trophy in the MLS. When asked about the win, Ventura responded by saying..."It's an amazing feeling to win some hardware for the players and the fans of the Revolution. I've worked hard trying to put together a team that can make everyone proud and coach them to the best of my knowledge and it's nice to see it finally pay off. It was a well played game by both teams and Chicago deserved it as much as us but in the end it's the team that scores the most that wins."

New England's jubilation didn't end there as they went on to add some key players and it was now known what Ventura's earlier quote meant. Incoming are ex-DC United players Marko Dinjar, Jeremiah White, and Greg Regan as well as ex-San Jose player Brian Mascerenhas. But they were dealt an injury blow as they lost Pezza for 7 months. Team doctors have said that they expect him back around July.

New England's main weakness this past season was depth and these moves improve not only the depth but also some starting postions as well. People are excited to see what the combo of Montenegro and Dinjar can do. Ventura now has some more pressure to win with a team that has the potential to go further than the Eastern Conference Finals. Some pressure was relieved off his shoulders with the US Open Cup win but now the goal is an MLS Cup. Can New England finally put it all together? And can they put it all together without Pezza up until midseason?

[ryanmt]

Quakes looking to add more pieces towards completing the puzzle.

San Jose manager Ryan Thompson has expressed regret at the first round exit from the MLS Playoffs. Said Thompson, "It's always disappointing to lose, but Colorado played well. Still, I felt the two games to be fairly even, as evidenced by the fact that only one goal was scored."

Getting immediately to work after DC United took home the MLS Cup, the Earthquakes annouced the signings of American youngsters Nick Walker, David Lagos, and Chris Levesque. "They're kids with some talent, but we'll have to wait and see how they do. They're all midfielders, but with varying characteristics and roles, and they'll need to work hard to earn their place," said Thompson of his new signings. Thompson hinted that he especially felt that Lagos had a good chance at successfully competing for a first team spot alongside defensive midfielder Brian Williams. "I realize that none of these players are exactly household names, but we're a small-budget team. Our financial means are more limited than those of other teams. It's more essential for us to make good use of the funds that are available," admitted Thompson.

Finally, Andre Muri continues to be a candidate to leave the team. Muri has made public his desire to leave San Jose, and is rumored to not be the most popular player in the Earthquakes' locker room. Still, he has always been an automatic selection under Thompson and the team insists that no official enquiries have been made about Muri's services.

[Ricky Lung]

Another Season Down the Tubes with a Thriller in the Depot

In a game that seemed to go in every direction as possible ended up being probably the most exciting game of the year and had to be a top 5 in MLS history. Both Colorado and LA fought fiercly, but only one could prevail. Going 2-2 at the end of regulation to 3-3 at the end of extra time. The game went into PKs seeing Colorado up 2-0 and watch themselves lose 3-2 in PKs. Neil Winstanley playing his last game with Colorado ended his MLS career by missing the last PK of the match. He is now moving to the EPL and joining Norwich. Colorado can only wonder what the outcome might have been with league leader in goals Matias Fernandez didnt get injuried but his replacement Thomas scored a goal to give Colorado the lead.

Moving forward... while everyone seemed focused on dismantling the freenzy in DC, Colorado stayed focused overseas in Africa and may have brought over one of the best players in the world. As news was being heard that SJ had made an offer for him, a day later the star signed with the Rapids. This produces a very strong attacking front in the Mile High city. Zizi Roberts and Dayro Moreno with US U-20 striker Foster, with Matias Fernandez at attacking midfield, can leave a very dangerous on the pitch. So one South African out a new one in.

The question on everyones mind is the defense. Silva has been the all-star goalie for a few years now, but Garner made 1 appearance and has stuck between the post for the rest of the season and the playoffs. With Winstanley leaving... it could give Shellenberg the starting defensive back role to start the season moving Borchers to center and having Lewis and Kotchacsu fighting for the right back.

Needs this offseason....

LMF... has been open all year with just plantoon plays moving around.

DC... looking for an experienced back to hold the defense together.

Bench.... depth was a major concern last year, only being able to contain a 22 man roster and 4 of those spots were GKs.

On the trading block...

Roberts and Moreno are definately tradeable if anyone is interested.

Sliva the all-star goal and only 25 yrs old is on the block.

[Ricky Lung]

METROS 2009 WRAP UP

Another year has passed by, the DC United, leads by Tom II's assistant manager has successfully defend their title, but this will probably be their last year, since some of the major pieces on the team is heading elsewhere to seek for some new challenges.

Since the start of the 2009 campaign, the management team of the Metrostars has not seen the media a lot, they fired head coach Ng mid-way through the season and hired Lung V as their new head coach. Coach Lung V made a decent run at the end of the season and manage to tie Columbus at the final standing with 27 points, but was forced to sit out the playoff because of the head to head matchup. Columbus won their last game thanks to a dying second goal and gave them the needed win at the end since the Metros also won their last game against Kansas 2-0.

Despite finish last again in the East, the Metros have built a core group of players, and there are some very talented youngsters who may emerge as one of the top stars in the league. Meyer, who picked up in the first round of last year's draft has already collected a few caps for the national team. K. Flores, who is the second overall pick in the 2005 draft has not seen a lot of improvement after the injury he picked up after his first season, which sidelined him for 8 months. But he is still a very solid starter on the team. T. Flores, Metros' second round pick in the last draft is a surprise, he leads the team with 7 goals after the season. He also dished out 5 assists. Cummins, Smith, Jackson are all solid backups behind the established players like Gonzalez, Lizarazo, and Mulrooney.

So far in this off-season, the scouting staffs of the Metros have gone everywhere and hope to pick up a few more foreigners since they have a SI and a TI slot open. But at the end, they came back and pick up Alva from DC as their 3rd SI. Alva has proved himself in the past few years, can he provide a spark for the Metros' offense? We will have to see when the new season unfold.

The Metros still have a TI slot open and they need some depth at the goal and up front. They will have to fill those holes through the TI slot and the upcoming draft.

[ryanmt]

San Jose showing promise

The 2010 MLS season is well underway and the San Jose Earthquakes find themselves situated at the top of the Western Conference and in a strong position to compete with the L.A. Galaxy and other Western rivals. Los Angeles has played one game fewer however, and could easily overtake San Jose. The Quakes' victories have not been of the most convincing variety, but the results have been positive and the standings indicate this. Whether or not San Jose can maintain this good form remains to be seen.

In transfer news, the Earthquakes released veteran Bulgarian forward Svetoslav Todorov. His roster spot was then given to another Bulgarian attacker, Vladislav Zlatinov. Zlatinov's arrival is rumored to have cost San Jose roughly $500,000, though no official details were released regarding the transfer fee.