We're almost a month into the 2009 season and it's fair to say that no team has shown the form to suggest it is the favorite to lift the MLS Cup. Based on what we have seen so far, Chicago and Chivas are the teams to beat, but few would lay money down on a matchup between those two at Qwest Field in November.
The most striking thing to me has been the performances of a couple of sides of which little was thought in preseason. In the east, Kansas City are showing signs of form after a slow start while out west, Colorado have been very impressive.
Gary Smith deserves credit for leading a fairly anonymous group of players -- there are few obvious All-Star or Best XI candidates on their roster -- to seven points from their opening four games, a number which could have been greater were it not for a five-minute lapse at Chivas on the opening day of the season.
Having seen Fernando Clavijo fail to build a side around a "star" last year, what with Christian Gomez's failure in the Rocky Mountain state, Smith has put together a squad that is as deep as Colorado has had for a number of years. Matt Pickens has been solid in goal, while Ty Harden's decision to unretire has paid dividends, too. Meanwhile, Cory Gibbs seems to have, knock on wood, overcome the injury worries that took him from a place in the 2006 U.S. World Cup squad to struggling to even get a job.
Further forward, midfielder Pablo Mastroeni is settled, having signed a new contract, while Conor Casey and Omar Cummings continue to jell up front. A further sign of strength is shown by Terry Cooke's status. A purveyor of one of the finest final balls in the league, the Englishman cannot currently get in the Rapids' starting lineup.
What makes the Rapids' rise even more noteworthy is that their schedule has seen them play just once at home thus far. Last season, Colorado took just 14 points from 15 road games. Victory at scuffling Houston this Saturday will see them take their away tally to seven before the end of April. Given that only once in the past seven seasons has Colorado failed to win fewer than 10 home games, the prospects for a return to the playoffs are good in Commerce City.
Chicago yet to properly Fire
It seems odd to be pointing out the shortcomings of the side that currently tops the Eastern Conference standings and is one of only three remaining unbeaten clubs in the league. However, the fact is that Chicago has sleepwalked its way to its current position.
Depth-wise, the Fire has arguably the best squad in the league but, rather than being a strength, I feel that Dennis Hamlett has been hindered by all the options at his disposal. Soccernet colleague Ives Galarcep recently mused that Chicago has at least four different lineup options that could easily be called "first-choice," and it does seem that the Toyota Park side is still searching for the perfect alignment.
Defensively, Jon Busch has looked short of the form that earned him goalkeeper of the year honors in 2008, although he has not been helped by those in front of him. At San Jose, Ryan Johnson was able to tap in from two yards, while Bobby Convey waltzed through a defense intent on diving into challenges.
That the Fire was able to come away with a point was thanks in no small part to two substitutes who surely must become starters soon: Cuauhtemoc Blanco (though I wonder if his announcement that this will be his last season in Chicago has had a negative impact) and Chris Rolfe. Also impressive at the offensive end was Marco Pappa, who already has two goals and two assists this season.
The sign of a good side is, of course, to be successful when not playing well, and the issues Chicago is facing are hardly signs of an impending crisis. Hamlett proved himself to be an impressive coach last year and the chances are that he will do again.
Well played, young man
After a slow start in his new surroundings, Bobby Convey had his best game to date for San Jose on Saturday, a match in which he played at left back. Despite his deeper role, his ability to get forward was consistently in evidence, never more so than when he beat two men to score in the first half and when, in the second, he earned the Earthquakes a penalty from which Arturo Alvarez made the score 3-3 against Chicago.
The wider question following that display is, in light of Heath Pearce's demotion to the reserves at Hansa Rostock and DaMarcus Beasley's failure to convince there, could Convey be an option at left back for the national team? One game is not great enough a sample, of course, and the fact that San Jose conceded three in the match might raise some questions about his defensive capabilities.
However, given the problems Bob Bradley has had filling the position, perhaps a new option just become available to him. Convey's international career has stuttered in recent times. It might be that a move to a position which he says he has not played for six years will reopen the national-team door for him.
Some things that made me go hmmm …
It was an interesting weekend for a couple of the league's newest goalkeepers. In Los Angeles, Donovan Ricketts made an impressive debut for the Galaxy, registering a shutout despite the efforts of his new defensive teammates.
L.A. once again showed signs of vulnerability at the back, as was emphasized by Gregg Berhalter's slip and subsequent red card, and Ricketts must have wondered what he had let himself in for as Chivas peppered his goal with shots. However, it was not breached and, if it does make something of this season, the Galaxy might look back on Saturday's SuperClásico as a turning point.
Meanwhile, Stefan Frei's baptism of fire in Toronto continued. The rookie goalkeeper has done well to earn the starting role at BMO Field but he has not been helped by a suspect central defense featuring Kevin Harmse and Adrian Serioux.
Against Dallas on Saturday, Toronto had constant problems dealing with the crossed ball and only profligate finishing meant that the Hoops did not score until the 87th minute. When the goal did come, Pablo Ricchetti was afforded the freedom of the penalty area. Frei needs to be more assertive to better organize those in front of him.
For more on the state of the goalkeeping position in Major League Soccer, tune into this week's U.S. Soccer Show podcast Friday, featuring special guest Shaka Hislop.
Andrew Hush
