Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden will be sidelined for up to six weeks after breaking his right leg in the U.S.s’ 2-1 loss to Holland yesterday.

Holden was hurt from a bad tackle by Nigel de Jong that somehow did not even earn the Dutch player a yellow card.

The U.S. Soccer Federation issued a statement Thursday saying that Holden was “recklessly tackled.” The USSF said the bone was the fractured was his fibula.

The 22-year-old Holden had started Bolton’s last two matches after leaving Major League Soccer‘s Houston Dynamo to sign with the Premier League club in the January transfer window.

“It’s disappointing for Stuart because he has come into the team and done ever so well,” Bolton manager Owen Coyle was quoted as saying on the club’s Web site. “He has shown a real hunger and desire to do well for our football club. In both games, against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves, everybody saw the quality he has, so it is a blow, but the most important thing is that he returns bigger and better.”

The timetable for Holden’s injury should allow him to return before the end of the Premier League season on May 9 and the start of U.S. pre-World Cup training camp about a week later.

photo credit: William Holtkamp

It must be fun to be a Houston Dynamo fan. The team has only been around for three years, yet they already have two MLS Cups (2006, 2007). Most expansion teams struggle right of the bat, but the Dynamo did not. But, that’s probably because they were not really an expansion team. They were the transplanted San Jose Earthquakes.

Quakes fans probably hate Houston fans too. SJE’s back-to-back titles ended up being hoisted thousands of miles away in Robertson Stadium. But, what’s done is done and the San Jose fans at least now have their own team to cheer on once again. The only problem is that the New Quakes really are an expansion team, so they are quite bad.

So, the Dynamo have a short, but successful, history. They recently lost offensive maestro Dwayne De Rosario to Toronto, but they still have most of the core of their Cup winning sides, including Brian Ching, Pat Onstad, and youngster Stuart Holden. All signs indicate that they will continue to be a dominant force in the Western Conference.

Houston’s MLS side was initially known as Houston 1836, which paid tribute to Texas’s independence from Mexico. Hispanic organizations disliked the name though and called for a boycott, so Dynamo was selected instead. It’s good they didn’t upset Mexican Americans either, otherwise boxer Oscar De La Hoya may have never bought the team.

The Houston Dynamo will open up their 2010 MLS Schedule away to FC Dallas on Saturday, March 27, 2010.

The 2010 MLS Regular Season will see each team play a 30-game regular season, followed by playoffs among eight qualifying teams. The 2010 regular season will conclude Oct. 24. The MLS Cup Playoffs will culminate in the championship match, MLS Cup 2010, on Nov. 21.

Houston Dynamo 2010 Schedule
Saturday March 27, 1010: Houston Dynamo at FC Dallas

April
Saturday, April 3, 2010: Kansas City Wizards at Houston Dynamo – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets
04/10 – Saturday LA Galaxy – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets
04/17 – Saturday Chivas USA – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets
04/24 – Saturday at Chicago Fire

May
05/01 – Saturday Kansas City – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets
05/05 – Wednesday FC Dallas – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets
05/08 – Saturday at Chivas USA
05/13 – Thursday at Real Salt Lake
05/22 – Saturday D.C. United – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets
05/29 – Saturday Philadelphia Union – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets

June
06/02 – Wednesday at New York
06/05 – Saturday at LA Galaxy
06/26 – Saturday Colorado Rapids – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets

July
07/01 – Thursday at Toronto FC
07/10 – Saturday Columbus Crew – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets
07/24 – Saturday at Columbus
07/31 – Saturday New York Red Bulls – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets

August
08/08 – Sunday at Seattle
08/14 – Saturday at New England
08/21 – Saturday Chicago – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets
08/28 – Saturday at Colorado

September
09/05 – Sunday San Jose – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets
09/11 – Saturday at Kansas City
09/18 – Saturday Toronto FC – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets
09/25 – Saturday at D.C. United

October
10/02 – Saturday at Philadelphia
10/10 – Sunday New England – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets
10/16 – Saturday at San Jose
10/23 – Saturday Seattle – Get Houston Dynamo Tickets

Recap: HOU had another dominant season. In fact, they lost fewer games (5) than any other team in the league, including CMB. If they had not started so slowly, they would have been Supporters Shield winners in 2008. Of course, their fantastic regular season didn’t ensure playoff success, but HOU still gets an A for 2008.

Offense: As usual, the Dynamo’s offense performed amongst the best in the league, and it finished tied for third overall with Dallas in goals scored. The scary thing was they did it without De Rosario’s usual brilliance. You can’t argue with results though, and they were good offensively for HOU in 2008, so they get a A-.

Defense: The Dynamo’s defense continued to be their biggest asset in 2008, and they finished the year 1^st in the league in goals allowed by only giving up 32 goals in 30 games. Onstad, as always, deserves a huge share of the credit. He finished fifth in the league in save percentage at 72.4%. Overall, they were a sure bet A+ in ’08.

Needs: Not many. HOU needs only to keep its core of players to compete for the Cup again in 2009. Ching, De Rosario and Holden need to remain key offensive cogs and the stellar back line needs to keep snuffing out opposing attacks. I think HOU wins the West again in 2009 and I bet it’s not even close.

The NY Red Bulls stunned the two-time defending champions Houston Dynamo 3-0 in Houston to win this semi-final contest 4-1 on aggregate. They will now play Real Salt Lake on Sunday at Robertson Stadium for the chance to go to the MLS Cup final.

New York got off to a great start when then Dane Richards put them ahead in the 25th minute. Sinisa Ubiparipovic supplied the pass that set Richards and he beat Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad with a great shot from 20 yards out.

“Everything I try to do, I try to do the best that I can,” Richards said. “Today was just my day. I just wanted to play my game, and I thought I did. We knew we had a chance today. I just kept going on my goal. I knew that if they touched me, it would be a penalty kick.”

Ten minutes later the Red Bulls found themselves two goals up as Houston’s Ricardo Clark was whistled for a hand ball on a cross into the box. NY captain Juan Pablo Angel calmly scored from the penalty spot.
The Houston Dynamo are not two-time defending champions because they give up easily and they continued to attack NY, and outshot NY 16-7.

Houston created several great goal scoring opportunities early in the second half but Red Bulls Danny Cepero made several good saves to keep Houston at bay.

The Red Bulls put the match away in the 80th minute on goal by John Wolyniec. Richards made a remarkable run to the byline, crossing the ball in front to John Wolyniec, who tapped the ball into the empty net to ensure that there will be a new MLS Cup champion as the two-time defending champs were ousted.

“It’s very overwhelming. We battled so hard and had an up-and-down year,” Wolyniec said. “To defeat the defending champs on their home field, it’s a really good feeling. The guys came in and they started thinking about next week. We have a great opportunity.”

This has to go down as one of the greatest upsets in the history of the MLS Cup Playoffs. New York is struggling with injuries and this win is not only their second-ever road playoff victory in club history, it is just their second victory away from home this season

The Houston Dynamo showed why they are defending MLS champions Saturday as a late goal by substitute Kei Kamara earned the defending champs to salvage a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls in the first leg of their Western Conference semifinal at Giants Stadium.

An injury-depleted Red Bulls team has taken the lead early in the second half thanks to a goal from captain Juan Pablo Angel. New York came close to adding to their lead as Dane Richards hit a goalpost and saw another shot cleared off the.

However, Kamara came off the bench and knotted the match with four minutes left on the clock, scoring from inside the box as New York’s back line failed to clear a loose ball.

The second leg will be played next Saturday in Houston.  Buy Red Bulls at Houston Tickets

Forbes.com recently released a report that looked at the economic side of MLS and also put a value on each of the Major League Soccer franchises.

At a macro level, things are looking up for MLS. Seven of the league’s 14 teams play in soccer-specific stadiums, five of which have been built since 2002. Expansion franchises in Seattle and Philadelphia recently agreed to pay $30 million each to join the league, three times what Toronto FC paid to join MLS three years ago. Commissioner Don Garber says the next two expansion teams, to be announced in 2009, will cost $40 million. Some team owners are even floating a $50 million price tag.

As expected, Forbes estimates that MLS is not yet profitable, with its 13 teams posting an operating loss (in the sense of earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation) of $20 million on revenue of $165 million. In 2007, the three teams that were in the black–Los Angeles Galaxy, Toronto FC and FC Dallas–had a combined operating profit of $6.7 million.

Interestingly, Soccer United Marketing, a separate business owned by investors in the league, runs the league’s national television deals ($23 million last season from ESPN, Fox, HDNet and Univision), as well as the commercial rights to a bevy of soccer properties (such as the U.S. rights to the FIFA World Cup) distributed less than $1 million to each team last season. That means that to be successful in MLS, a team has to generate a lot of cash from its stadium and local television and sponsorship deals. That is easier for some teams to do than others.

One team that is making money is the Los Angeles Galaxy, who are worth $100 million according to Forbes. David Beckham is responsible for a lot of the corporate money flowing to the Galaxy. Two months after his arrival last year, weight loss firm Herbalife agreed to a $4 million-a-year jersey sponsorship deal, twice what any other team commands.

The Galaxy also generates substantial revenue at the gate. The team’s stadium, Home Depot Center, has 48 suites that lease for as much as $150,000 a season. The 1,500 club seats cost an average of $4,500 per season. Sponsors like American Express, Delta Air Lines and Valero Energy bring in another $6 million annually for the team. Think all these corporations would be associating themselves with the Galaxy if Beckham was not playing? Not al these levels.

Surprisingly number two on the list is Toronto FC. Forbes estimates Toronto is worth $44 million, up four-fold in just three years. The team turned a profit of $2.1 million in its inaugural season last year, when it sold every ticket at 20,500-seat BMO Field.

The value of playing in a soccer specific stadium cannot be overstated. Real Salt Lake is moving into a new soccer only stadium and RSL forecasts that revenues will increase from $7.6 million to $20.3 million in 2009, its first full year in its new stadium. The team will control the stadium and get more money from sponsorships, concessions and non-soccer events. That is a huge revenue increase.

A soccer only stadium is however not helping the Columbus Crew who cannot find sponsors and only generated just $6 million in revenue. Chivas USA only had $10 million in revenue because they are tenants of the Galaxy at Home Depot Center.

Team By Team Valuations

No. 1 Los Angeles Galaxy
Value: $100 million
Revenue: $36 million
Operating Income: $4.0 million

The Galaxy was already the league’s marquee team before the arrival of David Beckham, soccer’s most renowned superstar, last summer. Now they’re in another stratosphere–L.A.’s $36 million of revenue in 2007 was double that of any other team.

No. 2 Toronto FC
Value: $44 million
Revenue: $17 million
Operating Income: $2.1 million

Hailed by the commissioner as a model team, Toronto FC sold out every game in its inaugural season. The average spectator spent $4.03 on souvenirs a game–that’s a higher rate than MLSE’s flagship sports property: hockey’s Maple Leafs.

No. 3 Chicago Fire
Value: $41 million
Revenue: $16 million
Operating Income: -$3.1 million

In exchange for $98 million of public financing to construct Toyota Park, the Fire share revenues from parking, premium seating and general ticket sales with the Village of Bridgeview, Ill. The upside for the team: no debt service on a state of the art soccer stadium, which is a far cry from cavernous Soldier Field, where they once went 53 days between home games, playing second fiddle to the NFL’s Bears.

No. 4 FC Dallas
Value: $39 million
Revenue: $15 million
Operating Income: $0.5 million

The franchise once known as the Dallas Burn, which for a time called a high school football stadium home, has undergone dramatic changes in recent years. Highlights include moving into a soccer-specific stadium in 2005–complete with a 20-year, $25 million naming rights deal–increased TV exposure and, of course, the new name. The next step in their extreme makeover: trying to secure a jersey sponsorship.

No. 5 New York Red Bulls
Value: $36 million
Revenue: $10 million
Operating Income: -$4.5 million

The Red Bulls hope their days as a small fish in the big New York sports pond will be over once they begin play at Red Bulls Arena in Harrison, N.J., next year. The Austrian energy drink giant is betting big on a turnaround: paying $150 million for the team, its naming rights and construction costs since 2006.

No. 6 D.C. United
Value: $35 million
Revenue: $13 million
Operating Income: -$3.0 million

The most storied team in the league’s brief history is languishing in 47-year-old RFK Stadium. “The stadium does not generate enough revenue on game day because it’s so antiquated,” says Kavin Payne, the team’s president. The team is in talks with both the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County, Md., and hopes to announce plans for a new stadium in the fall.

No. 7 Houston Dynamo
Value: $33 million
Revenue: $10 million
Operating Income: -$1.8 million

The Dynamo attracted a strong following after winning the MLS Cup in both seasons since moving to Houston from San Jose, Calif. A partnership that includes famed boxer Oscar De La Hoya bought half the team last year in a record deal that valued the club at $45 million. Now the Dynamo just needs a new stadium to justify the high price.

No 8. Colorado Rapids
Value: $31 million
Revenue: $11 million
Operating Income: -$2.2 million

By establishing a commercial partnership with famed English Premier League team Arsenal, of which Kroenke owns 13%, the Rapids added instant credibility to their brand. Yet challenges remain: The team took a loss airing games on local TV last year when production costs outweighed advertising revenue, despite having favorable terms with Kroenke-owned broadcast partner Altitude Sports & Entertainment.

No. 9 Real Salt Lake
Value: $30 million
Revenue: $7 million
Operating Income: -$2.1 million

The opening of a soccer-specific stadium next month in Salt Lake City suburb Sandy will usher in a new era for the team, which is currently a tenant at the University of Utah’s football stadium. Real Salt Lake became the first MLS team to acquire a jersey sponsorship, reaching a four-year, $4 million deal with XanGo, a dietary supplement company, before the 2007 season.

No. 10 New England Revolution
Value: $27 million
Revenue: $10 million
Operating Income: -$1.5 million

The Krafts are hoping that the success of their other team, the NFL’s New England Patriots, will rub off on the Revolution. Management is exploring options to construct their own stadium–a necessary step to keep pace with the league’s other big market teams, many of which have already moved into cozier, more soccer-friendly confines.

No. 11 Chivas USA
Value: $24 million
Revenue: $10 million
Operating Income: -$1.0 million

Established as the sister organization of a famed Mexican team, Chivas targets the millions of Hispanic soccer fans on the West Coast as its primary audience. Riding the coattails of the more popular L.A. Galaxy has proved both a blessing and a curse; packaging the teams has translated into higher TV rights and more premium seat sales, but Chivas retain a much smaller cut of revenues.

No. 12 Columbus Crew
Value: $23 million
Revenue: $6 million
Operating Income: -$4.5 million

Columbus set the blueprint for MLS teams when they opened the league’s first soccer-specific stadium in 1999. How times have changed. Playing in the league’s second-smallest market with a dearth of sponsors and non-soccer events held at their stadium, nowadays the Crew set the standard in just one category: operating loss.

No. 13 Kansas City Wizards
Value: $22 million
Revenue: $5 million
Operating Income: -$2.9 million

Better days appear ahead for the Wizards, who left a horrendous situation at gaping Arrowhead Stadium during the last off-season. Initial approval of $275 million in public incentives toward the construction of an ambitious retail complex with a soccer stadium as its centerpiece (to be ready in 2010) was granted by the city council last December.

The Columbus Crew were the only Eastern Conference team to win and by doing so moved to the top of the division and the MLS overall table to round out Week 23 of the Major League season.

LA Galaxy 2 New England Revolution 2
Landon Donovan scored a pair of goals for the Los Angeles Galaxy, but Shalrie Joseph’s first goal of the season helped the New England Revolution grab a 2-2 tie.

Joseph’s goal in the 71st minute helped New England (11-6-5) extend the Galaxy’s (6-9-7) winless streak to 10.

D.C. United 0 Red Bulls 0
A missed penalty kick by D.C. United’s Jaime Moreno allowed the New York Red Bulls to leave RFK Stadium with their unbeaten streak at six games.

D.C. United’s (10-10-2) playoff push has been hampered by injuries and D.C. added another name to the list when top scorer Luciano Emilio left in the first half with an apparent puled groin.
The Red Bulls (8-6-8) are 3-0-3 in the first past six games.

Crew 2 FC Dallas 1
Guillermo Barros Schelotto had two assists, giving him a league-leading 16 on the season, to give Columbus the MLS lead with 40 points.

The Crew (12-6-4) overtook New England, which tied Los Angeles earlier Saturday.
The loss kept FC Dallas (6-8-8) winless in its past three games

Chivas USA 2 Toronto FC 1
Atiba Harris scored deep in extra time to give Chivas USA a 2-1 victory and deny Toronto a rare road point.
Harris scored in the fourth minute of an announced four minutes of stoppage time for Chivas’ first win in eight games. The win moved Chivas (7-9-6) into third place in the Western Conference, while Toronto (7-10-5) fell to 2-9-0 on the road.

San Jose Earthquakes 2 Kansas City Wizards 1
Darren Huckerby scored again to lift San Jose out of last place in the Western Conference for the first time all season.

The the expansion Earthquakes are on a seven-game unbeaten streak (3-0-4) that has pushed them one point ahead of Colorado.

The loss left the Wizards at 6-8-8 and bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Houston 2 Chicago 1
The Houston Dynamo’s two-month surge to the top of the Western Conference has included five wins, five shutouts and one loss in eight matches.

Behind Brian Mullan’s go-ahead goal Sunday evening, Houston(9-5-8) improved to 7-1-3 at home this season as they beat the Chicago Fire (10-7-5) 2-1.

Scoring for Chicago for the first time was U.S. star Brian McBride who was making his first start of the season.

A look at the scores and match reports from this weekend’s games in Major League Soccer.

Columbus 2 FC Dallas 1
Jeff Cunningham became the fourth player in MLS history to reach 100 goals when he scored in his first game for FC Dallas, but midfielders Brian Carroll and Brad Evans netted second-half goals to give the Crew a 2-1 win Saturday night.

Cunningham’s 35th-minute tally was his first for Dallas since being acquired from Toronto FC Aug. 8. It also was his first goal against the team for which he played eight seasons.

With the win Columbus (10-6-4) moved to top of the Eastern Conference while FC Dallas (6-7-7) fell to third place in the west.

D.C. United 1, Chicago Fire 0
Fred scored in the 27th minute off a corner kick from Jaime Moreno, leading D.C. United to a win over Chicago.

Recently signed goalkeeper Louis Crayton stopped two shots for D. C. United (9-9-1), which handed the Fire (9-6-5) their first loss in eight matches. Crayton spent the last 11 years in the Swiss league before signing with United on Friday.

Dynamo 4, Real Salt Lake 3
Brian Ching had a goal and assist to help the Dynamo beat Real Salt and move into first place in the Western Conference.

Nate Jaqua, Ricardo Clark Brian Mullan also scored for Houston, which has won three straight and is unbeaten in six games. The Dynamo ended Real Salt Lake’s four-game unbeaten streak. Kenny Deucher, Yura Movsisyan, Javier Morales scored for Real Salt Lake.

With the win Houston moved to 7-4-8, while Real Salt Lake fell to 7-7-6.

Rapids 2, Wizards 1
Conor Casey scored twice, leading the Colorado Rapids to a 2-1 win over the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday night.

Casey’s unassisted second goal in the 47th minute broke a 1-1 tie. Casey scored in the 11th minute, after his first shot went wide left, to give the Rapids (7-10-3) the early lead. Terry Cooke and Mehdi Ballouchy assisted on the goal.

Michael Harrington evened it up for Kansas City (6-7-7) in the 44th minute on an unassisted goal.

Earthquakes 4, Revolution 0
Ronnie O’Brien had two goals and an assist, and San Jose beat New England for its first winning streak of the season.

Scott Sealy and Ryan Johnson also scored for San Jose (5-9-6), which has won two straight after snapping an eight-match winless skid. Darren Huckerby had two assists to help the Earthquakes defeat New England, which came in with the MLS’ best record.

New England lost its second consecutive game for the first time this year, and lost player of the year Matt Reis, who had played every minute in net for the Revolution since Sept. 3, 2005, forced to the bench by a strained right adductor.

Red Bulls 2 Toronto 0
Mike Magee and Juan Pablo Angel scored goals to lead the New York Red Bulls to a 2-0 win over Toronto FC on Sunday.

Goalie Jon Conway made four saves to record his fifth shutout of the season and the 19th of his career as the Red Bulls (7-6-7) won their second straight match.

Magee got his third goal of the season in the 37th minute after he ran down a long pass from Seth Stammler and beat Toronto FC goalie Greg Sutton from about 10 yards out.

Angel then sealed the win with a goal off a breakaway pass from Dane Richards in the 92nd minute. It was Angel’s seventh goal of the season and his fifth in five games.

Toronto FC (7-9-4) had its best scoring chance in the 24th minute when Conway made a diving one-handed save on Nana Attakora-Gyan’s header off a crossing pass.

Sir Alex can talk about winning the double this year but New England Revolution coach Steve Nichol is trying to do him one better by winning the triple. The first leg in the triple was the SuperLiga championship which New England won 3-2 last night in a penalty shoot-out with  the Houston Dynamo.

Houston had beaten the New England Revolution in past two MLS Championship matches so it was not a surprise when Nate Jacqua opened the scoring for the Dynamo in the 18th minute. NE tied the game up might before half-time when Steve Ralston scored.

That is how the teams stood until extra time when Houston regained the lead when reserve forward Kei Kamara headed in a cross from the left side from Brian Ching in the 98th minute. But, in the 102nd minute, New England’s Shalrie Joseph headed in the equalizer for the Revolution, converting an indirect kick from the left side by Steve Ralston.

We headed to penalties where New England player of the year, goalkeeper Matt Reis tipped a shot by Corey Ashe off the crossbar in the eighth round of penalty kicks to give the Revolution the 3-2 victory.

The Revolution who are defending U.S. Open champions meet D.C. United at RFK Stadium in Washington on August 12th. A victory in the nations capital would make the Revolution firm favorites to win their second U.S. Cup of August 26th against Charleston or  Seattle.

The third  leg in the Revolution’s quest for the triple crown is the MLS Cup where New England has suffered heartbreaking loses in the final in the last two years. The Revolution have the best record in Major League soccer at the half-way point of the season and have to be favorites to make their 3rd MLS Cup.

I have criticized Revolution coach Steve Nichol in the past, but he has quietly built a perennial contender in New England with little fanfare or press. He does a fantastic job scouting and young (and cheap)finding players to plug into his system.