Kansas City Wizards

MLS Preseason Power Rankings

by David on February 2, 2012

The beginning of the 2012 Major League Soccer season is right around the corner and the folks over at MLS Soccer have released their first preseason power rankings. As expected the LA Galaxy are on top, while the New England Revolution get no love, as MLS Soccer ranks them below the expansion side Montreal Impact.

What do you think of the rankings?

1: LA Galaxy
Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle, Mike Magee, David Beckham … holy crap this team is going to score a lot of goals. Chances are, though, that they’ll concede a few more than in recent years thanks to the departure of Juninho and the injury to Omar Gonzalez. Still, Bruce Arena has to be salivating over the talent at his disposal this season.

MLS 2011-12 Offseason Transactions

by David on December 30, 2011

While the transfer window in Europe opens up in less than 48 hours, Major League Soccer teams have been busy since the season ended, rebuilding and retooling for next season. Here is a team-by-team look at what each side has done so far this offseason. Who has had the best offseason?

Chicago Fire

IN: Jay Nolly (12/5: trade from Vancouver); F Kheli Dube (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/New England)

OUT: Christian Nazarit (12/7: option declined); F Gabriel Ferrari (12/7: option declined); G Alec Dufty (12/12: option declined); M Baggio Husidic(12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Colorado); G Jon Conway (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/LA Galaxy)

Chivas USA

Major League Soccer’s 17th season will kick off on Saturday, March 10, 2012 with six matches. First Kick presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods will continue with two games on Sunday, March 11 and one on Monday, March 12.

With an early March kick-off, Major League Soccer will have a western tilt to it in the first couple of weeks, but by the end of week 3, all but one MLS club will have played a home opener.

The Houston Dynamo will nit play their home opener until May 12, when their new soccer specific stadium us built.

It is the iconic picture that we have spent five years waiting for. David Beckham holding aloft the MLS Cup as his LA Galaxy finally won it all in what will probably be Beckham’s last game in Major League Soccer.

The Galaxy beat the Houston Dynamo 1-0 Sunday night thanks to a Landon Donovan goal. But it was not that close. The Dynamo were completely outplayed and on another night the Galaxy could have scored five or six. They dominated the game from the opening whistle with Beckham the best player on the park. What made Beckham’s performance last night even more remarkable is that he tore his hamstring in training on Tuesday. The Galaxy covered it up saying that Becks had the flu, but for to play as well as he did, on a heavy wet pitch, was a remarkable performance.

The final numbers are in and Major League Soccer saw a 7% increase in attendance this year, from 16,675 fans per game to 17,870 fans according to MLSAttendance.blogspot.com .

Out of the 18 teams in MLS only four saw a decrease in average attendance. They were Chicago, Columbus, Philadelphia, and Toronto. Philadelphia’s name is on the list because in 2010 they played their opening games at Lincoln Financial and drew over 25,000 fans to some of those games. The Union’s soccer specific stadium is obviously smaller which is why they technically had a decrease in attendance.

Tempers flared as the Los Angeles Galaxy beat the New York Red Bulls 1-0 at Red Bull Arena, in their Western Conference semi-final first leg match.

Mike Magee’s early goal off a cross from David Beckham was enough to give the Galaxy the win, and they only need a draw at home on Thursday to progress to the Conference Finals.

Magee ran onto a great 45-yard pass from Beckham, and while most of the Red Bulls players looked for an offside flag, Magee ran on and slotted the ball past New York goalkeeper Frank Rost.

I was not expecting much from the New England Revolution‘s trip to Sporting Kansas for their U.S. Cup matchup, but I was not expecting a 5-0 hammering.

Revs coach Steve Nicol had more than one eye on Saturday’s home match with the LA Galaxy, as he made 11 changes from the side that lost to San Jose at the weekend.

Sporting Kansas were playing their first home game of 2011 after opening the season with nine consecutive road games in all competitions and they gave their fans something to cheer about as they were three up inside 25 minutes.

Real Salt Lake‘s bad week continued as they lost to the expansion Timbers while the NYRB and Philadelphia Union continued their run with good wins.

Portland Timbers 1 Real Salt Lake 0
Kenny Cooper goal in the 22nd minute from a Kalif Alhassan cross was enough as the Portland Timbers hand Real Salt Lake its first Major League Soccer loss of the season.

The expansion Timbers (3-3-1) recorded their first shutout, improving to 3-0-0 at home.

Back in the press box at a cold and damp Gillette Stadium for tonight’s MLS match-up between the New England Revolution and Sporting Kansas.

Looking forward to seeing the newest Revs in action: Forward Rajko Lekic and midfielder Benny Feilhaber. New England will also have midfielders Shalrie Joseph and Pat Phelan back after both players missed the loss to Houston last weekend while serving one-game red-card suspensions for getting sent off against Real Salt Lake.

New England won six of its first 11 meetings with the KC in the all-time series, but the Revs have struggled since … the Revs are 6-15-8 in their last 29 meetings with Kansas City dating back to 2000.

MLS Week Five Power Rankings

by David on April 19, 2011

The folks over at MLSSoccer.com have update their weekly power rankings. No surprise that Real Salt Lake is in first place. The Portland Timbers are one of the big winners moving up to four places after a week that consisted of two home games, seven goals and six points.

Major League Soccer Week 5 Rankings

1. Real Salt Lake
No. 1 in the MLS power rankings, and fighting to be No. 1 in CONCACAF as well. The next 10 days will determine whether this RSL bunch go down as a great team, or a truly legendary one. Win or lose against Monterrey, this is still the best team in MLS until someone proves otherwise.
Last Four: WWWW