Home Depot Center Thursday, April 12th
Robbie Findley became the first MLS rookie to score a goal this year. The goal was no more than a consolation as the Galaxy had many chances, but only four on goal. For LA, new signing Canadian Kevin Harmse played tough and caused trouble for the FCD midfield. Dallas, however, covered their weaknesses and made the most of their chances behind solid play of Juan Carlos Toja and Ramon Nunez. Kenny Cooper and Ruiz were scrappy but clearly got the job done. Remember, I rated Dallas low but that's IF Ruiz and Coop-a-loop didn't combine for 30 goals. If they do, these guys could be as high as high can be. Dax McCarty had a decent first 2007 MLS start and I could see him challenging Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, and Ricardo Clark for their national team positions at some point in the near future.
Because I Think...'s MVP goes to...Juan Carlos Toja. The 21-year old Colombian dictated the pace for Dallas and settled the pace when it got too frantic. His poise was almost scary as it lo. He'd also fully execute every one of his intentions, whereas Landon for the Galaxy would beat several men then botch the final attempt. If he can play like that in front of Dallas' still weak defense, these guys might be okay.
LAG: Findley (86)
FCD: C. Ruiz (pen 35), K. Cooper (43)
- Carlos Marinelli is cleared to play tomorrow in Kansas City's opener. It should be good, especially if he can be as effective Juan Carlos Toja was for FC Dallas yesterday.
World Soccer
- There are those who hate Cristiano Ronaldo, there are those who love him, and there those who would absolutely hate to love him. Everybody's gradual respect for him was tested when he stomped on Wayne Rooney's jimmies during the World Cup, but football is football, and forgiveness is abundant as Cristiano Ronaldo will be around in Manchester for 5 more years. Clearly, the Glazers had to pay through the nose for his services, but a backbone is a backbone (kind of like when Giggsy signed his long-term deal a while back, people knew this United team would always be pretty damn good). The great thing is, unlike MLB, NFL, NBA, the "year after a new contract is signed" curse is much less glaring. Regardless, I can safely say for the sake of the English Premiership, Cristiano Ronaldo...I am glad you are stickin' around.
- Ajax Amsterdam moved a top the Dutch Eredivisie with a 2-0 win over NAC Breda. Old man Kenneth Perez and young'un Ryan Babel scored the goals and catapulted the Amsterdam club above PSV Eindhoven for the first time since the beginning of the season. PSV, champs the past two years, still have a game in tow however.
- UEFA Results that I missed covering:
Benfica 0, Espanyol 0 (Espanyol moves on)
Osasuna 1, Bayer Leverkusen 0 (Osasuna moves on)
Tottenham 2, FC Sevilla 2 (FC Sevilla moves on)
Werder Bremen 4, AZ Alkmaar 1 (Werder Bremen moves on)
*Three Spanish teams out of 4 spots. Three English teams out of 4 spots. Dominance is key this year. Wow.
- Jose Mourinho would like everyone to know that 14 people are gunning for his job. That's funny though, because Bernd Schuster (former Real Madrid player and a contract signee) has claimed that Mourinho has in fact been in talks with Real Madrid about taking over the summer vacancy. This soap opera is getting annoying. If Mourinho loses, he won't leave. If Mourinho wins, he leaves.
2 comments:
Just to let your followers know- there's a really cool piece on Cooper at ussoccer.com, check it out. His dad was a keeper for Dallas during the NASL, and he contributes his goal scoring abilities to that!
Ummmm, Ajax was in first place the first 10 games of this season, until PSV won 1-0 in Amsterdam.
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