10 Bright Spots of MLS Week 1: The Gambians, Cooke, and a Salute to Youth

1. New England Revolution
Introduce two U-20 Gambian players and succeed? Sure. Steve Nicol certainly knows what he's doing and his opener - without the services of Twellman - truly pays homage to his ability to man manage and bring along young talent. Let's not forget Adam Cristman who worked well with Nyassi and Mansally. All three - along with the veteran presence of Steve Ralston (let's hope that shoulder's okay) and the patrolling of Joseph/Larentowicz in the middle - helped put together an attack that even Houston's defense couldn't withstand. On the other end, however, Parkhurst dealt with Ching effectively, while it's pretty certain that Wondolowski should not be in there.

2. Terry Cooke
When did Terry Cooke get fast? We knew he had a boot, but his speed and tenacity was the difference versus the Galaxy. Could it have been the Englishman just wanted to show up his former teammate Beckham? If that's the case - the opening goal in a 4-0 drubbing of the Galaxy and two subsequent assists will do just that. We can expect another big service year from Cooke. Someone explain to me how Cooke got awarded that second assist on Colin Clark's goal??? Clark dribbled for what seemed like an eternity before beating Cronin near post...at what point does Cooke's initial pass become "unassisted"?

3. Kenny Mansally/Sainey Nyassi
These kids can play. Nyassi burnt Houston on the wings and was able to finish his first goal ever in his debut. Mansally had his hand in the first goal and looked strong on the ball with an uncharacteristic poise for a first year striker. If Mansally and Cristman do well enough up top, does Taylor Twellman technically become expendable?? (Answer is probably no...). Sainey Nyassi was hyped up a little less than Mansally throughout the preseason, but he arguably was the more effective player. Not even Corey Ashe had an answer for his speed on the wings. Both players if consistent provide the Revs with a depth that could account for the loss of Dorman and Noonan. Let's wait for week two though...

4. Maykel Galindo
He did it at the expense if FC Dallas' new acquisition and Mexican international Diulio Davino, but no matter how it happens, the Goats came away with a point. Davino mishandled a trap and Galindo capitalized by pouncing on it and sending it straight through Dario Sala's legs to equalize with 5 minutes to go. What it made it more impressive was that Galindo is still recovering from sports hernia surgery and isn't at 100%. The Cuban international then kissed the Chivas USA shield during his end-of-the-game interview. The guy is class.

5. Claudio Lopez
Eddie Johnson who? Lopez and Ivan Trujillo ripped apart a decent D.C. United defense with the help of Carlos Marinelli. Already, this is shaping up to be one interesting year. If I'm not mistaken though, there were some crazy results at the beginning of last year too. Anyways, Lopez is class and looks like he'll end up being another DP success. In fact, you could almost say that about all the DP debuts.

6. Dema Kovalenko
The guy got stiffed by RBNY and sent on over to Salt Lake (stiffed in the sense he's more of a big city guy, Chicago his "adopted home", etc.), but he made the best of his first appearance. Dema, within two minutes of coming, served a cross that was redirected into the Chicago goal by young Bakary Soumare. In a questionably sloppy game, Kovalenko got the job done. On top of that, Kova was just recently sworn in as an official citizen of the United States of America.

7. Adam Moffat
One hell of a game winning goal for Columbus from the star of the Crew's preseason. A developmental contract that looks to make a significant contribution to the Crew's run this season. Reminds me of a younger Kerry Zavagnin.

8. John DiRaimondo/Nick LaBrocca/Kosuke Kimura
LaBrocca, the NJ native, and DiRaimondo really frustrated the hell out of an almost non-existant Los Angeles midfield. Fernando Clavijo's injury predicament forced him to go with a lot of new blood. Kimura held his own at right back, keeping Donovan pretty quiet throughout the whole game. From the get go, it was clear who wanted to win the game and all three were a huge part of that.

9. Traveling Toronto FC Fans
TFC had something like 2,000 supporters travel down to Columbus to take over Columbus Crew stadium. The Crew still outplayed them in the end, but Crew Stadium was still Toronto's for the afternoon. Take those supporters away and you have one pitiful Columbus crowd. Mr. Gillett, you want a team? I got one for you...

10. Jon Busch
The seemingly eternal back-up began his Chicago starting career with a big game. A potent Real Salt Lake offense tested him again and again, forcing him into 8 saves. Busch, who last started regularly in 2004 with the Columbus Crew, looked shaky in the beginning but ultimately showed well and solidified his number one spot. In 2004, Busch was the brightest spot on a decent Columbus team - he posted a 1.07 GAA and a 12-5-12 winning record. Then he was replaced....Here's to hoping he finds that success again.

Projected Starting Lineups: Colorado Rapids

Projected Starting Lineup:

------------------------Kirovski-------------------------------

-----------------------C. Gomez-----------------------------

C. Clark-------Mastroeni---------R. Gomes---------T. Cooke

Burciaga--------Erpen----------Ihemulu---------------Petke

-----------------------Coundoul-----------------------------

Coming off the bench: GK Justin Hughes, DF Tim Ward, DF Stephen Keel, MF/FW Herculez Gomez, MF Mehdi Ballouchy, FW Conor Casey, DF Dan Gargan

Colorado shipped away last year's bust Nico Hernandez, almost shipped away their keynote player Mastroeni, and brought in a Christian Gomez that throughout the preseason is quite the question mark. Other than all that, things are just peachy in Colorado. Except for the effigy of striking resemblance to Fernando Clavijo hanging outside the "Dick's" front gates.

All kidding aside, if the Rapids are going to make a run of sorts this year - Gomez and Mastroeni will support it, but what really matters is the continued growth of their youngsters. Colin Clark had sort of a breakout year last season and is poised to really turn some heads this year. He might even find himself on Bob Bradley's radar by the end of the year. Second years Nico Colaluca and Nick LaBrocca should find themselves in a position to grab more playing time this year, even with the acquisition of Brazilian Rafael Gomes from Santa Clara in Portugal. Gomes has already shown his abilities in the preseason and could help take the pressure off of Christian Gomez in the middle. The other Gomez - Herculez - with a return to form, could really spark this team into some surprising results. Then you have Mehdi Bellouchy. He was supposed to be Real Salt Lake's playmaker, but instead was shipped to Colorado where he has been waiting in the wings. If Clavijo wanted to, Mastroeni could move back to central defense in his waning years and Ballouchy - if on form - could man the middle with Rafa Gomes.

The biggest question mark lies up top. A lot of people have been waiting for Conor Casey to show his former Mainz self. Due to nagging injuries and lack of fitness, we haven't seen that just yet. If he, along with Omar Cummings, can get the right service from Christian Gomez, you could see a breakout year from one of the two. Jacob Peterson is in that mix as well. Until Casey comes around and Cummings looks the better option, Jovan Kirovski will take a stab at the forward position with limited success last year.

The rearguard has seen some changes. Burciaga, Jr. comes over from Kansas City and if he keeps a cool head on and plays day in day out without making silly tackles, having massive brainfarts, the Rapids could then have a viable left-sided defensive and offensive option. I am still waiting for Ugo Ihemelu to bounce back to his early LA Galaxy form. Hasn't happened yet, but along with Petke, there are two seasoned defenders manning an altogether above-average backline. All this rides on whether or not Facundo Erpen goes spastic this year.

Another year in goal for Bouna Coundoul is exactly what he needs. His style of play, tenacity and aggression in and outside the penalty box will grow increasingly more instinctive as he continues to figure things out. Justin Hughes will have to wait his chance.

Outlook: 4th in the West

Not Down and Out: Colorado 3, New England 0

I really find myself baffled by this score-line. Is it competitive parity? Or just a by-product of the scrappiness and occasionally ugly play that Major League Soccer presents sometimes? Regardless, the Revolution were soundly beaten by a Colorado squad that out-shot, out-hustled, and thouroughly out-played the fading New Englanders.

Jovan Kirovski put away both his best chances and nearly added a third when he hit the post late in the game. Colin Clark was solid and is quietly becoming a Beckerman-like injection for the Rapids, who just can't seem to figure themselves out. The Rapids didn't escape without a scare though as Dan Gargan was carted off in just the 23rd minute. Fortunately, they had secured the signing of former US nat Tony Sanneh right before the game giving Gargan a fitting replacement. All this was done without the services of recent signing and former Mexican international Daniel Osorno. Either way, that is a 2 game win streak for the Rapids against the two top teams in the league. Are they decisive or flukes. Goalscorer Jovan Kirovski seems to think otherwise:

“The team played really well from the first minute. Tonight was a great night
for us. We are not afraid of anybody. The last two games we have played the best
teams in the league, and we’ve beat them both. We need to win the next game, we
are still out of the hunt a little bit and we need the three points at home.”

Do you Rapids fans feel that this is just delaying Fernando Clavijo's inevitable sacking? Or does it make you want to give him another chance?

MLSnet.com's game recap

Top Drawer Soccer's game recap

UEFA Champions League Final and other important scores

Due to my lack of posting on the aforementioned topic, you can probably guess who won.

AC Milan 2, Liverpool 1
Athens, Greece

'Pippo' Inzaghi hit for a brace as Liverpool couldn't convert the chances they did have. Inzaghi's first was a deflection off his torso after a scorching shot from Andreas Pirlo. In good news for Liverpool, though, Stevie Gerrard should be finalizing a new 5 year deal TODAY! Kaka was the difference in this game, but Gerrard had his chances and moments too. He just couldn't convert.

Other news:

US Open Cup Qualifier

Colorado 2, Real Salt Lake 1

Jacob Petersen had 2 goals to kick RSL and Jason Kreis out of Open Cup contention. Conor Casey had a decent showing as he was given significant time for the first time since signing with the MLS.

Friendlies

Rangers 1, Los Angeles 0
Home Depot Center

Kris Boyd, the Rangers hitman and leading goalscorer, put the Glasgow Rangers on top and they never looked back really. The game was relatively even as far as skill and statistics go, but it never seemed as if the Galaxy could threaten enough to win. A good showing for LA overall.
This exhibition drew over 15,000 fans.

Toronto FC 0, Benfica 0
BMO Field

18,000 saw Andrea Lombardo and Toronto struggle to a 0-0 tie against Benfica, Portuguese powerhouses. It was somewhat lopsided as Benfica controlled the play and rhythm, but as no goals were put in the back of the net - a tie was in order. The fans showed up yet again and created an amazing atmosphere for Benfica to come play in. A nice consolation prize for not beating FC Porto in the Portuguese SuperLiga.

Red Bulls and the Myth of the Second DP

There is one article here that I came across dated as February 23rd that puts Robbie Fowler as RBNY's second DP. Now, if you've been hearing what I've been hearing for the past week, their DP choice, Agustin 'Tin' Delgado was suspended worldwide for his role in an Ecuadorian league game. Therefore, no DP for RBNY til the summer. Goal.com seems to think otherwise however. Fowler would be a great addition to the MLS - at 31, he should be able to produce for some years to come.



Currently playing his second stint with Liverpool in the English Premiership, he has hit for 162 goals in his club career, playing with Liverpool, Leeds United, and with Claudio Reyna at Manchester City. A Liverpool man through and through, Fowler also scored 7 goals in 26 appearances for the English national team.

In 1999, Fowler was accused of drug use, particularly cocaine, by Premiership fans and even some officials. In a funny turn events, Fowler scored a goal against Everton and proceeded to mime "snorting" the touchline chalk dust (or whatever that stuff is). In another event, Fowler taunted former England international and Southampton defensive stalwart Graeme Le Saux by wiggling his ass at him. There were rumors going around about Graeme's sexual orientation. So for those who wanted the controversy of Agustin Delgado, why not get a better player who has the same amount of controversy? He's no Paul Gascoigne or Vinnie Jones, but he will certainly get the job done. Oh yea, Fowler was fined a total $180,000 and missed 6 games for the two incidents.

Other rumors floating around is that the KC Wizards are looking at 28 year-old Argentinian Luciano De Bruno from Hapoel Tel-Aviv and that the Colorado Rapids are closing in on someone as well. As we all know, however, Conor Casey should be in Toronto very shortly apparently still awaiting league approval. All this injection of talent is making me dizzy. We shall see - I have a feeling that this week will be rather busy.