2012 MLS Cup Preview: Beckham and the LA Galaxy take on Brad Davis and the Houston Dynamo

Posted on November 28, 2012 by nrspiller@gmail.com

The MLS Cup occurs on Saturday and will be dominated by the news that it is likely to be David Beckham’s final match for the LA Galaxy. You may have even noticed that I wrote an article about that very matter in last week’s post, but besides the fact that this could be Beckham’s last game and all, there is a serious match on the field for the other 21 players on the same field too. The game will decide the MLS Champions of 2012, and brings especial intensity due to the fact that it is a rematch of last season’s final that the LA Galaxy won 1-0 due to a Landon Donovan goal.

The Galaxy is the heavy favorite for this game. They boast all the big name players including Beckham, Donovan, and Robbie Keane. Also, the match is being played at the Galaxy’s home stadium, the Home Depot Center. Therefore, the Houston Dynamo will have seemingly everything against them in this match, though I personally believe that they will rally around that exact point.

Both teams were lowly seeded in the MLS Playoff tournament, and had to play tricky wildcard matches in the first round. Defeating the likes of Sporting Kansas City, the San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, and DC United, both teams proved that they were the strongest of their conferences and have earned the right to play in this MLS Cup.

Houston has developed a very powerful team that won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. Their final appearance last season was evidence of their more recent success, but they had to play that match without the injured Brad Davis. The playmaker earned 12 assists and 8 goals this year and should be a factor if the Dynamo earns the win. The team has a veteran striker in Brian Ching as well.

However, I think the defensive side of this team will be the difference in the game, specifically the goalkeeping of Tally Hall. The keeper is very solid and will be able to stop the likes of Beckham’s spicy shots on the goal.

Many fans will be hoping to witness a final David Beckham “special” free kick that swerves into the net and allows the soccer star to depart the MLS as a MLS Cup winning hero. But, I think it will not happen this time. The Galaxy won the trophy last season, so Beckham has nothing left to prove. Similarly, another of the team’s star players also has a serious off-field concern in Landon Donovan’s voicing of retirement thoughts before the playoffs began. Although that interview did little to prevent the team from pushing through the MLS Playoffs, I do think this game may be a bit too highly anticipated for the team because of reasons other than soccer.

The Houston Dynamo, on the other hand, resembles a real team with hunger for revenge and I would be surprised to see them back down from the challenge. Therefore, I am predicting a tough 1-0 victory for the Dynamo with a David Beckham free kick clanging off the crossbar in stoppage time, preventing him from leaving a last mark on American soccer.

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David Beckham To Depart from LA Galaxy after MLS Cup Final: What is Next for the Superstar and Club?

Posted on November 24, 2012 by nrspiller@gmail.com

The David Beckham experience is nearly over. The legendary British midfielder announced that he would be taking his trade elsewhere after the MLS Cup Final match on December 1^st, which will be his last game for the club. Beckham has enjoyed a reasonably successful stint with the LA Galaxy, scoring 18 goals and notching 40 assists. Also, he helped the team to an MLS Cup trophy last season and could very possibly help earn another next weekend. But the question now becomes, where does Beckham move on to now, and how will the Galaxy fare without their most prestigious player?

For Beckham, he seems to want one last notch on the old belt before his inevitable retirement. At age 37, his best years are now long gone, and although his deft right foot is still capable of wreaking havoc for defenders and goalkeepers, his legs are otherwise aged and weary. He was a decent player for the Galaxy, but I would argue that he was never the superstar figure that MLS officials envisioned when they brought him to LA in 2007.

One option that seems to be up for Beckham is to join the free-spending French team, Paris Saint-Germaine. The club has bought a host of stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ezeguiel Lavezzi, and Javier Pastore in recent years and may wish to add another star like Beckham to increase their worldwide popularity. I for one see this as a weird choice considering their UEFA Champions League aspirations. David Beckham is not going to bring much to a squad that wants to be among the world’s best, and they would do better to invest in younger talent with greater potential. Beckham’s arrival would shift focus onto the star and would shake up the squad that needs to improve.

Another option is for David Beckham to move to the Australian soccer league, with the city of Melbourne recently offering him the key to the city if a move could be arranged. This would be a similar situation that Beckham was already in with the MLS so I would be rather surprised to see the move transpire. What I think is more likely is a return to the English Premier League with a rather less prestigious club like Fulham or Aston Villa. However, Beckham has always played for winning clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and the LA Galaxy, so he may not want to join a weak EPL club and could opt for dominating a lower league such as the one in Australia.

For the LA Galaxy, although their team is poised to lift another MLS Cup fans should be very concerned. With Beckham’s impending departure and Landon Donovan’s hints at a retirement after next season, the club could be without both of their crucial star players in a short period. Although striker Robbie Keane is still at the club, he could potentially leave with the Galaxy losing much of their star prestige. The club will need to work quickly this offseason to recruit a new foreign hero to keep the club up to their proud standing. I presume that they will make a strong push for Frank Lampard, a wonderful midfielder who is losing his place at the English club, Chelsea. The team will go on without Beckham though, but it is definitely a blow for the MLS who had hoped for so much from his arrival.

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United States Struggles to Draw Against Russia Without Donovan, Dempsey, and Cherundolo

Posted on November 14, 2012 by nrspiller@gmail.com

The United States Men’s National team is surely one that is dependent upon their best players for success. In their friendly match against Russia today, manager Jurgen Klinsmann decided to play a vastly inexperienced side without several key players. Although the USA battled out to a 2-2 draw with the ninth ranked team in the world, they were largely outplayed and only managed to draw because of two fortunate long-range efforts.

The Russians were at it all game long. The United States defense was again exposed, and without quality right back Steve Cherundolo, they gave up chance after chance. It was only a matter of minutes before sloppy defending led to a Russian goal by Fyodor Smolov. Klinsmann may be changing tactics with this team, but he really needs to focus on the defensive side of the ball. Careless play will not lead to any international achievement, especially at the back.

Fortunately, America has one of the world’s best goalies in Tim Howard, and he was a delight in the game, making countless saves. An average goalie could have easily given up four goals in this game. His talents help the team avoid embarrassments stemming from the defenders.

Offensively, the team produced little, though it was nice to see Jozy Altidore return to the side. He did well to hold up the ball for our midfielders, but he didn’t have the proper service to find many goal-scoring chances. He looked to be working hard which is a very god sign, especially after Klinsmann dropped him from the team for the most recent 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Altidore will need to improve and start scoring more goals, however. He is playing very well for his club AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, so hopefully he will discover a similar form at the national level.

Michael Bradley played admirably in this game, and earned a lovely equalizing goal that brought the USA back into this game midway through the second half. He has a great work-rate and is always involved in impact plays and goals. He was probably the best player on the field for America besides Howard and should continue to be a dominant force in the midfield. His goal was a daring long-range strike that displayed a player in great current form.

However, this team is clearly not the same without Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan. These are two veteran leaders in the side who are of supreme importance to the team in competitive games. Donovan hasn’t played for a while due to nagging injuries, but his current form for the LA Galaxy has been great, and he is a player who can simply take on defenders and create chances. Dempsey is also a key figure and has the talent and class to influence games. I feel that if these players had taken part in the game, regardless of final score, the game would have been much more balanced.

However, this was a friendly game and rightly allowed for Klinsmann to bring on several youngsters to see what they can bring into the side. Players like Josh Gatt, Mix Diskerud, Terrence Boyd, and Juan Agudelo brought lots of good things to the side and look like they have some potential for the future in the American national team. Although the play today wasn’t terribly impressive, Russia is a good side, and the fact that the team battled to an away draw with such questionable play shows that the team has some resilience, and for that their efforts must be commended.

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MLS Cup Playoffs Heat Up as Conference Finals All Set

Posted on November 9, 2012 by nrspiller@gmail.com

The opening rounds of the MLS Cup Playoffs have finished and there were surprises aplenty as both number one seeds and one number two seed was eliminated, leaving the MLS title completely open to any of the lower seeds who all orchestrated dramatic upsets in the conference semifinal rounds. And so now, with the playoffs truly up for grabs, which team looks destined for MLS glory?

Yesterday saw two late dramatic goals to secure victories as both the New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake were knocked out of the tournament. The Red Bulls defeat was the most inexplicable of all. They had the vast majority of chances, and even made a mess of a series of late game opportunities. After opposing goalkeeper Bill Hamid was sent off for a penalty-awarding foul, for some reason Kenny Cooper stood up to take the shot. After the first take was called back, Cooper fired the ball weakly and it was saved. My main concern is why wasn’t Thierry Henry called upon to take the PK? Henry is the coolest striker on Earth, and they paid so much for him. Why didn’t the captain take the penalty? At the way end of the game the Red Bulls had a free kick from the type of range Henry could have curled right in. Take a look at the free kicks the Frenchman has made in his career. And yet, he again didn’t take the shot. And thus they are gone and D.C. United pulled out a fantastic result.

The L.A. Galaxy also had a wonderful result when they brutally disposed of Supporters’ Shield winners, the San Jose Earthquakes. Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane provided some brilliant assists and goals, and the Galaxy looked dominant. So much for Donovan’s dying love of the game.

The Houston Dynamo again showed poise and resiliency after holding off the defensively strong Sporting Kansas City. Their two goals scored in the first-leg match were enough to take out the Eastern Conference’s top seed.

Seattle Sounders found a great late strike from Mario Martinez to separate the sides after nearly two matches had been played without a single goal. They looked the better side throughout and deserved to progress.

And so now the Western Conference final will comprise of the L.A. Galaxy taking on the Seattle Sounders, while D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo tangle in the east. Predicting a winner is no simple task, especially with so many X-factors from each team. The Galaxy has all the superstar names now with Donovan, Keane, and David Beckham. The Sounders house the league’s best fans and one of the game’s hottest strikers in Eddie Johnson, who recently revitalized his international career with the United States National Team. Houston Dynamo has the history of winning the cup twice a few years ago, and were runner’s up last year. D.C. United is excited about the return of Dwayne de Rosario, one of the games most exciting players from Canada and are now the highest seed remaining in the tournament.

Each club will feel that they have a great chance of lifting the MLS Cup now that they have disposed of the top seeds, and since they have these weapons to produce. I feel like this is starting to turn into Seattle’s year and that their fans will lead them to victory, over D.C. United 2-1 in the MLS Cup final. Let’s see if this prediction can hold better than my last!

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