Anti-United Bias? Sir Alex Escapes FA Sanction After Ref Clash

Sir Alex Ferguson clashed with match officials on Boxing Day (Guardian.co.uk)

The English FA confirmed that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will not face disciplinary action following a halftime clash with match officials during United's 4-3 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day.  In the 28th minute Newcastle appeared to have tallied their second goal of the match on a Jonny Evans own goal.  Newcastle forward Papiss Cisse was in the area, and in an offside position.  The assistant referee ruled the goal out by raising the offside flag, but head referee Mike Dean overruled his assistant, allowing the own goal to stand on the interpretation that Cisse, while he was in an offside position, did not interfere with play.

Sir Alex was furious and animatedly approached Dean as the sides headed to the locker rooms for halftime.  Not getting what he wanted from Dean, Ferguson then rounded on the fourth official and confronted the linesman as well.

In their statement on the matter, the FA said that they were declining to pursue action against the United manager because referee Dean did not mention the incident in his match report.  The Premier League did, however, backup Dean's interpretation of the rules and events by stating: "as Cisse did not play the ball, then he was not interfering with play. It is also the case that Cisse didn't interfere with the opponent."

United ended up winning the match 4-3 after a 90th minute goal from Javier Hernandez.  The win, coupled with Manchester City's 1-0 loss to Sunderland, increased their lead at the top of the EPL to 7 points.  However, perhaps Sir Alex should be more concerned with his poor goal-keeping prospects and Swiss cheese defense than referee's decisions. 

Opinion: MLS Pushing "NY2" Way Too Hard

Area of proposed stadium for "NY2" (WSJ/Empire of Soccer)

Outside of David Beckham's exit from the league, there hasn't really been a bigger story in the post season, at least from a league wide perspective, than the possible location of a 20th MLS franchise in New York City, specifically in Flushing Meadows, Queens.

The league has launched a huge PR campaign in recent days about the proposed site for their new stadium.  They launched a twitter handle for the purpose and even hosted a town hall style informational meeting last week in Queens to pitch their idea to the local community.   However, not everyone, both inside and outside of Queens, has been impressed, and the rather vocal opposition seems to have taken the league and its advocates a little by surprise.

Local residents opposed to the plan turned up at Don Garber's little party last week, and complained that they, and anyone who suggested they were against the stadium bid, were directed to an off floor overflow area apart from the Commissioner and the rest of the crowd.  The league responded by saying that they were just late, as the seating was open, but other reports said that passes given to advocates of the stadium were clearly marked with seating assignments.  Geoffery Croft, president of New York City Park Advocates was quoted as saying: "This is not a town hall meeting, it is a pep rally sponsored, bought, and paid for by Major League Soccer."  Croft also confirmed that they were asking people's opinions of the stadium site at the door before directing them to a seating area.

So why are some of the local folks in Queens having an issue with this?  To hear MLS talk, the area is practically BEGGING them to build on their site and bring their product to NYC proper.  The league is also suggesting that MLS is somehow not whole without a "dominant team in the nation's dominant city," to paraphrase Garber himself.

Part of the issue is that the site that MLS wants to build on is public park land.  Supposedly according to law in the area, MLS would have to find the same acreage in the area to replace the park land with.  There has been little to no evidence that MLS has done this yet, which has caused Garber to walk back his statement that the deal was "near the finish line." However, there are no rules in place stating that the replacement public park land has to be in the borough of Queens.  That and the fact that MLS's search for this land has been closed to public input has caused growing concern in Queens.

Worse yet for MLS, some of the local media have issued editorials condemning the site.  Both the Queens Chronicle and the Queens Tribune have done this.  I urge those who think that locals are fully behind this effort to take a look at these two editorials.  There were also demonstrations against the stadium site yesterday which curiously evaded coverage from the official league outlets.  It is interesting to note that a lot of this opposition isn't opposed to the idea of soccer in Queens, but that this is the wrong place for it to happen, which leads to my opinion on the subject, namely that MLS is pushing this way too hard, both down the throats of the locals and the non NY based fans of soccer in the USA.

Now I don't live in the NY/NJ area.  I've never been there.  To read a lot of the social media comments, that means that I don't have a good reason or right to stick my nose and my two cents into this issue.  I call BS on that.  What I am is a season ticket holder for an MLS franchise and I care greatly about how the league uses the money spent by me and my fellow fans in support of growing the beautiful game in the USA.  MLS and soccer have grown in the USA, no doubt about it, and it seems to me that the league is on the verge of really trading in a lot of it's good name value on a land grab for a stadium for a team that doesn't even exist yet.  Usually there is an interested ownership group and stadium plan in place when the league awards a franchise.  Now there is no definite ownership group, at least as of yet, and the stadium plan is financed and put in place by the league?  Sorry if I'm skeptical.  Also, if the free market dictates that MLS just HAS TO BE in Queens, why has it not happened in 15 years?  If investors are so hot to trot on it, where have they been?

Plus I'm not sure that putting a team in NY proper is any kind of panacea for the league's sagging tv ratings, both country wide and in the NY market area.  Look at all the empty seats at Red Bull Arena.  Don't give me the line about the drive from Queens to Jersey.  We drive an hour plus in traffic to see RSL play.  Plus if that's only reason, put the Red Bulls in Queens and be done with it.  Stop pretending that a second team is going to blow the market open.  One could watch nearly every Red Bulls game on National TV this last year featuring one of the great players of our time, Thierry Henry, and one of the big name players out of Mexico, Rafa Marquez, to attract the Latino viewers.  They even pasted his face all over Red Bull cans.  Then they brought in a bona fide star of the EPL in Tim Cahill, supposedly to win over more of us Euro snobs.  We still didn't watch.  However, you drop a team on public park land in Queens and all of the sudden we all start to watch both them and the Red Bulls?  I don't think so.  Lets face it, the creation of a derby in the LA area didn't help, of course any conversation involving what has or hasn't happened at Chivas USA is opening up a whole other can of worms  In the end, I just don't think that dropping a team in Queens is going to make people watch if they don't already watch Henry, Cahill, and company.

Now I'm not saying MLS should never go to NY proper.   If there really is the demand, then of course it makes sense for the league to have a presence in the market.  I just don't think the time or the site are right.  I don't think the league has any business trying to pull public park land out from under a community that obviously has it's concerns.  I would also be more in favor of it if the League already had an ownership group and independent stadium financing announced and in place.  Again, if MLS is wanted in NY so badly, lets get the investors on record and have them put the money where their mouth is, instead of the league's money.

There are several other things MLS could be doing to help spur league growth in new franchises as well as to bolster the teams already in the league.  DC United and the New England Revolution desperately need stadiums of their own.  The wonderful fans of DC get lost in the pit that is RFK, and while the throwball/MLS partnership works well in Seattle, it doesn't in New England.  It's really hard to watch a Revs match with 2/3 of the seats visible to the TV cameras being tarped off.  Certainly the league has been working some with these two teams. but I think this needs to be a much bigger priority than "NY2."

There are several other markets currently almost begging MLS for a team.  Some of these are markets that have USL Pro or NASL sides that could be just as successful as Seattle, Portland, or Montreal.  These are places like Atlanta, San Antonio, and Orlando.  Of course, people always point to the fact that Florida has had two failed franchises in the past.   This is true, but having lived in Florida I can tell you that Miami (Fusion) and Tampa Bay (Mutiny) were and still are largely throwball, or if you prefer handegg, towns.  Baseball might be second, and in Miami these days you have the NBA to contend with.  Orlando is not an NFL town.  It never will be.  There isn't a Major League Baseball team, and it's no more an NBA town than Salt Lake City is.  Trust me, I lived there.  Orlando City in USL has drawn extremely well and has received a great deal of positive press football wise.  They can definitely support an MLS team in the very near future, and it would give the league a chance to make inroads in a market where they have none at all.   I just wish the league, who has already said that they'll be going over FIFA's 20 team limit, would look seriously at some of these other things instead of forcing NY2.

In the end, I think football can and will work in NY proper, but isn't ever going to be the brand the Cosmos had.  There's just too much competition for the sporting dollar in New York City, and I don't see Messi or Ronaldo showing up like Pele did for the Cosmos.  Agree or disagree, but I think the league needs to put this on the back burner and find a site in NYC that the local public is more comfortable with.  Who is going to show up and watch the team if you piss off the locals?  While that search continues, MLS should continue to support the teams they already have and focus on growing the game in different parts of the country that are just waiting to receive it with open arms.

Juventus Down Palermo In Conte Return

Antonio Conte returned from his ban to manage Juve on Sunday (AP/LaPresse)

Juventus got their manager Antonio Conte back for Sunday's match at Palermo after he had served a four month ban for looking the other way involving match fixing that took place before his managerial term at Juve.  They were able to welcome him back with a fairly convincing win, especially being that Sicily can be a tough place for opponents to come and play.  Of course, they did alright while he was gone as well, staying top of the table in the Serie A while advancing to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Palermo came out the better side in this one though and controlled the first 20 minutes of play while Juventus looked vulnerable.  In the 11th minute Jasmin Kurtic sent a screaming drive in on the Juventus goal that forced a quality save from Gigi Buffon, and in the 14th minute a defender just managed to step in the way of a shot from Josip Illicic that was seemingly destined for the back of the net.  On 17 minutes Frabizio Miccoli found the back of the net for Palermo, but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside.

That seemed to be a bit of a wake up call for Juve as they gradually started to find their feet and push into Palermo's defensive third.  In the 30th minute Claudio Marchisio had a nice look from the center of the area, but just floated his shot over the bar.  In the 36th Marchisio had a shot blocked from close range and the rebound fell kindly to Mirko Vucinic, who just couldn't quite find his mark as his return shot clanged off the near post and rolled away for the Palermo 'keeper to collect.

Juventus would continue to look dangerous throughout the rest of the half, and nearly took the lead once again in the 44th minute.  This time it was Alessandro Matri that tested the Palermo 'keeper, firing a shot at him from point blank range.  Samir Ujkani's instincts did not fail him though, and he was able to corral it, preserving the scoreless draw going into halftime.

Juve announced their intentions right away in half number 2 though.  In the 46th minute Vucinic again went close, but found himself drawing woodwork for the the second time in the match.  However he totally redeemed himself in the 50th minute, sliding one of the niftiest backheel passes that you're ever likely to see to Stephan Lichtsteiner, who promptly slotted home the match's lone goal from close range to make it 0-1 to Juventus.

Both sides would put up one more quality chance in the match.  For Juve, Andrea Pirlo nearly handed Vucinic another assist in the 62nd, volleying his cross toward goal, but again Ujkani was up to it.  Palermo had their best chance for an equalizer in the 82nd minute when they managed to get the ball to the feet of Miccoli on a quick counter attack.  However the Italian international couldn't find the target, knocking the shot just high and sealing Palermo's 0-1 defeat to the Old Lady at home.

2012 MLS Inquest: FC Dallas

Brek Shea's season was plagued by injuries and disciplinary issues.

2012 MLS Inquest: FC Dallas

Record: 9-13-12

Points: 39

Position: 6th, Western Conference

Player of the Year: David Ferreira

How can a guy that missed half of the season due to injury be player of the year for a team?  It's simple.  Before the 2010 MVP returned from his broken ankle that had cost him the better part of both the 2011 and the 2012 campaigns, Dallas was barely a team.  After his return, the Hoops made a push out of the Western Conference cellar and landed close to the Vancouver Whitecaps for the final playoff spot in the West.  In the end, the stats might not have shown it, only 2 goals in 17 games, but after seeing him torch RSL at Rio Tinto Stadium, I realized exactly what his presence meant to the team.

Flop of the Year: Brek Shea

I actually thought long and hard about this one.  On the surface the stats don't look too bad for the young US International.  He had three goals and two assists in 21 games, but the reality of the situation is that he was far less dangerous when he was on the field.  Unfortunately for Brek, his highest profile moment of the season came when he intentionally kicked a ball at a linesman in Columbus, resulting in a lengthy suspension.  I would characterize it more of a season of growing pains for Brek though.  He still can be one of the best in the league, and sometimes we forget that he is still very young.  I don't believe he was quite ready to be the leader the team needed without Ferreira, but if David can stay healthy, he should continue to grow as the team's situation improves.

The Good:

Dallas finished the regular season strong, picking up points in 8 of their last ten matches.  The run was highlighted by the 2-1 victory at Real Salt Lake and two wins over the Vancouver Whitecaps, who were right in front of them for playoff positioning.  Coming into the final 3 matches of the season, they looked to be almost certain of catching Vancouver, with 2 of the last 3 matches against lowly Chivas USA, it didn't turn out that way though, which leads us to........

The Bad:

The Hoops melted down when it mattered most, right at the end of the season.  To begin that crucial final three match run, they failed to muster more than a draw against Chivas USA.  One might have thought they would up for at least a draw against a Seattle side that wasn't playing particularly well in their next match, but they ran into a Sounders side pushing for playoff positioning and got eaten alive, pretty much ending the playoff push.  Their last match of the season ended in disappointment again, as they drew once again with the Goats.

The Ugly:

Many of FC Dallas's wounds were self inflicted this year, as the team suffered from a severe lack of discipline early on in the campaign.  Certainly the fact that the team was bitten by the injury bug didn't help, but the Hoops could not seem to control their frustrations, and much of it came out on the pitch, with consequences.  I've already mentioned Shea's suspension for kicking the ball at the linesman.  The team also picked up six red cards on the year, including two from Captain Daniel Hernandez, and two from defender Zach Lloyd.  Blas Perez continued to gain a reputation in the league for diving, a complaint that is sometimes lodged against Ferreira as well.  It really got to a point where Dallas could not seem to get out of their own way on the pitch, and it cost them some results.

The Verdict:

The season ultimately ended in disappointment for Dallas, but it could have been much, much worse.  Around midseason they were mired in the bottom of the western conference, Ferreira was still injured, and Shea was suspended.    Keeper Kevin Hartman seemed to be the only man keeping Dallas in some matches.  They persevered though, recovering from the injury bug to make a push for the playoffs, though they eventually fell short.  One must wonder if they would have given LA more of a push had they gotten into the playoffs instead of the dead in the water Vancouver Whitecaps.  I really would like to say that the forecast is probably brighter next season, but I'm not so sure.  They did re-sign defender George John, which has been a high point of the offseason so far, however some folks, including myself, were left scratching heads over the rejection of Kevin Hartman.  If Ferreira stays healthy and Shea rounds back into form, Dallas can be very dangerous.  However, the last two years since their MLS Cup appearance have been pretty disappointing, so for me, they'll have a lot to prove before being considered one of the best in the West again.

MLS Notes, 12/9/12: Re-entry Draft and Philadelphia ReUnion

The Chicago Fire acquired Maicon Santos in the MLS Reentry draft.

Things simmered on the MLS transaction front this week after RSL and the Portland Timbers started proceedings with a bang last Monday.  There were a couple of notable trades that went down, and the league held the first phase of it's reentry draft.  There were some decent names on the table, but for the most part the first phase was a dull affair, with only one team in action.

The Chicago Fire were that one team that picked up a player in phase one.  They picked up forward Maicon Santos, who had had his option declined by DC United.  Santos started last season really well for United, and looked to have finally found a home at RFK.  However, as the season wore on his playing time and production tailed off, leading DC to ultimately to deem him expendable.

No other team picked up a player in the first phase, and teams are now free to negotiate with their declined players leading up to the second pahse of the draft later this coming week.

There was also some really good news for Sons of Ben and the supporters of the Philadelphia Union.  Fan favorite Sebastian Le Toux traded back to the Union from the New York Red Bulls.  Le Toux had been shipped out to the Vancouver Whitecaps prior to 2012 as part of Peter Nowak's purge.  Later in the season the Whitecaps sent him to the Red Bulls as part of the deal that sent Dane Richards to Vancouver.  Le Toux was excited about returning to Philly, where he hopes he can remain for the duration of his MLS stay.

That was not all of the activity for the Union however.  They also acquired defender Jeff Parke from the Seattle Sounders, who are in need of cap relief.  They also loaned midfielder Zach Pfeffer to Hoffenheim in Germany.

RSL: Reality, Retooling, and Reloading

There will be new faces at the RioT, and that's not a bad thing.

The Story so far: Real Salt Lake has let a number, a large number, of key players go on their way in the wake of the 2012 campaign where they came up short.  These names are familiar to all RSL fans: Olave and Espindola were sent to New York,  Will Johnson was sent to the Portland Timbers.  Other less legendary but equally important cogs in the team were sent packing as well.  The club declined options on Emiliano Bonfigli, Paulo Jr, Kyle Reynish, and Jonny Steele.  Salt Lake native Justin Braun was also sent to TFC after failing to impress Jason Kreis enough to crack the 18 on most days.

RSL made a couple of additions as well.  They signed GK Jeff Antinella from the NASL Tampa Bay Rowdies.  Antinella was in the NASL best XI this last year as they beat the Minnesota Stars to claim the NASL Title.  In the final, he did something that RSL could not do:  beat the Stars.  They also acquired former Notre Dame standout defender Aaron Maund from TFC in exchange for Braun, plugging the roster hole in defense left by Olave.  The trades for Olave, Espindola, and Johnson brought major allocation money, which the team will have several uses for.

RSL also announced the re-signing of two key players: fullbacks Tony Beltran and Chris Wingert.  This keeps the defense line in superior shape while preventing RSL from taking a hit at FB, one position where they were short on depth.

Why did RSL make these moves?  Contrary to widely held beliefs on the RSL FB comment section, it wasn't to tank the team in favor of getting a bunch of cash or to screw the fans who have faithfully supported the club through good times and bad.  The Claret and Cobalt were up against several harsh realities of life in MLS and professional sports in the United States.

First off, MLS players are entitled to minimum pay raises as per league policy.  RSL was already hard up against the cap in 2012, and these minimum pay increases would have put them well over it in 2013.  It's a fact of life, the math didn't work.  The salary dump from Olave, Espindola, and Johnson will bring much needed cap relief.  The salary cap colors most of the other realities as well.

The second reality is that RSL needed some more cash to try to re-sign Javier Morales.  The allocation money as well as cap space will give them wiggle room in this respect.  GM Garth Lagerway said yesterday that some Mexican clubs are in for Morales as well, so keeping him won't be cheap.  Sources seem to indicate that he wants to stay here, so maybe he'll give us a little hometown discount.  While Javi hasn't been quite the same since his injury, I do not believe his talents are replaceable at cheaper price.

Next, MF Luis Gil loses his Generation Addidas tag this year, so if RSL want to hold onto him, they'll need some cash and cap room.  Trust me, we want to hold onto him as long as we can.  Gil is well on the path to being a significant talent both in MLS and for the US International System, in fact he is likely to see major action in the U-20 World Cup for the USA next year.  By all accounts, he's the real deal and has a great chance of making a move to Europe someday.  Next year we'll be able to keep him and give him the minutes he needs to develop.  I believe he's ready for that chance.

The final reality is very stark, and it cost RSL both in the CCL run this year and in the MLS Cup playoffs.  We need guys who can score goals, who can be creative and not just possess the ball.  Really the only proven, consistent goal scorer RSL had was Alvaro Saborio, our one remaining forward.  Fabian was inconsistent at best, and in my opinion, drifted wide too much.  Paulo Jr, while talented and speedy, was basically Fabian Lite.  Bonfigli did not seize his chances at all, and it was obvious by the end of the season that the Justin Braun experiment was a failure.  We needed to reload at forward, desperately.

In that same vein, we also need goals from more positions on the pitch.  Will Johnson, while the hardest working guy on the team and a spot goal scorer, doesn't bring a consistent scoring threat from that midfield position.  He's always willing to have a go, but more often than not the ball finds the supporters section instead of the back of the net.  I'm certainly not trying to bash Will.  I don't think RSL would have gotten where they did without him.  He's a great player and truly has the heart of a lion, but the team needs a little different kind of a player there, which they can now go out and pursue.

We can also perhaps get a more creative midfielder as well.  Sabo is a target man who most often thrives off of quality service into the penalty area.  Javi can provide that.  I think Luis can provide that.  Grabavoy can as well.  Will was not the best crosser, as we saw painfully demonstrated in the last playoff game against the Sounders.  We can be, and I think need to be, much more dynamic in the midfield.  Cue guys like David Vianna, Sebastian Velasquez, and Enzo Martinez.   Don't sleep on Cole Grossman either, he has some potential.  We need to give more of a purpose to our possession.

I also feel the need to point out that we still have the spine of our great team intact, pending Javi's situation.  Go up the Middle of the formation and what names do you see?

Rimando

Borchers/Schuler

Beckerman

Morales

Saborio

Now of course Sabo is a forward, not playing in the middle generally, but he's a target man in the box, which is why I characterized him that way.  If you fill in Beltran and Wingert at FB and Grabavoy and Gil on the sides of the diamond, what have we really lost?  Three goals and three assists from Will Johnson, which Gil is more than capable of replacing if not surpassing.  Also don't forget that Kwame Watson-Siriboe also has the potential to be huge alongside Borchers and Schuler while Maund matures.  Antinella should be more than capable behind Rimando, and I expect that he's actually an upgrade from Reynish, again no offense to Kyle.

So what do we still need?  Obviously I think priority one is to lock up Javi, which I'm sure is the focus of the front office at the moment.  We need forwards, especially a good up top partner for Sabo.  Garth said yesterday that the team would be looking overseas for that man, so don't expect  that to happen before the international transfer window opens in January.  I do however, expect RSL will add depth to the forward corps with some tried and true MLS guys, and maybe another minor international type.

I also think we need another decent midfielder and perhaps some veteran depth there as well.  Justin Mapp is a MLS vet and is available in the reentry draft.  While not a major dynamic attacker, he is capable of providing service and a Ned Grabavoy like work rate.  Probably won't happen, but he is an interesting option, though I don't expect RSL to be overly active in that draft.

Suffice it to say that I think Jason and Garth have done an outstanding job handling something that was going to happen one way or another.  The club could have just sold all our vets, guys like Beckerman, Borchers, Rimando, Wingert, etc and started over with a baby-face club, but they didn't.  I think we're well positioned to remain competitive for the future, and these moves will also give us wiggle room next summer if things don't go as planned.

So there it is, a logical look at what is happening with the team and some nice reasons why fans shouldn't panic.  If one looks at things from the eyes of a manager or a neutral, and not just the cloudy eyes of a home fan who is sad to see favorite players depart, then it can be seen that RSL has PLENTY of hope for the future.

QPR Efforts Net Draw Against Villa

Eric Lichaj and David Hoilett do battle on the ball. (Getty Images)

Harry Redknapp's home debut as QPR manager was fairly positive in most regards.  About the only thing they failed to pull out was a result.  Rangers certainly looked much more confident in attack as well as possession, but in the end an early defensive miscue would cost them the chance at all three points at Loftus Road.

QPR came out of the opening whistle like a house on fire.  They moved the ball very well in the opening five minutes and backed Aston Villa, in their road green strip, down into their own end.  The unfortunate thing was that they could only manage one shot out of all the pressure, a distance effort from Adel Taarabt that was blocked in the 5th minute.

Villa finally got a touch of the ball after the opening storm and proceeded into the QPR half.  To their credit, they took their big chance when it came their way,  In the 8th minute Ashley Westwood found Brett Holman just outside of the penalty arc.  The Villa midfielder proceeded to blast a cannon shot at goal between Rob Green and his near post.  The former England man got his hands to it, but wasn't able to turn it away as the ball deflected off his hands and into the inside of the side netting to give the away side a 0-1 lead.

QPR responded well though, coping with the shock and going back on the attack a few minutes later.  In the 18th minute Samba Diakite found Jamie Mackie in the area with a spot on early cross.  Mackie got great contact on it and put it past Brad Guzan in goal to make it 1-1 just 10 minutes after Villa had taken the lead.

QPR would have two golden chances to take the lead later on in the half, both coming off of long balls.  In the 29th minute Shaun Wright Phillips got himself in the middle of a 1v1 situation with Brad Guzan but the Villa 'keeper stoned him cold with a great save.  Four minutes later Wright Phillips found himself in the same situation, this time beating Guzan but clanging his shot off the near post.

There was also a scary moment for QPR and their fans late on in the first half.   In the the 33rd minute Stephane M'bia collided with Gabriel Agbonlahor just outside the center circle and collapsed into a heap with an apparent head injury.  The physios rushed out to treat him, concentrating on his head and neck, which they braced before stretchering him off the field.  He was taken to a hospital, but apparently suffered no major damage.

The second half was largely a dull affair, but still QPR had a couple of quality chances to take the lead.  In the 58th minute former United man Ji-Sung Park found himself alone in the penalty area, but smacked his shot right at Guzan, who easily parried the blow.

Rangers would have two decent chances to win late on as well, but again Guzan was up to the task on both opportunities.  In the 80th minute Taarabt hit Chris Hill in the area and Hill directed a header to the top corner, but Guzan was able to neutralize it.  The American shined one more time in the 82nd minute, stopping a low shot from Armand Traore to preserve the 1-1 draw at full time.

RSL Begin Parting of Ways

Fabian Espindola (left) is one of the faces departing RSL

Ever since RSL was eliminated from this year's CONCACAF Champions League, the fans (and players) have been waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop.  Without winning MLS Cup or advancing in CCL, the Claret and Cobalt wouldn't be receiving any extra allocation money to put toward keeping the team together, combined with the fact that they were hard up against the salary cap.  The news began to trickle out today, and it was not happy news for the fans.

Ives Galarcep began breaking the story this evening.  When the MLS roster freeze comes off on Monday, RSL is expected to pull the trigger on two deals.  First off, defender Jamison Olave and forward Fabian Espindola are headed to the New York Red Bulls in exchange for allocation money.  These are two of the key men in RSL's Championship run in 2009, as well as the 2010-2011 CCL Final run.  Olave was MLS defender of the year in 2010 and Espindola is 2nd on the team in all time goals.

The second trade is a little less of a blockbuster, but just as heartbreaking for the fans.  Midfielder Will Johnson is set to be shipped to the Portland Timbers in exchange for yet more allocation money.  The Canadian International has played all but 6 of his 120 career MLS games with Real Salt Lake.  It seems fans have been most shocked about this move when one looks at the response on social media.

Last but not least, MF Jonny Steele is departing the club after 1 season.  While he certainly seemed to lack consistency overall, he was always worked his tail off and provided the fans with great memories with goals both at Portland and the dagger game winner against TFC at home.  He certainly contributed to the team this season.

It's worth saying that as of this writing, late Sunday night, these moves have not been confirmed as the roster freeze is still on.  However, no one representing the clubs involved, the league, or the players has denied it.    This should go down during the next couple of days, and rumor is that RSL may not be done.

I can tell you one thing that this off-season will not be: boring.  The Puddle wishes all of these guys the best as they pursue their careers and they will always be part of the RSL Family.

An Idea For a Common Sense Approach to Swearing at MLS Matches.

MLS Commissioner Garber has returned the language issue to the spotlight.

In an interview with Grant Wahl this week, MLS Commissioner Don Garber has helped reignite the debate over foul language and chants at MLS matches.  In the interview he speaks of attending a match at San Jose where Quakes supporters were using foul language directed at the supporters and players of the other team.  He was sitting with coach Frank Yallop's wife, who he said felt compelled to apologize to him.  He also says that a fan sitting in the vicinity asked him if that was really the behavior that the league wanted to present to his young children.  In the wake of this, some clubs, like RSL on their official twitter feed, have announced "zero tolerance" policies toward language at their matches starting next season.

This has been a controversial issue in the past as MLS and some of the clubs have sought to do away with various chants such as the infamous "YSA" (You suck, assh*le), which in itself is the embodiment of a homophobic chant often employed in Mexican and Latin American countries.  Oh, and at Chivas USA matches.  Supporters groups have sometimes felt singled out, which frustrates them because they are arguably the club's most committed followers and spend a great deal of money on tickets, concessions, merchandise, etc.  When people turn up to support a team on the road, it's often these supporter groups who have turned out the money and expense to make the trip.

Now, before I go into my opinion in the issue, and what I think would be a common sense approach to dealing with it, we need to acknowledge a couple of things.  First off, a private organization such as MLS or a football club have every right to limit speech on private property.  Period.  This is not exactly a new issue.  Here in Utah, a battle over this issue was fought several years ago about whether the LDS church could limit speech and behavior on the Main Street Plaza, land it had purchased from Salt Lake City.  Now, that issue was wrapped up in all kinds of things like pedestrian right of ways and such, but in the end, yes, the LDS church was allowed to regulate speech and behavior on their property.  Likewise, MLS and it's clubs have the right to eject someone from a stadium for violating a code of conduct, just like you have the right to ask someone to leave your home if they're engaging in something you find to be objectionable.

Second, we need to understand that what people find offensive various extremely from person to person.  There are things that most of us can agree on.  Most folks would agree that racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs are not acceptable behavior, especially in public.  A good number of folks would also agree that the F word is also not acceptable.  However, when you get past that point, the waters start to be muddied somewhat.  It gets to the point where having public policing of language starts to become the be all/end all of security and creates a very tense atmosphere in the stands.  Some MLS clubs have already had this happen.

So, that being said, how would I suggest the issue be dealt with?

First off, any policy or code must be clear and concise.  It should be specific, written down, and published well before next season so that it can be distributed and understood by fans and supporters.   This will also give people the chance to ask questions or seek clarification on the policy.  The goal would be to have everyone understand EXACTLY what is expected of them when they enter the stadium in 2013.  Just a nebulous statement like "we now have a zero tolerance policy" on language is not good enough.

By specifics, I mean we need to see exactly what words are considered to be offensive.  Spell them out, don't just say "swearing or cursing."  There should be little room for interpretation.  The club/league should also note that it can be added to, but again, ample notice should be given for changes or additions to the policy.  Also people need to be told that not every word that they might find offensive will be a part of that policy.  Do we really want to start throwing supporters out because someone gets offended when someone else tells a ref to "piss off?"  Should we be opening people up to sanctions because they yell "damn it" when someone misses a shot at goal?  Lets face it folks, at some point your kids are gonna hear swear words, period.  Life does not take place inside a church house.  I'll also say that for the most part, the language I heard in the hallways of my high school was far worse than anything I've heard at an RSL match in the last three years since I moved back from Florida, and I went to high school right here in the great state of Utah.

Next up, family sections should be encouraged and perhaps expanded.  People who are repeatedly offended by things like language should be encouraged to use these sections.  If this issue is really as big of a problem as the league is making it out to be, perhaps there needs to be more seats added to these sections.  It's also common sense to make sure these sections are not right alongside the supporters sections.

Also, there needs to be a warning system in place and a way to appeal the security and stadium decisions. This should also be written down and published.  Again, I don't think the goal of the league is, or should be, to ban supporters for life at a first offense.  Language isn't murder, even on private property.  Once the code or policy has been violated, the individual in question should be given a chance to correct or amend his or her behavior.  Most people will take that chance to heart and the issue will be done.  If the behavior continues. perhaps a short term ban is in order.  Lifetime bans from stadiums and club events should be the last resort and only used for repeated offenders, extreme situations, or instances of threat or physical violence.  Coming out with nebulous and cloudy statements like "we now have a zero tolerance policy" only serves to create a Nanny State in the stands, and isn't really what most people want.

Finally the clubs and the league need to be working directly with the leaders of supporters groups to try and get rid of these chants.  This has happened to various degrees and results have been mixed.  There should be incentives to get the groups to stop, maybe another meet the team night, or discounted concessions, or something along these lines.  I know it's tempting to say that "They should just do this because it's the right thing to do" or  "we shouldn't have to reward people for exhibiting the behavior that's expected of them."  While both of these statement have the ring of truth to them, it's also true that you catch more flies with honey, so to speak.

On the other hand, the sanctions that the group will be exposed to if cooperation doesn't happen need to be clearly set out as well.  Things like flags and bullhorns could be disallowed to start.  Tougher sanctions might be to limit tickets for away match organized trips or the loss of any relationship to the club or league.  Again, this can't be a "do it or else" type policy with no specifics.

Also, these procedures should somewhat uniform across the league.  Why should fans in Salt Lake give up YSA when they watch TV and hear the Spanish form of the chant at Chivas matches or hear about how their team is gonna "take it up the ass" at Red Bulls matches?  The same rules should apply to everyone.

In the end, we need to realize that it is just plain impossible to police what comes out of everyone's mouths.  The league needs to stop making this a national crisis and to me, the collective American public needs to get over itself.  Remember the firestorm when Janet Jackson's breast got exposed for like 2 seconds during the Super Bowl halftime show?  Was it ideal?  Of course not.  Did the sun come up the next morning?  Yes.  Parents can make teachable moments out of these incidents for kids without playing it up to be a national emergency.  News flash:  your kids are gonna hear foul language.  They're going to run across the occasional exposed breast.  However, you know what calls attention to these things for kids? Well, it happens when people make a big deal out of it.  While certain standards of behavior should be followed in public, lets stop acting like it's a big issue threatening the integrity of MLS.  This can be addressed using common sense solutions and we don't need to try to kill the proverbial ant with an atomic bomb.

In the end, the goal is try to encourage an environment where everyone can go out and enjoy a match.  However, that often comes down to people taking personal responsibility for their own actions and their reactions to the actions of others.  It's wrong for a fan to expect that they're going to go to a soccer match and not hear a swear word.  Ok well maybe it's not wrong per se, but it's certainly unrealistic.  Most people, even those people who swear, are decent people and will respond just fine to being asked to cut it out for 90 minutes or so.

My friend and I are season ticket holders at Real Salt Lake.  We have a wonderful family that sits right in front of us.  They have for a couple of years.  We get along just fine.  Sure, while I sometimes swear like a sailor in private, at matches I tone it down out of respect for them.  A couple of times I've lost my head, and to their credit they have never once even made a peep about it.  Every time the big flag is passed around at halftime, we make sure to pull it down so their kids get to be a part of it too.  When we've caught souvenir balls or shirts, we usually give them to the kids, because we like seeing everyone have a good time.  That's the way most people are.  If everyone will take some personal responsibility and the league would give clear guidelines, "the problem" would be solved.

MLS Hands Out More Awards Prior to MLS Cup

Sporting KC's Jimmy Nielsen was named Goalkeeper of the Year

Major League Soccer has handed out three more of it's major awards since announcing their 2012 Best XI on Monday.  None of them were particularly surprising, though I suppose one could make a case for at least couple other guys for each award.  Here's the rundown:

Sporting Kansas City's Jimmy Nielsen, aka the "White Puma," was named MLS goalkeeper of the year.  That's not shocking at all as he was named in the best XI.  Nielsen helped lead Sporting to a US Open Cup win as well as the Eastern Conference top seed before they bowed out to Houston in the Playoffs.  Chivas USA's Dan Kennedy finished second, for some reason, followed by Seattle's Michael Gspurning (who should have won in my opinion) and RSL's Nick Rimando.

The Comeback player of the year award is always one of the most controversial, as the criteria seems to be somewhat nebulous.  This year it was awarded to Seattle's Eddie Johnson, who returned to MLS after a stint in Europe and failing to catch on in Mexico.  Johnson helped lead the Sounders to the Western Conference Finals and made a major impact for the US National Team in World Cup Qualifying.  DC's Chris Pontius and San Jose's Alan Gordon were also in the running for the award.

The league also handed out it's Newcomer of the Year award, giving it to Frederico Higuain of the Columbus Crew.  There's no question that Higuain was a huge plus for the Crew after coming in, but the criticism of this award has been that he only played in 13 games, as opposed to other candidates who played more of the season.  San Jose's Victor Bernardez, Seattle's Gspurning, Vancouver's Y.P. Lee, and Houston's Boniek Garcia were also up for the award.

Puddle's MLS Awards and Best XI

Here's MY humble take on the best of MLS from 2012

Yesterday Major League Soccer announced their best XI for the year, and they'll be announcing the rest of their awards throughout the rest of the week leading up to MLS Cup.  Here is my take on the awards, who I would give them to if I were MLS dictator.  I'm sure all of the players about to be mentioned will value these awards as one of the highlights of their careers, right up there with that time that they got in the face with a line drive shot.

Manager of the Year--Frank Yallop, San Jose Earthquakes.  Yallop was also announced today as the actual coach of the year, and it's really hard to argue with his selection given what the Quakes were able to accomplish.  The men from Buck Shaw tallied 66 points and scored a league high 72 goals en route to picking up the Supporter's Shield and earning a birth in the next CONCACAF Champions League.  I certainly didn't always agree with the way the Quakes played it, but one can't argue with the results in San Jose. (Honorable Mention--Ben Olsen, DC United.)

Goalkeeper of the Year--Michael Gspurning, Seattle Sounders.  I'm going to come out and say that Gspurning got jobbed in the official MLS Best XI.  While Jimmy Nielsen certainly had a great year and was a worthy candidate, The Seattle man had a better goals against average (0.73) and a better save percentage (77%) than the White Puma.  I'm also probably a little biased as I saw Gspurning pretty much stone RSL right out of the playoffs at Rio Tinto Stadium.  He also seems to be very humble and definitely earned a new fan that night. (Honorable Mention--Andy Gruenebaum, Columbus Crew.)

League Most Valuable Player--Chris Wondolowski, San Jose Earthquakes.  I really don't think there is any argument here.  Not only did Wondo tie the mark for most goals in a single season, he was just clutch all throughout the regular season, being totally instrumental in the Quakes' run.  I watched more than a couple of Quakes matches where Wondo would come in off the bench on a "night off" and save the team's bacon late on.  His on field leadership was fantastic and for the most part he stayed away from the antics of his teammates such as Steven Lenhart. (Honorable Mention--Chris Pontius, DC United)

Now with out further ado, my MLS Best XI for 2012:

Goalkeeper--
Michael Gspurning, Seattle Sounders. (H.M.--Andy Gruenebaum, Columbus Crew)

Defenders--
Matt Besler--Sporting Kansas City
Nat Borchers--Real Salt Lake
Justin Morrow--San Jose Earthquakes
Jermaine Taylor--Houston Dynamo
(H.M.--Aurelien Collin, Sporting Kansas City.  Austin Berry, Chicago Fire)

Midfielders--
Chris Pontius--DC United
Graham Zusi--Sporting Kansas City
Brad Davis--Houston Dynamo
(H.M.--Osvaldo Alonso, Seattle Sounders.  Kyle Beckerman, Real Salt Lake. Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy.)

Forwards--
Chris Wondolowski--San Jose Earthquakes
Alvaro Saborio--Real Salt Lake.
Eddie Johnson--Seattle Sounders.
(H.M.--Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy.  Jairo Arrieta, Columbus Crew.  Alan Gordon, San Jose Earthquakes.)

MLS Announces 2012 Best XI

MVP Candidate Chris Wondolowski highlights the 2012 MLS Best XI

Today during his State of the League call, MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced the 2012 MLS Best XI.  The votes are cast by players, club leadership, and media members.  Here is the list, by position.

Goalkeeper--
Jimmy Nielsen--Sporting Kansas City (Denmark)

Defenders--
Victor Bernardez--San Jose Earthquakes (Honduras)
Matt Besler--Sporting Kansas City (USA)
Aurelien Collin--Sporting Kansas City (France)

Midfielders--
Osvaldo Alonso--Seattle Sounders (Cuba)*
Landon Donovan--LA Galaxy (USA)
Graham Zusi----Sporting Kansas City (USA)
Chris Pontius--DC United (USA)

Forwards--
Thierry Henry--New York Red Bulls (France)
Robbie Keane--LA Galaxy (Ireland)
Chris Wondolowski--San Jose Earthquakes (USA)

*Osvaldo Alonso became a naturalized US Citizen earlier this year, however his nationality for FIFA purposes is still Cuba at this point.

The Puddle would like to congratulate these men for their excellent seasons in 2012.

Benitez Era Begins With Boos and a Whimper

Chelsea Fans are not impressed with the hiring of Benitez (Guardian UK)

I'm not sure who put the bug in Roman's ear.  You know, the one said "hire Rafa Benitez, he'll get the job done."  Obviously it wasn't the Chelsea fan base as the supporters at Stamford Bridge made their feelings quite well known Sunday during Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Manchester City.  Not only were there signs like the one above, but boos rained down on the pitch during his introduction.  The crowd also began chanting the name of Roberto Di Matteo, the Champion's League winning manager who was sacked last week after Chelsea dropped a 3-0 result at Italian Champs Juventus.  There's only word for the reception Benitez got: ugly.

 

It's also very convenient that "ugly" is also the best word to describe the match itself.   The recap in the AP notes that "neither side really created any attacking chances of note."  It was just dull, drab, and ugly.  It was the kind of 0-0 draw that makes people hate soccer.  Unfortunately, it was also the kind of drab result that characterized Benitez's short stint at the helm of Inter Milan, where the Nerazzurri  nearly fell to the bottom of the Serie A table before Benitez was sacked midseason.  One would think that brief reign of terror in Milan would have a red flag for Chelsea, but apparently not.

So what did Rafa do?  Well, he put Fernando Torres back in the starting XI.  How did that work out? Horribly.  The Spaniard got one decent look in the entire match, and made a total mess of it.  So here we sit, Torres still didn't score and Chelsea dropped more points at home.

Perhaps there are a couple of mitigating factors here.  First off, there are many teams in the EPL that would gladly take a point vs Man City, the reigning Champions.  The clean sheet was also an improvement, as Chelsea were somewhat bleeding goals in Di Matteo's final weeks.  Plus it's tough to expect any manager to come in and make and immediate improvement against a championship side on a few days notice.

Well, to those factors I say: when you fired the guy that won the FA Cup AND the Champions League, you had better realize that the fans pretty much expect your new guy to hit the ground running.  Obviously Benitez did not.

Could the Benitez experiment come off well?  Sure it could, we'll see.  However I think if he or anyone else is expecting Fernando Torres to return to anything close to the form he had before, they're totally insane.  Chelsea need to go out and get the same kind of finisher that they had with Didier Drogba.  Therein lies the heart of their problem.

MLS Thanksgiving Roundup: Awards, Waiver Draft, and Beckham

David Beckham announced that he is leaving the Galaxy and MLS

News out of MLS has been somewhat slow after the conference championships last weekend, but there were a few noteworthy items, none bigger than the departure of the man pictured above.  LA Galaxy DP David Beckham has announced that this year's MLS Cup will his final game for the Galaxy and MLS.  The former England captain has said he still has another challenge he would like to pursue before his playing career ends.  Thus far he has been coy about where he will end up.

Now as a football fan and fan of MLS as a whole, I certainly appreciate Beckham as an outstanding talent on the pitch.  I got to see him play in person a couple times and that really was something special, but I'll refrain from the rest of the hand wringing that has been coming from the League's social media and in some other blogs and news sites.  The league will be just fine without him, but I definitely wish him the best wherever he ends up.

Also this week MLS had their waiver draft, which was a little odd since the playoffs aren't even over yet.  At any rate, this draft was for players released by the clubs who are not eligible for the reentry draft in a couple of weeks.  There was only one player chosen, as Real Salt Lake drafted former Crew MF Cole Grossman.  He will join the Claret and Cobalt in the preseason.

Finally, the League announced it's Rookie of the Year, the Chicago Fire's Austin Berry.  The former Louisville man started 28 straight games for the Fire in central defense, scoring three goals in the process.  He beat out DC United's Nick DeLeon and Vancouver's Darren Mattocks in the top three.  MLS will announce the rest of the awards in the week leading up to MLS Cup.

Tottenham Fans Attacked in Rome

Italian Police at the scene where Spurs fans were attacked in Rome. (EPA)

Tottenham and their fans will have heavy hearts during their Europa League match against Lazio today after five Spurs fans were injured during an attack by Lazio "ultras" overnight.  The trouble occurred at the "Drunken Ship Pub" In Rome's Campo De Fiori square at approximately 1 AM local time.

The proprietor described the pub as being full of about 30 Spurs fans at the time, most of them between the ages of 40 and 50 and were "quite well behaved."  Shortly after 1 about 50 assailants arrived at the pub, wielding knives, baseball bats, clubs, rocks, and knuckle dusters, among other things.  They beat and chased the Spurs fans into a local street where one fan, identified as Mr. Ashley Mills was "hit with a knife."  As of this morning Mills was still "seriously ill" in a Rome hospital.  The attackers dispersed before the police arrived.

Witnesses describe the attack as having antisemitic tones, as the attackers, dressed in scooter helmets and scarves, were shouting "Jews" at the Spurs fans.  According to the Daily Mail UK, Lazio fans are often right wing types who often use fascist slogans and salutes at their matches.  Spurs supporters are often called the "Yid Army" due to their large Jewish following in North London.

British authorities were said to be monitoring the investigation and confirmed that there will be additional security at the Europa League match between Spurs and Lazio.  The club put the number of injured at 9, and was working with British and Italian Police to investigate and assure their supporters' safety.  Spurs supporters were urged to take shuttle buses to and from the match.

The Ultras also trashed the pub before dispersing, leaving much of the equipment and furniture damaged beyond repair.  For their part, Lazio have denied that their supporters were responsible for the attack.  The Drunken Ship Pub is the same place where three Middlesbrough fans were stabbed during a visit to the city in 2006.

MLS Inquest 2012: Colorado Rapids

A new Rapids core started to come together toward the end of the season

MLS Inquest 2012: Colorado Rapids

Record: 11-19-4

Points: 37

Finish: 7th, Western Conference

Player of the Year: Jaime Castrillon

Under 1st year head coach Oscar Pareja, the Rapids began to turn toward South America to find impact players.  It's a path to success already utilized by teams like Seattle and Real Salt Lake, and while it didn't bring immediate success for Colorado, it brought them Jaime Castrillon.  Castrillon is a dynamic midfielder and Colombian international, and a few teams in MLS felt his sting this year as he led the Rapids with with 8 goals in 30 appearances.  He also notched 4 assists for the club.  He's always an offensive threat, and should be one part of a new core of talent for Pareja to utilize in the coming years.  He was an excellent addition to the club and MLS.

Flop of the Year: Conor Casey

I really don't want to rip Casey as much as I've ripped on some other players in this segment.  A lot of his issues are just due to age and the fact that he was coming off a major injury sustained at Seattle in 2011.  That injury also kept him out for a big chunk of 2012.  In the end the 31 year old Denver native just didn't have the wheels when he did come back from the injury, scoring just twice in 18 matches.  On November 16, the Rapids officially parted ways with Casey, and he departs as the club's all time leading scorer with 48 goals.  It will be interesting to see if another MLS club takes a chance on him.

The Good:

The Rapids not only have developed a good new core for Pareja's more dynamic system, but they supplemented it with some pretty heavy duty experience as well, adding former Wigan Athletic man Hendry Thomas.  Thomas provided a great stabilizing influence in front of the Rapids somewhat vulnerable defense and seemed to free up Jeff Larentowicz to be more active as well.  Thomas should fill another starting slot for Colorado in the coming years.

The Bad:

The defense was way too spotty for the Rapids this year, constantly exposing 'keeper Matt Pickens to insane amounts of shots on goal.  To put it in perspective:  the Rapids scored 9 more goals than playoff bound Vancouver, and only 2 fewer than 2nd place Real Salt Lake.  However, only Portland and Chivas USA gave up more than the Rapids' total of 50.  That mark would have certainly been much higher without the heroics of Pickens in goal.

The Ugly:

Colorado could not earn a draw to save their lives.  Their total of 4 was the fewest in MLS.  That might be ok if you're winning a lot, but the Rapids weren't, dropping 19 matches, 2nd only to TFC's humiliating 21 losses.  There were a fair few blown leads in there as well, which points the finger squarely back at the defense.  Had the Rapids been able to convert a few of those losses to draws, they would have been a factor in the playoff race.

The Verdict:

All is not lost at Dick's Sporting Goods park.  The Rapids started to gel and play better toward the end of the season, and you could certainly see flashes of Pareja's system starting to fire in players like Castrillon, Martin Rivero, and Tony Cascio.  Also, to my mind Matt Pickens is vastly underrated in goal, partly because the poor guy faces so many shots.  He's quality though.  The Rapids have also shown commitment to Pareja and his system.  They resisted the urge to toss him under the bus for the lackluster season, and parted ways with eight players from their old guard (see Conor Casey) in order to free up roster spots and salary for Pareja to work with.  If they choose wisely in the off season, they will be back in the playoff picture next year.

Barcelona's Sanchez Injured on International Duty

Barca's Alexis Sanchez picked up a foot injury on Wednesday

Bad news for Barcelona fans out of the international break.  Alexis Sanchez picked up a foot injury during Chile's 3-1 friendly loss to Serbia on Wednesday.  He is expected to miss up to four weeks.  The injury occured in the 20th minute on a challenge from Serbia's Luka Milivojevic.  The damage itself has been diagnosed as a strained ligament in his right foot.

Sanchez could miss up to eight matches in both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, including Barcelona's clash with Atletico Madrid in a few weeks.  Despite the fact that Barca seems to have a lack of "true" forwards or wingers,  I don't think anyone really doubts that they will continue to score goals in the coming weeks.

MLS Inquest 2012: Philadelphia Union

Carlos Valdes has emerged as a defensive force for the Union (Getty Images)

MLS Inquest 2012: Philadelphia Union
Record: 10-18-6
Points: 36
Finish: 8th (Eastern Conference)


Player of the Year: Carlos Valdes
As the Union often struggled to find goals this year, it was their defense that helped keep them in quite a few matches.  The leader of that defense is Carlos Valdes.  Not only is he a top notch defender, but his foot is a threat on set pieces as well.  His strong play this season for the Union also earned him a look from the Colombian National Team late in the year.  Also impressive for a defender, he only picked up 4 yellow cards in 33 matches, and not one single red card the entire year.  His work rate on the pitch is outstanding, and he rarely puts himself in compromising positions.  Valdes is the kind of rock you can build a team around.

Flop of the Year: Freddy Adu
Have American soccer fans had their fill of Freddy Adu yet?  I hope not, because despite the drama around him and two different head coaches at Philly this year, I still think Adu can be an impact player both in MLS and for the national team.  One does get the sense that the window is closing though.  Peter Nowak seemed to have a man crush on Adu, while John Hackworth seemed to not really have much use for him.  There has to be a middle ground for him, but he struggled to find it, scoring only 5 goals and 1 assist.  How much of it is him and how much of it is his coach?  We may never know, but it's safe to say that he fell short of expectations this year.

The Good:
The Union did improve after John Hackworth was appointed head man following the departure of Peter Nowack.  The on pitch product improved, and the feeling around the club and the organization seemed to pick up as well.  The Union also have one of the best grounds in the league, in my opinion, and great supporters that always provide plenty of atmosphere at their matches, think Sons of Ben.  Unfortunately, these fans really deserve more than they got this season.

The Bad:
One of the biggest issues the Union had this year was their inability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.  For much of the season, they featured Colombian striker Lionard Pajoy, who did manage 5 goals in his time with the club.  Unortunately, Pajoy seemed to have trouble hitting the broadside of a barn, and probably should have been among the league leaders if his finishing was more consistent.  Eventually Pajoy was shown the door in Philly, sent to DC United who made the playoffs while the Union coninued to struggle.

The Ugly:
Unquestionably one of the ugliest situations in MLS this year had to be the departure of Peter Nowak from the Union and the circumstances surrounding it.  Nowak had seen a steady stream of departures from the Union roster, including Sebastian Le Toux, Danny Califf, and Danny Mwanga to name a few. The situation was obviously toxic, and once the weight was lifted and he was dismissed, the Union won 5 out of their next 8 matches, accounting for 50% of their win total for the season.  The drama kept coming though, as Nowak then filed a lawsuit against the Union for wrongful termination.  The Union then turned around and threatened to file criminal and fraudulent allegations against him after it came to light that he may have personally profited from Union player transactions.  I don't know much about the the legal mess, except that it's truly ugly.

The Verdict:
Despite their immediate improvement under John Hackworth, the Union couldn't sustain the momentum and never seriously contended for the Eastern Conference playoffs.  This is a real pity for the club, who saw Nowak systematically dismantle the side's playoff team from the year before.  Losing fan favorite Le Toux seemed to be an especially big blow, considering the issues the Union had scoring goals at times.  Still, the foundation seems to be there for the Union, despite the fact that they need to work out whatever is going on with Adu.  They should fish or cut bait with him.  If they could piece together more of an offensive threat over the off season I could see them competing for a playoff spot again next year.  They have to get better to catch Montreal and Columbus though, who improved significantly.

Ronaldo Out of Portugal Squad With Eye Injury

Cristiano Ronaldo will be undergoing tests on his eye after this injury (Mirror.co.uk)

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo suffered the above eye injury during a 2-1 win at Levante on Sunday.  In the third minute of the match Levante defender David Navarro caught Ronaldo in the left eye with his elbow, resulting in the bloody injury.  Ronaldo would continue and eventually score a goal in the match, but he was eventually subbed out at halftime.

According to Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, Ronaldo had trouble seeing out of the injured eye throughout the first half, and then by the halftime break we was dizzy and having trouble seeing from either eye.  He was due to undergo medical tests upon his return to Madrid.

The bad news extends to Portugal's national team, as the injury has forced him to withdraw from this week's international match. They'll play Gabon in a friendly on Wednesday, but I'm sure both Portugal and Real Madrid would rather have him get the medical help he needs.

The Puddle wishes Ronaldo a speedy recovery and return to the pitch.  It's truly a gruesome injury.

MLS Coaching Hot Seat: Backe and Fraser SACKED

Hans Backe will now have time to concentrate on snow angels (Getty Images)

Two more MLS coaches were given pink slips this weekend.  Though one was certainly more high profile than the other, in the end neither move is really a surprise as both clubs involved fell short of their expectations.  

On Friday, a day after being eliminated from the MLS playoffs by DC United, New York Red Bulls announced that Hans Backe would no longer be their head coach.  Backe's contract expires at the end of the year, and the club announced that it would not be renewed.  Also getting the sack was Backe's assistant Jan Halvor Halvorsen.  The club announced that Mike Petke will oversee the team on an interim basis.

It was largely considered to be MLS Cup or bust for the Red Bulls, and expectations were only raised when they acquired Australian International Tim Cahill from Everton near the end of the summer transfer window.  In the end, it wasn't offense that cost New York, but horrible defense and spotty goalkeeping.

Also on Friday Chivas USA announced that Robin Fraser was out as their head man.  Fraser was considered to be a top choice for a head coaching position in MLS after he was assistant to Jason Kreis in 2009 and 2010.  RSL won the cup in 2009 and had a stellar defense year in 2010, setting a team record for fewest goals allowed.

Fraser never got the ball rolling at Chivas USA though, with only 15 wins over two seasons.  The Goats tanked late this year, not winning in their last 14 games and getting destroyed by their opponents quite often.  Assistant Greg Vanney. head scout Simon Elliott, and trainer Brian Lee were also sacked as Chivas continues to restructure their front office.

Backe and Fraser become the 2nd and 3rd MLS managers to lose their jobs in the wake of the 2012 season.  They join Montreal's Jesse Marsch, who was sacked earlier last week.

Fulham Earn Testy Draw at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta had a forgettable game for the Gunners (Getty Images)

Arsenal vs Fulham is kind of the London derby that isn't, as the Cottagers have never won away to Arsenal and have secured very few draws.  This year's Fulham side is a bit different though, led by Dimitar Berbatov, and looked to alter that horrible away record.  Arsenal had the better of the start, but in the end it was Fulham who were happier on the day.

Fulham came out looking quite positive, moving the ball around rather nicely, and it was a bit odd honestly.  You don't usually see teams come out and have possession against Arsenal, particularly at the Emirates.  However they could only turn this into one early chance, as Bryan Ruiz had a shot deflected just wide of the Arsenal goal in the 4th minute.

The good news for Arsenal was that Olivier Giroud was very active in this one.  The Frenchman has been viewed as a little bit of a bust since coming over to the Gunners, failing to tally in the Premier League.  He opened his account in a big way in this one though.  In the 11th minute Theo Walcott sent a corner kick into the Fulham area and Giroud planted a bullet header just between Fulham 'keeper Mark Schwarzer and his near post to make it 1-0. 

It wasn't just Giroud who got in on the act for the Gunners though.  Lukas Podolski was also among the goals.  In  the 23rd minute the Fulham defense fell asleep at the switch in their own penalty area, allowing Mikel Arteta to easily drop a centering pass off to Podolski at the top of the six.  The German promptly slotted an easy finish past a helpless Schwarzer to make it 2-0.

It was at that point that Dimitar Berbatov decided he had had enough, and took over the game for Fulham, working well on the ball when he had it, and demanding better from his teammates when he didn't.  Berbatov tallied Fulham's first, doinking in a close range header from a corner kick to make it 2-1 on 29 minutes as set piece defense continued to haunt the Gunners.

The former United man was far from finished though and helped pull the Cottagers level before the half.  In the 40th minute he sent a spot on cross over to Alexander Kacaniklic who was coming in from the Fulham left.  Kacaniklic then headed the the ball just inside the near most to make it 2-2 going into the halftime interval.

The second half would be as much of a battle as the first, though a good portion of the story of the stanza would be told from the penalty spot.  In the 65th minute Arsenal conceded a PK as Bryan Ruiz was brought down in the box.  Berbatov pretty much froze Arsenal 'keeper Vito Mannone on the spot kick, icing it into the bottom corner to make it 2-3 to Fulham.  Arsenal looked to be reeling.

It didn't last long though as Giroud and Walcott came to the Gunners rescue again.  In the 69th minute Walcott found the Frenchman lurking in the six with a cross, and Giroud dropped in yet another headed goal to equalize the match with 20 minutes left, 3-3.

Things stayed knotted well into the stoppage time, when controversy reared it's head.  In the 4th minute, referee Phil Dowd awarded Arsenal a PK when an Andrei Arshavin cross bounced off the lowered hand of Sascha Riether from point blank range, it really was a tough call.  The Gunners crowd scratched their heads though when Arteta stepped up to take the penalty as opposed to Giroud, the striker.  Arteta then proceeded to send a tame penalty in toward the corner which Schwarzer easily saved to preserve the draw 3-3 at full time.  It really was a horrible missed opportunity for the Gunners at home.

Marc Burch Suspended For Slur

Seattle's Marc Burch has been suspended & fined by MLS

The MLS Disciplinary Committee is still on task during the playoffs, and today they caught up with Seattle defender Marc Burch.  Burch used a homophobic slur directed at another player during Thursday's Western Conference Semi-final match at Real Salt Lake.  In the 75th minute of the match, Burch was caught by television cameras calling RSL's Will Johnson a "F*ck*ng F*gg*ot."

Reaction by fans of both RSL and Seattle, as well as neutrals, was instant and negative.  The incident called to mind another incident from earlier this season when Houston's Colin Clark directed the same slur at a Seattle ball boy.  Clark was suspended and fined, and the league has followed suit with Burch, who was suspended 3 games and fined an undisclosed amount.  He will also undergo sensitivity training.

For his part, Burch issued a public apology:

"I apologize for my horrific choice of words last night during our match.  This is something that is inconsistent with my family values and because of that I am both disappointed and embarrassed by my level of poor judgment."

The suspension for Burch begins immediately.  He will miss both games against the Galaxy in the Western Conference Finals, as well as MLS Cup if Seattle advances to the Championship.  If they don't, he will serve the final game at the beginning of next season.

Seattle, LA, DC, and Houston Advance to MLS Conference Finals

Tim Cahill and Thierry Henry were unable to push NYRB onward (Getty Images)

To say that the MLS playoffs have been interesting and eventful so far would be an understatement.  We've had games moved and postponed by weather, trophy winners have crashed out, there have been stellar performances in goal, and an era has probably ended at one of MLS's most successful clubs in recent years.

There was another very noticeable trend as well. Every team that had the so called "advantage" of having the second leg of the tie at home lost.  Of those four teams. only Sporting Kansas City went home in trouble, but the visitors were able to move on in every case.

The first series to be decided was Sporting KC versus Houston on Wednesday night.  The Dynamo went to Livestrong Sporting Park up 2-0 on aggregate after beating KC fairly handily at BBVA Compass Stadium.  Sporting pressed Houston all night long, but for the most part came up short trying to find the target.  Seth Sinovic scored for KC on a diving header in the 64th minute, but they couldn't beat Tally Hall again, and the US Open Cup winners crashed out of the MLS Cup Playoffs 1-2 on aggregate. 

The result in Wednesday's second match was perhaps even more surprising.  It looked like business as usual for the San Jose Earthquakes when they scored a stoppage time winner in the first leg of their series at the LA Galaxy, sending them back to Buck Shaw stadium with a 1-0 aggregate lead.   However in the second leg, LA pretty much put the "Goonies" to the sword rather quickly.  Robbie Keane scored twice and Mike Magee added one as the defending MLS Cup Champs pushed out to a 1-3 aggregate lead.  Alan Gordon added a goal late on to make it 2-3, and things seemed like they might be set up for more stoppage time magic for the Quakes, but LA held on to end the season for the Quakes, your 2012 Supporters Shield Winners.

Thursday night the odd series between New York Red Bulls and DC United finished up.  It was supposed to finish Wednesday as well, but the appearance of snow at Hurricane Sandy battered Red Bull Arena forced a 1 day postponement, much to the annoyance of DC United.  In the end, DC would get the last laugh in this wild game.  DC 'keeper Bill Hamid was sent off for bringing down Kenny Cooper in the box in the 69th minute.  Cooper converted the PK, but it was called back after NY's two most expensive players. Tim Cahill and Thierry Henry, were called for encroachment.  DC backup 'keeper Joe Willis saved the second PK attempt to preserve the 1-1 aggregate score from RFK.

Shortly thereafter, Rafa Marquez was sent off for a second yellow card, leaving both sides with 10 men.  DC's Nick DeLeon then found the winning goal late on to make the final aggregate score 1-2.

The final match of the round took place in Sandy between RSL and Seattle Sounders.  The teams had fought to a scoreless, bloody draw in Seattle, and things were largely the same at Rio Tinto Stadium as both Christian Tiffert and Tony Beltran would get bloodied in this hard fought, well played match.  In the end, Seattle capitalized on an RSL mistake, as Jamison Olave turned the ball over and Mario Martinez scored an absolute GOLAZO to notch the only goal of the series as Seattle deservedly took the tie 0-1. 

So now the season has ended for everyone but four teams, and the conference finals are set.  They'll take place over two legs on the next two Sundays, with LA and Houston hosting this weekend and Seattle and DC hosting the second legs next weekend.  Both should be interesting ties.