Puddle's MLS Best XI and Awards: 2013.

I know I'm a little late to the party on this, but I was on vacation during MLS Cup week, and it's been a bit tough to get back into the swing of all things footy given the tough recent run of RSL news.  Nevertheless, I know you've all been waiting with great anticipation to see who I will name to the prestigious "Puddle on the Pitch MLS Best XI."  So....here we go:


GOALKEEPER: Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake.
I thought this was a no brainer.  Obviously MLS didn't agree with me.  Still, I don't think you can discount the year that Rimando had.  He's consistently one of the top 2-3 GKs in MLS year in and year out, and he pulled RSL from the fire more than a few times this year, racking up quite a few "saves of the week" along the away.

DEFENDERS: Chris Klute, Colorado Rapids. Jose Goncalves, New England Revolution.  Omar Gonzalez, L.A. Galaxy.  Tony Beltran, Real Salt Lake.
I don't hold any truck with three at the back, so I'm sticking with the traditional back four.  For my money, Klute and Beltran are the two best, most exciting FBs, defending well and getting in on the offense.  Klute's stock is just going to go up, I promise you.  At CB, I have zero issue with Goncalves as Defender of the Year, as he was a rock for the Revs all season.  Still, I always take Omar as my first choice CB in MLS circles, and he was rightly rewarded with the DP deal this year.

MIDFIELDERS: Graham Zusi, Sporting Kansas City. Dax McCarty, New York Red Bulls. Diego Valeri, Portland Timbers. Kyle Beckerman, Real Salt Lake.
So these choices might look a little odd to you, but I have my reasons.  Zusi is obvious, as he is one of the best, most influential MFs in the league right now and I'd love to have him taking my set pieces.  McCarty is the beating heart of that Red Bulls team, and I'm not sure that there is anyone who plays harder in the league than he does.  Diego Valeri is very deserving of the recognition he's gotten, and he sets the Timbers up for a long time to come.  Of course, for me Kyle Beckerman is the bedrock of RSL and the best CDM in the league.  If he played in NY or Portland, he'd get the recognition that he deserves.

FORWARDS:  Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy.  Camilo, Vancouver Whitecaps.
Robbie Keane is still the most dangerous attacker in the league in my mind, and had a hell of a year again for the Galaxy.  I don't know if he could still do it in Europe, but he is still torching MLS, and that's a fact.  As for Camilo, he nearly carried the Whitecaps into the playoffs by himself.  Despite the fact that defenses continued to key in on him, he continued to score goals.  I think he'll continue to be a huge rising star in MLS.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
GK--Jimmy Nielsen, Sporting Kansas City
DF--Matt Besler, Sporting Kansas City, Jamison Olave, New York Red Bulls, Seth Sinovic, Sporting Kansas City, Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy.
MF--Osvaldo Alonso, Seattle Sounders.  Brad Evans, Seattle Sounders.  Will Johnson, Portland Timbers, Dillon Powers, Colorado Rapids
F--Mike Magee, Chicago Fire, Alvaro Saborio, RSL.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Dillon Powers, Colorado Rapids

MVP: Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy

COACH OF THE YEAR: Oscar Pareja, Colorado Rapids

Puddle's Surprise Team of the Season: Portland Timbers

Puddle's Flop Team of the Season: DC United.

Congratulations to Club Leon, 2013 LigaMx Apertura Champions!

Club Leon beat America to grab the 2013 Apertura Title.

The Puddle would like to pass on congratulations to the 2013 Champions of the LigaMx Apertura: Club Leon.  They took down Club America 3-1 at the Azteca and 5-1 on aggregate to claim the title.  It's the sixth Primera Division title for Leon, but their first since 1992.  All in all this is pretty huge for their club and their fans.  MLS readers will no doubt note the presence of Rafa Marquez in the above photo, as he has kicked his career back into gear as captain of Leon.

It was a pretty exciting two legged series to watch, well at least if you're a Leon fan.  They dropped two goals on America in the opener, but figured they might have a tougher time at the Azteca.  They didn't though as America never really looked to get into the tie.  Kyle McCarthy offers an extremely well written match review over at FoxSoccer.com

LigaMX will now take a break until after the first year, when they'll kick of the 2014 Clausura.  If you're not checking out the product that they're putting out on the field, you're missing some entertaining soccer.   Look up LigaMx on your local Spanish language stations and prepare for some fun, unpredictable footy.

AVB Sacked.......Again.

Another London club has proved too much for AVB. (telegraph.co.uk)

It's tempting to just write up a generic "AVB got sacked" entry and just cut and paste in the details.  Ok, I'm kidding, actually I'm not really.  Spurs have finally had enough of the AVB fad, sacking him just one day after Spurs were humiliated by Liverpool 0-5 at White Hart Lane.  Couple that with a 6-0 beating by City a few weeks ago, and it spelled the end for a man who has now been canned by two big London clubs.

Honestly though, I think AVB was a better fit for Spurs than he was at Chelsea.  I also thought he seemed to have learned from his time at the Bridge as well.  Let's not forget that Spurs had a pretty solid season under him last year, and seemed to be rounding more into form in the Premier League this year as well, at least until the Liverpool thrashing.  Spurs had also won their Europa League group.

Now it seems rather odd that a Chelsea supporter would be coming to the defense of AVB at all, but this just seems like a reactionary move from Spurs.  It's been an odd season in the EPL, just look at the table.  Sure, Spurs are 7th, but they're ahead of Man United.  Also, let's not forget that this team lost Gareth Bale, who is a pretty good player or something.  Villas-Boas and Spurs ownership turned that money right around and invested it in bringing in some pretty nice talent, but they don't seem to have quite gelled all the way.  The question that Spurs fans have to be thinking this morning is: did they have enough time to gel completely?

The other question I have as far as the situation goes is, "Who are you going to get for an upgrade at this point in the season?"  Sky Sports names Russia boss Fabio Capello as the favorite, though if I'm a Spurs fan I'm not sure I'd be all that excited about that either.  USA head man Jurgen Klinsmann has been mentioned, but as he has just signed a new contract, it's unlikely that he'll be seriously in the running.  Klinsmann was a striker for Spurs back in his playing days.

It's pretty rough for AVB though.  Even Harry Redknapp, who knows a thing or two about being sacked by Spurs, had said that he thinks that Villas-Boas should have gotten more time.  In the end, I guess somebody's head had to roll after the Liverpool match, but I wonder if more change for Spurs is really the best thing for them at this time.

RSL 2013: Success, Disappointment, or In-between?

The Western Conference title was the highlight of RSL's season (USA Today)

So.....it's been a mighty tough week to be an RSL fan.  The disappointment of the MLS Cup Final needs no further description.  That's followed up by losing Jason Kreis midweek, and then on Friday finding out that the Portland Timbers would be taking the last spot in the 2013 Concacaf Champions League as opposed to RSL.  It's tempting to look back on everything that's happened this year and be pretty disappointed, and I can't blame those who might take more of a "glass half empty approach."

However, what happens when we look at the entire body of work in the 2013 season and match it up with preseason expectation?  I could rehash all the events of the last offseason and recount expectations going into 2013, but that ground has been well worn.  Suffice it to say, I picked them 4th prior to the season, so my expectations were exceeded in that regard.

When you put the actual results of the 2013 season alongside the preseason expectations, I think the season can definitely be judged as a success.  When we look back, we see that RSL sat atop both the Western Conference and MLS wide table for a significant portion of the season and for the most part they were remarkably consistent.  How many games did Beckerman, Rimando, Saborio, and Beltran miss with international duty?  Stack those alongside with a significant injury to Chris Schuler, who was stepping into the role of Jamison Olave, and more injury issues for Sabo, who always seemed to get broken when he went to play for Costa Rica.  Also, both Kwame-Watson Siriboe and Josh Saunders suffered season ending injuries in this time, forcing untried backups into action.  Despite all of this, the Claret and Cobalt hung in there all season, and though they did slip from the Supporter's Shield race at the end, they never really fell into the slog at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture with LA, Seattle, Colorado, and San Jose.

Individually, several players had remarkable seasons as well.  I think we have to start with Nick Rimando here.  He kept RSL in a lot of matches this season, especially early on.  He was also a beast for the USMNT in the Gold Cup and for RSL during the playoff run.  I really have a major issue with him losing out on the Goalkeeper of the Year award.  Outside of Rimando, check out Nasty Ned Grabavoy.  Earlier in the season Kreis had challenged Ned to step up and be more of a leader on the club.  He did just that.  He continued his stellar work rate all over the pitch, and in my mind some of RSL's best moments of the year offensively came when he was more involved. especially on secondary runs from the midfield.

Two other men really emerged in the playoffs, and RSL fans should be hoping that these guys carry that form into next season.  First off I'm speaking of Robbie Findley.  Robbie took a lot of flack throughout the regular season, some of it deserved.  He seemed to be the favorite whipping boy for RSL fans on the post game shows.  However in the playoffs he came to life again and showed us the dangerous offensive weapon he really can be.  Now we just need him to add consistency, in my estimation.  I also want to prop up Chris Schuler, who I was touting on twitter as the most important piece for RSL during the playoffs.  His return was HUGE for the Claret and Cobalt.  Not only did he team up again with Nat Borchers to help solidify our defense in front of Rimando, but he became an offensive threat on set pieces as well, and this is something I think we need more of from our big guys at the back.  Hopefully he can continue to be that presence next season.

Now I'm also a "results matter" and "trophies matter" kind of individual.  To play in two cup finals in a season is excellent.  To win neither of them borders on unacceptable.  I have to level this criticism again here and it remains valid.  When the big prize is on the line, something just seems to be lacking with this group.  There will almost always be one or two fatal errors, maybe the only errors that are made by the boys during the match.  We saw both DC United and Sporting Kansas City exploit these errors and come away with trophies.  Now I'm not going to castigate the team for falling just short in MLS Cup away to a very deserving Sporting Kansas City squad, but to me the loss of the US Open Cup final at home to a DC United squad that was criminally horrible all season is a low point not only of this season, but in recent RSL history

So in the final analysis, yes the season was a success, but I think we should definitely look back on it with some disappointment.  It was good, but it could have been great.  It was a chance to put down once of the best seasons in MLS history, but in the end we couldn't quite seize that moment.  The important thing now is, what do we do with that disappointment?  We'll have some new blood at the top next year, and some new faces on the pitch as well.  I hope the club takes a healthy dose of "what could have been" from 2013 and uses it for motivation to get better, to develop that needed killer instinct.  Hopefully the new coach will be able to facilitate that as well.

Jason Kreis and RSL: The Roads Diverge.

It's the end of an era at Rio Tinto Stadium

Late this summer a frightening specter emerged for RSL fans to think about.  Rumors began to circulate that head coach Jason Kreis, the face of the franchise, was considering a move to expansion franchise New York City FC as their first head coach.  It caused a considerable ruckus to say the least, leading into the US Open Cup Final and a big regular season clash with the Seattle Sounders, both of which RSL lost.  Gradually things calmed down though, and RSL rebounded with a tremendous run through the MLS playoffs falling just short to Sporting Kansas City in the MLS Cup final last weekend.

However, once that match was over, the eyes of everyone affiliated with RSL and many affiliated with MLS turned to Kreis to see what choice he would make regarding his future.  Last night, coach Kreis had the team up to his house and broke the news: he's taking the job at NYCFC.

Now one can't fault RSL fans for feeling like they've been kicked in the teeth while they were down.  The jubilation of beating Portland in the Western Conference final gave way to huge disappointment with the cup loss, and to deal with this three days later is kind of hard to swallow.  My own immediate reaction last night was severe disappointment, as I had hoped Kreis would stay.  To me, there was a sense of unfinished business this year after 2 Cup final losses.  However, after sleeping it on it, I've come to a different perspective.

First off, Jason Kreis owes this club and it's fans absolutely NOTHING.  I'm not sure that anyone in MLS could have built RSL from what it was into what it is in as short an amount of time as Coach Kreis.  We've gone to from doormat to champions and perennial contenders.  This last year, after jettisoning several key players, Coach Kreis lead this team to an MLS Cup final in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year.  Kreis has more than earned his wage and our respect in Salt Lake City.

Second, this is a HUGE chance for Jason Kreis.  Not only will Jason be moving into a huge role with a ton of cash to play with to face his latest challenge, but he's going to be a first hand witness to big time European Club football.  According to the NYCFC website, Coach Kreis will travel to England to work directly with Manchester City staff including manager Manuel Pellegrini.  He'll also get to work with Director of Football Txiki Bergiristain, who won the Champions League with Barcelona.  For a man who wants to continue to progress as a head coach in football, whether in the USA or abroad, this is a chance that cannot be passed up.

Finally, this was obviously not easy for Coach Kreis.  I encourage everyone, RSL fan or not, to listen to his interview with ESPN 700's Bill Riley. It's heartbreaking in spots, and gut-wrenching for RSL fans.  In the interview, Kreis speaks of the agony of making the choice, knowing he would have to make up his mind soon as the playoffs wore on.  He also said that telling the team was the hardest message he's ever had to deliver.   Listen to the interview for more perspective on this.  It's fantastic.

Are there potentially pitfalls here for both Kreis and RSL?  Absolutely.  The club has stated their intention to hire someone who will continue with Kreis's system, or as he put it: the RSL ethos.  However, if next season does not go well, one can quickly see the questions and finger-pointing beginning immediately.  If it goes south quickly, we'll have one unhappy fanbase.  For Kreis, he'll go right into the pressure cooker.  NY is an entirely different sports culture than Salt Lake.  Granted, it's not the Yankees or the Giants, so the spotlight won't be quite as white hot, but MLS, Man City, and the Yankees have invested a lot of time and cash into this enterprise, and results will be expected quickly.  Also, when you think of both New York and Manchester City, "The team is the star" is hardly the first thing to come to mind.

The path ahead for both RSL and Kreis is risky, but nothing worth having is usually easy.  For now, I hope other RSL fans will join me in expressing their gratitude for Coach Kreis and pondering the legacy he has left here.  Soon enough, a new frontier awaits the club and the man, and when that time arrives, fortune will indeed favor the bold.

MLS Inquest 2013: DC United

Dwayne De Rosario has already become a victim of DC's horrible showing this year.

Puddle's 2013 MLS Inquest:
Team: DC United
Points: 16
Finish: 10th, Eastern Conference

Player of the Year--Luis Silva
Last year Silva was my player of the year for TFC.  This year, DC brought him in around the midpoint of the season , and though he had injury issues, he was pretty much a lone bright spot in DC's lineup through the second half.  He lead the team in goals with three.  That's right, three.  Though he only appeared in 13 matches, he'll be a good one for DC to keep around and build around for the future.

Flop of the Year--Carlos Ruiz
This could honestly be the joke move of the entire MLS season.  United brought in the former big scoring Guatemalan to help bolster their rather impotent attack.  The result?  Zero goals and zero assists in 13 games.  This experiment went so awry that DC has already cut him loose as they start to clean house.

The Good--
This is pretty obvious.  Somehow, despite their horrible form in league play, DC managed to get it together enough to make a run to the US Open Cup final, where they stunned a heavily favored Real Salt Lake squad at Rio Tinto Stadium to take the trophy.  I was there, and there's just no way to explain it.  It was a Wiganesque performance if there ever was one, but good on them and good on their supporters.

The Bad--
Three wins all season in league play.  Let me repeat that, three wins all season.  This was a playoff team a year ago and a team that I picked to be back in the playoffs again this year.  What went wrong?  I think it was a combination of injuries, desperation, and poor management.  So many DC players missed significant time due to injury, including Dwayne De Rosario and Chris Pontius, two heroes of last year's playoff campaign.  This helped drive DC into a panic mode which resulted in guys like Ruiz and Alain Rochat being brought in for zero impact.  Rochat was gone after four matches.  Also, what did they ever think they were going to get out of Lionard Pajoy?  Finally, to me Ben Olsen seemed to be in over his head at times, as I think it's fair to say that poor management contributed to the downfall of this already ragtag, patchwork lineup.

The Ugly--
Speaking of Olsen, it grew tiring to see him show up at press conferences week after week and blame the referees.  Yes, I think he had some valid points.  Yes, overall I think MLS referees took a step backward this year, but they were hardly the reason that DC United lost 24 games.  That's as many as the New York Red Bulls, the Portland Timbers, and Real Salt Lake lost all together.  At one point Olsen even said, "Nobody wants to listen to the coach in last place complain about the refs."  He was exactly right, and all it accomplished was to further tarnish his once bright star.

The Verdict--
Nobody saw this coming, but DC just fell flat.  I was really hoping that the US Open Cup win would propel them to make something out of the end of their season, but Olsen continued to experiment and the results blew up in his face like a dirty old meth lab.  Nobody wants to see DC United in last place, well except for maybe Union supporters.  They were once the pride of this league and they have great fans.  In the end, I think a shaky start combined with fitness and injury issues pushed DC into Panic mode.  From there, questionable personnel choices pushed them so deep into a hole that Ben Olsen could not dig them out.  Open Cup aside, the house cleaning as already begun, including sending DeRo packing, so it will be interesting to see what this team looks like in 2014.

Sounders Sink Rapids in Western Conference Play In Match.

The Rapids couldn't find a way into the Seattle net. (Seattlepi.com)

The 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs opened last night in Seattle, and for most of the experts, things went according to script.  Neither the Seattle Sounders or the Colorado Rapids had been in particularly good form entering the playoffs, but most folks, myself included, figured that the Sounders'u playoff tested vets would pass the test while Colorado's inexperience would show through.  In a nutshell, that's not a bad descriptor, though one of Seattle's veterans made a very costly mistake that could have cost his team the playoffs.

The Sounders opened the proceedings in high fashion, as they clearly knew what was on the line.  A lot of the first half action took place in the Colorado defensive half, and Sounders' keeper Michael Gspurning could have unfolded a lawn chair in his own 18.  For his part, Colorado coach Oscar Pareja gambled a bit, throwing a largely untested back 4 combination into the fire.  Shane O'Neill slid out to right back and German Mera started at center back next to Drew Moor, and this left the speedy Marvell Wynne on the bench.

The Sounders largely had a field day against this unit in the first, and playoff butterflies seemed to play a part as well.  The Rapids nearly conceded in the 12th minute when Mera misplayed a ball and left Lamar Neagle alone with Clint Irwin.  Neagle tried to head the ball over the Colorado keeper, but Irwin was up to the test, barely, jumping at the last second and tipping the ball over the end line for a corner kick.

Colorado's defense looked largely lost in the first half and Seattle managed to fashion a number of chances, including a shot from Dempsey that went wide in the 23rd minute.  Finally they hit pay dirt in minute 29 as somehow Brad Evans was left all alone near the top of the 18.  The USMNT man had all the time in the world to line up his shot and drive it inside the far post to give Seattle a 1-0 lead.

After the goal, things got a little chippy.  Late in the first half Seattle defender DeAndre Yedlin jumped into a ball with Colorado's DeShorn Brown, clearly leading with his arm/elbow, which drilled Brown in the head.  This the kind of thing that MLS has given out red cards and extra suspensions for all year long, but no foul was called on the play.  Brown was able to continue, but things weren't as good for Yedlin as he sprained his ankle on the landing and exited the match at halftime.  Then in the first minute of stoppage time Atiba Harris was inexplicably hit with a yellow for what seemed like a clean tackle, and the Rapids went to the locker room trailing 1-0 and fuming at the situation.

I really thought that the Rapids would bring in Vincente Sanchez to start the second half.  They had literally nothing going offensively and without Sanchez and Dillon Powers, they were not able to setup anything for Brown or Gaby Torres.  This didn't happen though.

Instead the Sounders continued to push, and nearly changed the game in the 52nd minute.  Dempsey ran onto a ball played into space deep in the Rapids end, and Irwin appeared to be the only man between him and the goal.   Irwin came out of the box and brought Dempsey down, ending the threat.  Initially, I thought it should have been a red card on Irwin, but replays clearly showed Drew Moor getting back and providing cover on the play.  Irwin received a yellow on the play, and in the end, it might have been the smart move, as a Seattle goal there might have blown the match open.

Finally the Rapids brought Sanchez into the attack things started to open up for them.  However, they were really unable to test Gspurning severely.  In the 58th minute a shot from Brown slithered out of the wet gloves of the Seattle keeper and fell to Torres, but the Panamanian striker was too close to the goal and could only send the rebound over the end line for a goal kick.

The Rapids did get a huge boost late in the match though.  In the 86th minute, Gspurning inexplicably left his 18 yard box and caught an incoming ball.  His reaction to the Colorado outrage and the forthcoming red card clearly showed that he had no clue where he was at on the pitch.  Seattle were now down to 10 men, facing 5 minutes of stoppage time.

But in the end it was Seattle who took advantage of the extra few minutes.  In the 3rd minute of stoppage time Eddie Johnson split a bewildered and tired Rapids defense and slotted a goal inside Irwin's near post to make the full time score 2-0.

So the Sounders took care of business, as most expected them to do.  The Rapids didn't make it easy on them though, as they fought tooth and nail to the end.  One has to look back at the finale of the regular season and see it's effects at this point.  If the Rapids could have won in Vancouver, they could have avoided the play-in game and hosted RSL this weekend.  Instead, relative inexperience showed through there as well, as they lost and faced traveling to LA or Seattle.  Colorado always needed a home match in the cold, high autumn weather in Commerce City to have a real chance in these playoffs.  However, as a very young team they exceeded expectations as will be even better next year.

The Sounders will move on to face the Portland Timbers in a Cascadia rivalry playoff tie that will surely be mouthwatering in it's intensity. However, the Sounders will have to be better against Portland.  They'll need to take advantage of any mistakes and not make the near fatal errors themselves.  Still, the folks in Seattle were rightly celebrating last night and not worrying about Portland just yet.

The MLS Coaching Carousel is in Full Swing

Frank Klopas is one of the MLS coaches now looking for a new position.

It's a certainty, kind of like death and taxes.  Every year in sports, across the USA especially, the end of the regular season sounds a death knell for the jobs of a few coaches who didn't quite meet expectations.  This coaching carousel is already at full speed in Major League Soccer, before the playoff schedule is even finished.

The first domino to fall was in Vancouver, where Whitecaps manager Martin Rennie is now moving on.  His contract was up at the end of the 2013 season, and the 'Caps decided against renewing him.  This actually surprised me a little bit.  Vancouver had five more points than they finished with last year when they made the playoffs.  They also captured the Cascadia Cup.  I really thought they would give him another one year deal at least, but as it turns out, the playoffs really did seem to be the bottom line.  It was another year when the 'Caps just couldn't quite hold it together down the stretch, including a horrible loss to RSL's "reserve squad" on their own pitch at BC Place.

Failing to make the playoffs cost at least one Eastern Conference manager his job as well.  Yesterday the Chicago Fire announced that they were parting ways with head man Frank Klopas.  Well, if you read the pressers, Klopas "stepped down."  Whatever helps you sleep at night I guess.  This one does not surprise me at all.  The only reason the Fire were anywhere near the playoff spots was because of Mike Magee.  One might argue that the Fire and Klopas failed to really bring in enough of a supporting cast to supplement Magic Mike, and that cost them the playoffs.  Still, when Klopas took over the Fire were an absolute wreck, and he did take them to the playoffs last year.  I think he had a pretty good run, and it will be interesting to see who the Fire pick to replace him.

However, the end of the season wasn't bad news for all of the managers who were sitting outside the playoffs.  San Jose interim manager Mark Watson saw his position upgraded to a multi-year contract as manager.  He totally deserved it as well.  He brought the Quakes back from near the foot of the table to just missing out on the playoffs, as they finished tied with Colorado on 51 points.  The Rapids held the tiebreaker, however.  The Quakes recaptured the Goonie swagger under Watson and finished the season on a 7 match unbeaten run.  Watson also steered them into the knockout rounds of the CONCACAF Champions League.

So there are the first comings and goings.  We'll see if a few more dominoes fall in the next few days and weeks.

Congratulations to New York Red Bulls, 2013 Supporter's Shield Champions

The gorgeous Supporters Shield Trophy is going to spend time in the Big Apple.

They pointed out that you've never won a major MLS honor.  They pointed out that a lot of your big signings have been busts.  They pointed out that the league was building you a big brother in your backyard.  Then you went ahead and posted the best record in the league, and won that first trophy.  That's what I call a pretty good response.

Coming into the final weekend of league play in MLS, the New York Red Bulls controlled their own destiny for the Shield, beat the Chicago Fire, and the hardware is yours.  Mike Magee gave them a fright, scoring in the 6th minute, but the Red Bulls have this guy named Thierry Henry, who if you haven't heard, is pretty good himself.  He equalized in the 25th minute, and the Red Bulls went on from there, winning 5-2.  The result not only gives the Red Bulls the Shield and the number one seed throughout the MLS playoffs, but it helped eliminate the Chicago Fire from postseason contention.

As alluded to earlier, this is the first major honor for the franchise, so it's a pretty big deal.  Also, RSL fans should be happy for a few of our former folks: Jamison Olave, Fabian Espindola, Jonny Steele, and especially assistant coach Robin Fraser, who I thought got an unfair amount of flack for the happenings at Chivas USA. 

As for the playoff run, the Red Bulls will meet the winner of the play-in game between the Houston Dynamo and the Montreal Impact in Houston.  As of this writing, dates and times were still being determined. Check with MLSsoccer.com tomorrow for playoff dates, venues, and times.

Mixed Results for MLS at the End of CCL Group Stage.

The group stage of the 2013-2014 CONCACAF Champions League wrapped up last night, and it was a mixed summer for MLS squads.  This year the LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes, and Sporting Kansas City filled the four US slots in the tournament while fellow MLS side Montreal Impact took the one Canadian slot available.  Three of the five MLS clubs will be moving on, but each one will face a tough Liga Mx side in the quarterfinals.

As RSL found out last year, the new tourney format with 8 groups and only the winner advancing is quite unforgiving.  The Dynamo learned this lesson last night as well as they fell to Arabe Unido 1-0 in Panama, which knocked them out of the tournament.  Of course, they continued to participate in what to me is a disturbing trend, MLS clubs fielding weaker sides in these matches.  Now, it's hard to blame the Dynamo for doing this when they have their regular season finale this weekend with the playoffs on the line, but it still goes to show where most MLS clubs rank this tournament.

Also in action last night were the LA Galaxy who traveled to El Salvador to take on to take on Isidro Metapan.  The Galaxy also fielded a weakened side, but their passage to the next round was already assured.  However, Metapan forward Nicholas Munoz dropped an insane 4 goals on the defending MLS Champs to crush them 4-0.  The Galaxy dropped from the 1 to the 6 seed in the next round with the loss, which as we'll see in a minute, created an interesting matchup.

Wednesday night Sporting Kansas City and the San Jose Earthquakes secured their passage to the knockout rounds as well.  Sporting held Honduran side Olimpia to a 0-0 draw at Sporting Park and the Quakes managed a 1-0 win over Heredia at Buck Shaw, thanks to a goal from Chris Wondolowski.

With all that said, here are the CCL Quarterfinal pairings, with the higher seed listed first:

Toluca vs San Jose Earthquakes
Cruz Azul vs Sporting Kansas City
Club Tijuana vs LA Galaxy
Arabe Unido vs Alajuelense

Honestly, I don't see much hope for MLS sides in this draw.  The Liga MX sides will be into their second half and the MLS sides will be looking at preseason type form.  Toluca should smash the the Quakes.  Sporting could have a shot at Cruz Azul if they can win at home.  The most interesting matchup is Tijuana and Herculez Gomez vs the Galaxy.  The Xolos haven't exactly been setting Liga Mx on fire, currently placed 12th out of 18.  However I still think this is going to be a tough ask for the Galaxy.  Should be a great tie to watch though.  Maybe Fox Sports 1 will actually show it, if not I can watch it on the Mexican broadcast I guess.  I'm sure Fox will have better things to show, like 20 consecutive replays of it's highlights show.

MLS Coach of the Year: My Take

Right now you're thinking I'm totally gonna RSL homer this post.  Read on to see if I do.......

As the Major League Soccer regular season comes to a close, there's a lot of banter going on about this year's post season awards.  The award for Coach of the Year has been getting some serious heat on the MLS comment site and social media networks.  Here I'll present my top 4 candidates for the award and give the best reasons that I can think of for and against before presenting my pick for the award.  I'm sure that whoever I pick will be just as thrilled to get my pick as the actual award.

Caleb Porter--Portland Timbers--The turnaround of the Portland Timbers is certainly one of the major stories in MLS this year, and a large part of it is due to the attitude and system installed by Caleb Porter.  Porter has been considered to be one of the bright young American soccer minds for awhile, but that rep kind of took a hit when he failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics with the USA U-23 team.  That image has certainly been restored this year.  Portland has been solidly in contention all season long, and here with one game to go they have a legit shot not just at first in the west, but the Supporter's Shield as well.  This certainly bodes well for his chances, and he's seemed to be the odds on media favorite.  A major drawback to me is the number of draws that Portland have settled for.  Yes, you can call it getting results, but the Timbers have also failed to finish off teams a number of times this year, including two high profile matches at home against Real Salt Lake.  This could bite them in the playoffs.

Jason Kreis--Real Salt Lake--Speaking of RSL, how about the job that Jason Kreis has done?  Now, stay with me here.  A lot of folks wrote RSL off this season, picking them barely into the playoffs or perhaps out of the playoffs with the loss of Will Johnson, Jamison Olave, and Fabian Espindola among others.  They called it a "rebuilding year."  Kreis went out and replaced these guys, and managed to up RSL's goal scoring in the process.  In this "rebuilding year," RSL will finish 2nd or 1st in the west, depending on results this weekend.  Kreis and this club also accomplished this while missing their number 1 keeper, their Captain, their top goal scorer, and their best fullback for a month of the season as those players were away on international duty.  To me, that increases the odds.  However, RSL's somewhat lackluster finish to the season and reputation for folding in big matches will hurt his candidacy.

Oscar Pareja--Colorado Rapids--While RSL has gets most of the press in the Rocky Mountain region, Pareja has very quietly reforged the 2010 MLS Cup Champions not only into a playoff team, but in my mind, a genuine contender for MLS Cup.  The Rapids went through a preseason dump as large as, or maybe greater than, that of RSL.  Pareja's draft picks (Deshorn Brown and Dillon Powers) are the odds on favorites for Rookie of the Year, and have both contributed significantly.  The additions of Vincente Sanchez and Gaby Torres (the club's first DP) have made the Rapids all the more dangerous.  Let's not forget the emergence of Clint Irwin in goal or Chris Klute on defense either.  Pareja has brought these young men along in spectacular fashion.  The Rapids thrashing of the Sounders was kind of a coming out party in the the MLS media, but not to me.  I've been preaching Pareja and the Rapids in the Playoffs all year long.  They'll be more dangerous next year too.  Unfortunately for Pareja, the lack of media attention given to the Rapids could very possibly derail his chances.

Mike Petke--New York Red Bulls--Don't look now folks, but the Red Bulls are damn close to actually winning a trophy, though the Fire will try to have a say in that this weekend.  I think Petke has done a phenomenal job in his first year in charge of a club that has long been the pinnacle of  high salaried dysfunction in MLS.  He brought in Robin Fraser to help him out, oh yeah and he is the biggest beneficiary of RSL's preseason salary dump.  Petke has addressed the long standing issues in defense for the club more than adequately, and Luis Robles has finally stabilized the situation in net.  Couple these things with the emergence of Tim Cahill, and the Red Bulls might finally be able to fulfill their aspirations, and I think Petke is a huge part of that.  Now, some people will say that with the caliber of players at Petke's disposal, he ought to be where he is.  There will also be continued skepticism of RBNY's ability to close the deal until they win MLS cup, but I think he's still a solid candidate.

So there you have the case for these four men laid out as best as I can manage. In my mind, all four are totally deserving and I wouldn't mind if any of them win it.  However, in my mind, the award goes to..........

Oscar Pareja of the Colorado Rapids.

Sorry Porter, at least Oscar can beat Jason Kreis, and I'd take the Timbers in the playoffs over the Rapids in the playoffs any day of the week.  Congrats to Pareja and the Rapids on a great season.

Puddle's Goal of the Midweek: Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs Anderlecht

Zlatan Ibrahimovic put on a show vs Anderlecht in UCL action (bbc.co.uk)

I decided to resurrect the blog and this feature after being inspired by Ibrahimovic yesterday against Anderlecht.  Check out all his goals in the highlight video below, but pay particular attention to his third strike.  It was an absolute missile from 30 yards into the top corner of the goal.  ESPNFC is reporting that the goal was clocked at 122 km/h.  That's about 76 mph for us Americans.  Either way you put it, it's absolutely brutal.  His free kick later in the match nearly knocked the 'keeper off of his feet.

So check out the highlights below.  If you've seen them, watch them again.  If you haven't, you can thank me later.

Quakes Wreck Toothless RSL

Chris Wondolowski and Joao Plata square off. (Deseret News)

Saturday night Real Salt Lake returned to Rio Tinto Stadium with high hopes of leaving least weekend's loss to Seattle behind them.  The Claret and Cobalt were 2-0 against the Quakes so far this year, and since the Quakes had just played a CCL match on Wednesday, so the cards looked set to be laid out for a match that RSL really should win.  San Jose, to their credit, had other ideas.

The match started innocently enough, with RSL controlling most of the possession and forcing their way into the San Jose end.  There was a nice chance for Kyle Beckerman early on, but the captain slipped his driving shot just over the crossbar.  Devon Sandoval also directed a header at goal, but hit it right at Jon Busch, who was barely troubled.

RSL still looked to be in control has San Jose calmly waltzed up RSL's defensive left side in the 18th minute.  No RSL players pressured the ball and Cordell Cato was left open to send an easy, textbook cross into the box where Steven Lenhart slipped away from Nat Borchers and put the Quakes in the lead as easy as you like with a training type header to the near post.  To me it looked like our defense was banking on a secondary run and got caught flat footed.

The crowd at Rio Tinto was stunned, but they were brought back to life a few moments later when RSL found an equalizer.  Kyle Beckerman sent in a corner kick that found an unmarked Javier Morales.  Javi slammed it easily past Busch to knot the score at 1-1.

At this point I remember thinking to myself from my seat in section 30, "Ok, we're back on level terms.  We need to reassert our offensive gameplan and go from there.  Our defense isn't going to screw up that badly twice."  I was dead wrong.  Moments later RSL gave up a silly free kick just outside the area and Shea Salinas was able to impart another basic cross into the danger zone.  Lenhart slipped Borchers yet again and headed past Rimando to make it 1-2 to the visitors.

Watching Lenhart's gyrations and celebrations made me sick to my stomach, but the absolute pedestrian style of RSL's defensive play on the two goals was downright nauseating.  I don't know how you let THAT GUY loose twice in four minutes like that.  RSL got the torching they deserved.  San Jose quite effectively parked the bus in front of their goal for the rest of the half, and RSL wasn't able to muster more than a half chance as they headed toward the break.  The crowd came to their feet in stoppage time as RSL earned a corner, but they played an inexplicable short corner where Kyle dropped the ball off to Beltran, who tried to send in an early ball, only to see it blocked by the defender that was camped right in front of him.  That colossal waste of a chance ended the first half.

The Quakes came out on fire in the second half as RSL looked a like a deer in the headlights, backed into their own defensive end.  The bus that was now parked was Claret and Cobalt in color as RSL seemed just barely able to thwart attack after attack by the Quakes.  Finally around the hour mark Jason Kreis had seen enough and sent Olmes Garcia and Luis Gil into the match.  They immediately changed things and brought RSL a sharper attacking look, but San Jose drew their defense back in.  RSL looked to be at a total loss at how to break the bunker.  They sent in cross after cross, 34 on the night, but to no avail.  The only height based attacker we had available was Sandoval, who had come off for Garcia. 

Late on Kreis went three at the back and subbed out Salcedo for Robbie Findley.  Robbie had the best look at an equalizer for RSL, as they played him through on a counter late in the match.  Robbie lashed a shot but just missed the upper 90.  A good portion of the fans in the north end thought it was in, but it was plainly the wrong side of the net.  That was pretty much the last breath for RSL and the match ended in the disappointing 1-2 loss.

So what do we make of this?  This was the most unfocused I've seen our team at home this year.  For the most part they seemed without a clue offensively or defensively.  The official party line afterward attributed the result to San Jose's bunker tactics, and that surely had a part to play, but the worst part of the whole thing was RSL's identity crisis.  We don't have a chance at scoring crosses without Saborio in the match, especially against guys like Victor Bernardez.  I doubt any of the crosses in the second half seriously troubled the Quakes CBs.  Our desperation and lack or creativity played right into San Jose's hands.

Creativity you say?  Yes.  We've scored so many goals this season off of creative midfield play and late, secondary runs into the box.  These seemed to be few and far between.  Grabavoy had a couple, but couldn't pull the trigger.  Luis Gil also caused a little havoc, but couldn't create much.  For me, I thought he and Garcia should have been subbed in at half time.  By the time they came in at the hour mark, 15 precious minutes had drained from RSL's search for an equalizer.

Much of the speculation after the match swirled around coach Kreis and his rumored trip to NYC to meet with the NYCFC folks.  He gave an interview late in the week saying both he and the team were totally focused on winning.  That was obviously not the case Saturday night, as both team and coach appeared to be absolutely befuddled.  It was like they had never seen a team park the bus before.  Anyone who has been to RSL matches at the Riot the last few years can tell you that we've worked against plenty of bunkers though.

Nat Borchers stood up and took accountability for the goals, and good on him, he was exactly right to do so.  However his mates on the back line were nowhere to be found in that stretch, and we continued to give up stupid fouls on rash challenges.  Again, I attribute this to total lack of focus.  RSL is so much better than that.  We'd be remiss not to lay some of the blame at the feet of the MF and forwards though, neither of whom could create or finish to save their lives.

I hope RSL does the right thing and locks up coach Kreis.  This distraction has already had negative effects and will continue to do so.  The story is not going away, but if it isn't fixed, RSL's trophy and playoff chances just might ride off into the sunset with him.

Where Have You Gone Paulo Di Canio?

Celebrations like this were few at Di Canio's Sunderland (BBC Sports)

Breaking news from the world of the obvious.  After less than six months at the helm of Sunderland, lightning rod Paulo Di Canio has been dismissed.  Sunderland slumped out of the gate to just 1 point in it's opening five matches.  This is all in spite of Di Canio's summer renovations bringing 14 new players to the club including American international Jozy Altidore.

Di Canio has always had his critics at Sunderland, partly from his lack of coaching experience.  His big post prior to the Black Cats was managing lower league Swindon Town.  Couple this lack of experience with his previous fascist leanings and you get what was a very controversial appointment in the first place.  Di Canio has renounced these political persuasions, but it all ended up in a perfect storm that made sure that Di Canio could not overcome his poor start in the Barclay's Premier League.

Early money in the betting markets has dabbed former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has Di Canio's successor, while LA Galaxy boss Bruce Arena has been named as a rumor mill possibility as well.  American fans will have a keen interest in the goings on at the Stadium of Light, as a new manager's style could help make or break Altidore's playing time going into next year's World Cup.  The move to Sunderland was always considered a risk for Jozy, and right now seems even more precarious in Di Canio's wake.

Gunners Stumble As New Season Opens

It was a bad day for Mr. Wenger and his fans (Mirror.co.uk)

I'm not sure how Arsene Wenger imagined his club's opening fixture would go, but I'm sure this wasn't in the script.  The day's controversial calls favored visiting Aston Villa, and the Villains rode them to 1-3 win at the Emirates to give themselves a dream start for their EPL campaign.  American fans will be pleased to note that Brad Guzan had a stellar outing in the win.

It actually started brightly enough for the Gunners though, as for the first six minutes it looked like things were going to go swimmingly despite zero additions to the team. specifically their attack.  They did their usual pretty passing and possession game.  In the sixth minute Villa defender Ron Vlaar got himself out of position and made a horrible challenge up near midfield, he whiffed and took himself out of the play.  Meanwhile, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain streaked into the space, ran forward and sent a pinpoint center pass to the six, where Olivier Giroud  tapped it home to make 1-0 to the Gunners.  That was about the end of the good things for Arsenal.

In the 22nd minute Gunner 'keeper Wojciech Szczesny took out Villa's Christian Benteke as he strode 1v1 in the box and conceded a PK.  I thought he should have seen red, but referee Anthony Taylor showed him  the yellow card instead.  Szczesny then saved Benteke's rather pedestrian PK, but gave up a fat rebound right back into the center of the box, which Benteke headed into the empty net for the equalizer.

The first half then proceeded to play itself out in a bloody manner, with Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs leaving the match with a massive bloody wound to his head.  The ref handed out a few more cards, but seemed to lose the match. Despite that the half cruised to a 1-1 end.

It went from bad to worse for Arsenal in the second half as Oxlade-Chamberlain went out early on with a knock to the knee.  Then in the 60th minute Villa took the lead for good off of another penalty  Laurent Koscielny took down Agbonlahor in the box, but it looked fairly soft.  Still, Benteke iced the PK this time to make it 1-2.  The referee further drew the fans' ire when he sent Koscielny off in the 67th minute with his second yellow card.

Soon enough the fans' wrath turned to Wenger though.  With the Gunners offense sputtering in search of an equalizer, they gave up a counter attack where Antonio Luna slotted home the final goal of the match to make it 1-3.  The Gunners fans unfurled banners lambasting Wenger for not spending as the club was booed off the pitch.  It really was quite the sight.

Interestingly enough, the Hawkeye Goal line technology system was first used in this game.  In the 52nd minute Villa's Fabian Delph hit the bottom of the cross bar, and the system correctly showed that the ball did not cross the line.  It was indeed a successful test.

It doesn't get any easier for Arsenal though, as they face a tough Champion's League Qualification test midweek, and they now have even more injuries.

Puddle's Barclay's Premier League Preview 2013-2014

This man represents my biggest question going into the EPL season. (Manchester United Press)

The new Barlcay's Premier League season gets underway this weekend, and there's a lot of new aspects to be digested, especially for us fans here in United States.  This season the coverage shifts from Fox Soccer to the NBC Sports Network, which should mean more viewers for the league here in the states.  Plus NBC will be offering all matches on TV via their "Premier League Extra Time" and online via their streaming service.  It's quite exciting!

Of course there's plenty of new in the league itself, and none of the stories are bigger than the new managers at three of the league's top four clubs.  With Sir Alex retiring, Manchester United handed the reigns to Everton boss David Moyes.  Chelsea washed their hands of Rafa Benitez and brought Jose Mourinho back to Stamford Bridge for another go 'round.  Meanwhile, another Champions League failure and the loss of the EPL title cost Roberto Mancini his job at City, where he was replaced by Manuel Pellegrini, lately of Malaga fame.  In my opinion, these three men will largely shape the title race, and here's how I think it will shake out:

UEFA Champions League Places:

1. Chelsea FC--Last year I bet against Manchester United in the title race, and I got shown up.  Alas, I'm going to do it again.  I think having Mourinho back in the fold is going to make a huge difference for the Blues, and they've all seemed pretty positive.    The Blues have also gotten quite a bit younger, and I think they have a good mix of old guard and new.  The preseason buzz has largely surrounded the Blues pursuit of Wayne Rooney.  Ultimately, I don't see United selling him to a title rival, but we'll see.  Samuel Eto'o has also emerged as a dark horse possibility.  However, I'm looking for this guy to have a BIG impact this year:

When the Blues first signed Romelu Lukaku, he was hailed as "the next Drogba."  To my mind, he hasn't done anything to lose that reputation as he torched the league on loan with West Brom last year.  He should do even better under the Special One.

2. Manchester City--Pellegrini is a solid manager with tried and true experience in Europe.  Honestly, I look for City to have an improved Champions League campaign this year and to push Chelsea for the title all season long.  Edin Dzeko could be key for city, with Tevez and Balotelli both finally out of the way.  He's certainly a shoe-in for my fantasy squad.  Hopefully a lot of City's off the pitch issues exited with Tevez, Balotelli, and Mancini, giving Pellegrini a clean and quiet slate to work with.  Expectations will be high though, and he best meet some of them.

3. Manchester United--Do not adjust your screens.  I'm putting United in third.  Now, to give a little perspective, the title could come down to just a few points.  I expect United to contend all season long.  As for Moyes, it's time to see what happens.  For years people have been wondering what he could do if he had a big payroll and a big budget.  That day is here.  Unfortunately, Cesc Fabregas is not here, and as of yet United haven't seemed to be able to bolster that midfield.  Last year Van Persie was the man for United, and it's safe to say that he will be again, but does Moyes have the Sir Alex gusto that will take to push through to the title?  We'll see.

4. Arsenal.--It seems like fourth place has been a trophy in and of itself for Arsenal lately, and honestly, I don't see them getting much higher this year.  The summer transfer window has once again been devoid of significant action while Chelsea, City, and United have been more active.  If they can add another piece or two, they'll be outside contenders for the title, but I look for them to have another solid season and hit the Champions League spots for next year.  The question is, when is that going to stop being good enough?

THE BEST OF THE REST

5. Swansea City--The scary thing is, not only did Swans hold on to what was theirs in the off season.  They got better.  Micheal Laudrup not only has Michu at his disposal, but also newly acquired Ivory Coast International Wilfried Bony, who scored 32 goals last year in the Dutch league.  Swans will be a threat for the domestic cups, and if somebody in the top 4 slips up, they could have an outside chance for a Champions League spot.

6. Everton--No Moyes?  No problem.  That's been the attitude for Everton so far in the preseason, where they have looked really fresh and up for the competition.  New manager Roberto Martinez has the Toffees playing really attractive football, and they've just gotten deeper during the summer. (I'm looking at you Gerard Deulofeu.)  It could be an exciting year for the Toffees, with Europe not out of the question.

Now to finish out the top 10:

7--Tottenham
8--Liverpool
9--West Ham
10--West Brom

Who is going to relegated?  Sorry for fans of:

Southampton
Hull "Tigers"
Crystal Palace (I wish it were going to be otherwise.)

So there's my take on the EPL this season.  Good luck to everyone, the first fixtures are almost here!

The Grinder: RSL Hold Off Houston Dynamo

Houston's Adam Moffat conceded the PK that turned into the winning goal.

Saturday night was RSL's first league home match since this disappointing loss to Sporting Kansas City last month.  Recent MLS results had seen the Claret and Cobalt pick up only one of their last nine available points, yet somehow they were still at the top of the Western Conference.  Wednesday night, an Open Cup play win over the Portland Timbers instilled some new confidence in the team, but again they gave up a late goal, which had been the hoodoo of the side in recent weeks.

Houston came out well in the first 15 minutes, determined to put some pressure on RSL's more tired legs.  It seemed to work well for a time, even getting some possession in the RSL 3rd.  However, their midfield really didn't seem to be connecting well with Will Bruin up front, and for the most part he was a non factor.

After weathering the opening Houston storm relatively unscathed, the Claret and Cobalt started to assert themselves fairly well.  Jason Kreis came out in a 4-2-1-3 formation featuring Alvaro Saborio, Joao Plata, and Olmes Garcia up front.  Plata didn't have the best of nights, but the Dynamo seemed to have particular trouble with Olmes, fouling him quite a bit.  Still, the pressure mounted by RSL didn't pay off until late in the first half.

In the 37th minute, Olmes Garcia went up for a header in the penalty area.  Houston's Adam Moffat came in and clearly undercut him, dropping him to the ground as he went for the ball.  The referee pointed to the spot, awarding RSL a PK.  The Dynamo and some media folks have tried to call this into controversy, but I think it was the absolute right call.  You see that particular call made at midfield all the time and nobody says a word, because it's foul.  If you do it in the penalty area, you concede a PK.  It seems pretty cut and dry to me.  At any rate, Saborio wrong wayed Tally Hall on the PK, sending RSL into the locker room up 1-0.

The Dynamo came out in the second half with the same intensity that they started the first half with.  I expected a similar outcome, that they would press really hard for 10 or 15 minutes and then RSL would gain control again.  That didn't happen though as the fatigue from Wednesday night started to set in.

Despite the pressure, it never really felt out of hand.  There were a couple of times that I wanted to avert my eyes though, as RSL gave up some dangerous set piece opportunities late in the match.  Brad Davis and the Dynamo specialize in these.  There was one in particular, either late in regulation or in stoppage time, where Davis had pretty much a straight on look at the goal. I wrapped my scarf around my face in panic, but couldn't resist having a peek.  RSL's wall stood firm though, repelling the attack and holding on to the 1-0 win.

So certainly Saturday night wasn't the Claret and Cobalt's best performance or finest hour.  In my mind, the fatigue from Wednesday took it's toll, and one has to remember that Kyle Beckerman has basically been playing two matches per week for the last 6 weeks.  He was also carrying a knock.  Kreis said post game that he will look to rest the RSL captain in training this week. 

But it was Beckerman's own post game comments that resonated with me.  He mentioned that the team was really focused on keeping the clean sheet, and it showed.  Late goals cost RSL points against Sporting, New York, and Colorado.  RSL was in position to win all three of those games, but only took one point.  Saturday night the defense, bolstered by the return of Wingert, Beltran, and Salcedo, clamped down on a dangerous Dynamo attack and held all three points.  It WAS one of their finest hours and a job well done.

So with that in mind, here are the Puddle's Three Stars for Saturday Night:

THIRD STAR--Carlos Salcedo, CB, RSL:  I just can't get enough of this kid.  Salcedo has been a complete revelation this year out of the Academy.  We could have been in big trouble with Schuler and Kwame out, but this kid has not only stepped in, but he has stepped UP.  He did have one bad give away in the first half, but he got back to help limit the chance, and it didn't hamper his effort for the rest of the match.

SECOND STAR--Olmes Garcia, F, RSL: Olmes didn't have any goals Saturday night, but the Dynamo really couldn't handle him, hence the fouls and the PK.  The great thing about this kid is that he's only going to get better.  We'll see if the league adjusts to him.

FIRST STAR--Ned Grabavoy, MF, RSL:  Ned is very quietly having a career year, and it's a testament to him that it's been so quiet.  He steps in anywhere and everywhere and does whatever is asked of him.  Saturday night he missed one pass out of 42.  Insane.

RSL Tops Timbers, Punches Open Cup Final Ticket

RSL held off the Portland Timbers in US Open Cup Play (USA Today Sports)

It's happening folks, we're getting another Cup final at Rio Tinto Stadium!  Last night Real Salt Lake outlasted the Portland Timbers to take a 2-1 win in the US Open Cup semifinals.  By virtue of the coin flip held a few days ago, the Claret and Cobalt will host US Open Cup Final on October 1st.  Their opponent will be DC United, who advanced by beating the Chicago Fire in their semifinal.

It wasn't easy for RSL, and it never was going to be against the Portland Timbers, who have made huge strides forward since Caleb Porter took over at the beginning of this season.  However, what we saw last night was largely an experienced Claret and Cobalt side going up against a younger Timbers side that was lacking experience in big time contests, especially on the road.  A draw wasn't going to be enough for the men from Portland this time.

RSL got a much needed game changer in the 7th minute, and it was the returning Gold Cup players to the rescue.  Kyle Beckerman found Alvaro Saborio in the box and Sabo expertly headed the ball inside the back pot to make it 1-0.  It was a huge break for the Claret and Cobalt, but afterward things got a little rocky.

Portland took to their possession game to see what they could do about their new disadvantage.  To some it seemed like RSL was just content to let the Timbers possess in their own half and midfield, but I think there was an element of nervousness to it, and I guess given recent results, you couldn't blame them.  Still, the defense was pretty solid and limited the Timbers to very few clear cut chances.

The best of those in the first half came from former RSL favorite turned Timbers Captain Will Johnson, who unleashed a hellish strike on goal in the 40th minute.  Thankfully for RSL, they had Gold Cup winning 'keeper Nick Rimando in net, who stoned his old teammate to preserve the lead going into the halftime.

The second half proceeded along similar lines, with RSL doing a bit better at keeping some of the possession for themselves.  However the game changed for good when Joao Plata checked in during the 62nd minute.  Our little bundle of speed, touch, and energy helped put Portland on their heels a bit more, and in the 78th minute he slashed a great goal into the back of the net to make it 2-0 off of a great setup from Saborio.

As it turned out, the Claret and Cobalt would need that goal.  In the first minute of stoppage time, Rimando managed a huge reaction save on Portland's Diego Valeri.  Unfortunately the rebound went right back to the Portland playmaker who headed it in with Nick still on the ground to make it 2-1.  Thankfully the defense held and there would be no stoppage time glory for the visitors to Rio Tinto that night.

I really urge everyone to come out on October 1st to support the club in the Open Cup Final.  It's roughly six weeks away, plenty of time to try to get off work, which I am definitely going to try to do.

Now here are the Puddle's Three Stars:

Third Star: Diego Valeri, MF, Portland Timbers--Valeri was the biggest danger man for Portland last night, and scored their lone goal in stoppage time.  However, he also missed the target on a clear header earlier in the half that probably should have been a goal.

Second Star: Alvaro Saborio, F, Real Salt Lake--I'm still amazed that we have folks who don't like Sabo.  What did he do last night?  Oh, he just scored the first goal and set up the winner.  No biggie.

First Star--Nick Rimando, GK, Real Salt Lake--Nick has been on fire this year, and came up with some huge stops again last night.  I'm really hoping he gets the recognition due to him at the end of the year, because no 'keeper in MLS is having as good a season as he is.

With the RM Cup Over, What's Next for RSL?

Early heroics from Ned Grabavoy weren't enough for RSL (Realsaltlake.com)

There was good news and bad news for RSL coming out of Commerce City. Colorado, Saturday night.  First and foremost for many fans, despite a gutty performance from the Claret and Cobalt, the Colorado Rapids evened the match at 2-2 in the second half to claim the Rocky Mountain Cup for the first time in seven years.  It's indeed a bummer for RSL fans, but it's a well earned accomplishment for Oscar Pareja and his young Rapids group.  Suffice it to say, the rivalry has been rekindled.

However it wasn't near all bad for RSL.  A point on the road in MLS, especially in a rivalry match like this, is never a bad thing.  This result, plus the draw between Portland and Vancouver, keeps RSL on top of the Western Conference exiting the weekend.  That's right, despite only claiming 1 point out of their last 9, the Claret and Cobalt are still on top.  Also Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman returned to the lineup after missing a month with Gold Cup duty.  Rimando was clearly man of the match, with his several saves earning RSL that valuable point.  

With the angst of the Rivalry melting quickly in the rear view mirror, what is next for the Claret and Cobalt?  What lies ahead?  Obviously attention immediately shifts to US Open Cup Semifinal match this Wednesday against Portland.  It's two wins for RSL until they can collect not only a trophy to add to the cabinet, but to lock down a CCL spot for next year and claim the corpse of that particular White Whale.

Portland are no slouches though, and former RSL man Will Johnson will lead his club into Rio Tinto  on Wednesday night with the exact same goals: the winner of this match will host the final.  Hopefully RSL will be able to have the services of Javier Morales as he left the Colorado match early for precautionary reasons.  Look for Nick Rimando to make his first start of this year's Open Cup campaign, and look for the return of both Tony Beltran and Chris Wingert to help bolster RSL's defense.  Those points should be a great relief to RSL fans.  Wingert and Beltran's suspensions are now over in league play, which means they can return to the lineup when RSL host the Houston Dynamo at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night.  Those three points could be crucial, especially with three six pointers coming up against Portland.

RSL will need to defend it's home field advantage to lock up the playoffs and make any kind of a run at the Shield or a high seed.  There are six remaining League matches at the RioT vs Houston, Columbus, Portland, San Jose, FC Dallas, and Chivas USA.  Hopefully worst case scenario lands you 12 out of those 18 points.  That would put RSL at 50 points, if they don't earn another on the road.  All of RSL's remaining road matches are against Western Conference Playoff teams, if one assumes that Seattle will make a run with Dempsey in the fold.  The points on the road could be at a premium, making winning our matches at home even more vitally important.  Circle the August 23rd date at LA and September 28 at Vancouver as matches that could be targets for at least a point.  Seattle is kind of an unknown quantity with Dempsey, for now.

So there's plenty to play for, and the Claret and Cobalt are going to have to play at the top of their game from here on in to make a run at a solid playoff seed.  The conference is going to be very tight.

The Rocky Mountain Cup: Dawn of a New Era or Continued Domination?

The Rocky Mountain Cup: It's gonna be feisty.

Cascadia gets all the rivalry attention from Major League Soccer, and let's face it, the atmosphere created around those matches is indeed quite the spectacle.  However, for my money, the most underrated rivalry in MLS will have it's final chapter for 2013 (at least in the regular season) written at Dicks Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado: The Rocky Mountain Cup.

It's quite true that the rivalry between Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids has been rather one sided in terms of results over the last several years.  However, the matches are always super-competitive and can be nail-biting for the non neutral fan of other stripe.  It's physical, at times it's pretty ugly, but it's always unpredictable!

So who do I tip to raise the cup, or shall I say "drive the Suburu" come this weekend?  The inside track clearly goes to the Colorado Rapids.  They earned a great road result with a draw at Rio Tinto earlier this year and took all three from RSL in the first meeting at the Dick.  All they have to do is draw, and RSL's record at the Dick isn't really any better than Colorado's at the RioT.

RSL will also be missing some key players, especially on the back line, which has been the biggest vulnerability in recent weeks.  Chris Wingert will be out due to the extra game suspension he earned for laying out Sporting KC's Kei Kamara.  Tony Beltran will be back from Gold Cup duty, but will also be suspended for the red card he picked up in his last match for RSL.  Injuries further complicate things for the defense.  No Schuler, No Kwame, perhaps no Carlos Salcedo.  This leaves Borchers alongside either Aaron Maund, who is still very much a project, or newcomer Brandon McDonald.  Take a deep breath, RSL fans.  Also, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Yordany Alvarez pick up a suspension from the disciplinary committee for his challenge on Tim Cahill in New York.  If Kyle Beckerman picks up a knock in the All-Star Game, well, I don't even want to think about it.   Rapids fans have good reason to be hopeful.  They're going to get some chances, and RSL's defense is going to make some mistakes.

However, it's not all doom and gloom for the Claret and Cobalt and not all roses for the folks in Burgundy either.  The Rapids will be missing Hendry Thomas, who will be suspended due to yellow card accumulation.  In my mind he's been a key cog for them in front of their back line, which has also proven to be vulnerable at times this year.  With Alvaro Saborio back in the mix and others in RSL's rejuvenated attack, RSL will get some quality looks as well.  The other good news is that Nick Rimando is back in the fold for RSL.  Yes, he'll be at the All Star Game as well, but we can hope that he doesn't see action.  His heroics have been enough for RSL in the past, and they'll need him for this one.

Again, for the cup, all the Rapids need is a tie.  However, don't expect them to play for the tie.  They've been one of the more dynamic teams in MLS in recent weeks, and they have their eyes firmly fixed on the top of the table, where Real Salt Lake currently sit.  They want all three.  The Western Conference race is so tight right now that a point out of this match at home will clearly not be good enough for the Rapids.  They'll attack all out like Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg, and they should do so.  RSL's makeshift defense demands it.

This could leave RSL with some nice chances on the counter though.  I don't expect them to sit back and absorb pressure, they're not very good at it, but when the Rapids do get men forward, and they will, their defense could be left ripe for the picking as well, and RSL has showed it's ability to put up multiple goals on pretty much anybody.

So in my mind, this comes down to two things.  First, which defense makes the fewer mistakes, or avoids making the catastrophic mistake?  Second, which goalkeeper puts on the best show: Nick Rimando or Clint Irwin?  Irwin has been pretty much a rock for the Rapids, and he'll need another strong showing, as will Nick Rimando.

How do I see it unfolding right now?  I'm going with a 1-1, or maybe a 2-2 draw.  The result gives the Rapids the cup and hands them the battle.  However, that would keep RSL ahead in the war that is the standings, for now anyway.  Portland plays Vancouver at Jeld-Wen, so you probably tip them to win that one.  The standings could shuffle, but one thing is for sure, this weekend will be highly interesting.

HBO Investigative Piece Focuses on Chivas USA Allegations

HBO's Real Sports focused on a lawsuit against Chivas USA (Getty Images)

Last night was not a good night in terms of publicity for Chivas USA and Major League Soccer.  HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" ran a 20 minute piece on a lawsuit filed by two former Chivas USA youth coaches, Teddy Chronopoulos and Dan Calichman, that alleges that they were dismissed from their positions because they weren't Mexican or of Mexican descent.

Both the lawsuit and the Real Sports segment focus on the time period since Jorge Vergara, who owns Liga Mx's Chivas de Guadalajara, bought the team.  According to the lawsuit, since that time, Chivas USA have undergone a systematic effort to eliminate personnel that weren't Mexican or of Mexican descent.  It's alleged that in his first address to the team and staff, Vergara spoke only in Spanish until he realized that not all of his staff spoke Spanish, he then commented, in English, that if you didn't speak Spanish, you should go work for the Galaxy.  Another gentleman commented that if you speak against Vergara, that you are speaking against Mexico and are regarded as a racist.

Soledad O'Brien also explored the effects of this on Chivas USA's academy, where Chronopoulos and Calichman coached.  A mother of a former Chivas youth player provided Real Sports with a questionaire that was given to kids and parents where the parents not only had to ethnically identify the child but the child's mother and father as well.  This was a little disturbing.

According to the lawsuit, Chronopoulos and Calichman filed a complaint with Chivas USA's Human Relations department and were then promptly dismissed from their positions.

Also interviewed was DC United's James Riley, who was traded away from Chivas USA.  Riley, who is half African-American and half Korean, alleges that he was traded from the club because he was not of Mexican descent.  Real Sports is following the stories of 17 different players who have been jettisoned from the club since Vergara took over that were not of Mexican descent.  They were largely, if not totally, replaced by Mexican personnel.  This includes former head coach Robin Fraser, who was replaced by El Chelis.  The parents of the youth player interviewed for the piece have moved their son to the LA Galaxy U-12 Academy, where he is now captain.

Real Sports requested an interview with Vergara, but the club denied this request, instead giving O'Brien 15 minutes with technical director Paco Palencia.  The interview ended abruptly when O'Brien's questions  became a little too pointed.

The piece was unquestionably ugly and very bad press for MLS.  Gumbel and O'Brien ventured the guess that Chivas USA see it as a marketing tool to the large Mexican population in LA, or that perhaps  it's all a cultural misunderstanding.  The problem is, that even if this is the case, being ignorant of employment laws regarding discrimination in the United States doesn't make you exempt from following them, and it certainly looks like these two men deserve their day in court, though it is understandable that MLS and Chivas USA are not going to comment given the ongoing lawsuit.  Alexi Lalas said on Twitter today that he asked Commissioner Garber about it, and Garber said that while the piece raises serious issues, he can't really comment because of the litigation.

Also, yes, most job applications in the United States require you to list your ethnicity, generally for affirmative action purposes, however in my opinion, requiring this info on children is a bit beyond the absurd.  Also, I think anyone would be a little suspicious of an employment application that asked you to validate the ethnic identity of your mother and father.

In the end, I'm just left wondering how Major League Soccer let it come to this.    Not to mention, did they not see this coming when they hooked up with Chivas de Guadalajara.  I get that in Mexico, Chivas is largely seen as a national symbol of Mexican pride and that these practices are considered to be perfectly legitimate, but this is not Mexico.  It is also unquestionable that if an MLS franchise ditched all their ethnic players and hired only white players and staff.......well it doesn't take much imagination to think of the PR scandal that would rightly follow.

Anyone who pays attention to, or closely follows MLS saw this coming.  None of it is news.  it became more obvious with every offseason move made by the Goats.  Didn't that send a red flag up with SOMEBODY at League Headquarters?  Perhaps they were too concerned about YSA and NY2 to notice what seems to be pretty blatant discrimination in one of their already existing franchises.

Personally, they could shutter Chivas USA tomorrow and I would be fine with it.  The franchise is a joke.  Despite touting the superiority of their Mexican based system, they remain in last place.  Their attendance is down even further, if that's possible.  Their constant ineptness, on the pitch and off, have made them the laughing stock of the league.  Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake, who came into the league at the same time, and in a much smaller market, have managed to win an MLS Cup and build a yearly contender featuring an extremely diverse roster.  Chivas USA is the poster child for how not to run an MLS side.

The league needs to deal with this.  I shudder to think of what a non MLS fan thought of that piece.  It makes soccer continue to look like a foreign game with backwards views and attitudes.  Nothing was mentioned of the other 18 MLS teams with hugely diverse rosters.  It was UGLY.  Meanwhile, El Chelis took to twitter to bash Grant Wahl, calling him "the KKK." He also asserted that gringos were the kings of racism and discrimination.  Yeah Chelis, you classless hack, that's going to help everything.  This coming from the guy who wouldn't shake the hands of Jason Kreis or RSL's staff after his team got pummeled.  

If I can touch on the political for just a moment, this race crap has to stop.  Its sad to think that we haven't moved past this stuff in 2013.  That goes for anyone who thinks that their race is superior to another.  I don't care if you're white, black, hispanic, asian, or anything else, if you view yourself as superior to another human because of your race, you are part of the problem.  If you view your race as superior to another race on the basis of the blood flowing through your veins, you are part of the problem.  At some point we have to move beyond this, though my hopes aren't high.  As author Michael Shaara states in the book "The Killer Angels:"

"There's many a man worse than me, and some better, but I don't believe that race or country matter a damn!"

We're all human and what unites us can be so much stronger than what divides us.  I wish we could see that.

Finally, on a personal note, I do feel for the Chivas USA supporters, those troopers who show up to every match.  They must know that this is not going to end well for their club, and they shouldn't be lumped in with Vergara and his numpties.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming weeks.