2011 MLS Power Rankings: Week 11
Right now, the world is still abuzz with excitement as it crowns FC Barcelona as the club footballing capital of Europe. Whether or not it becomes the club footballing capital of the world will be determined come December.
Back in the good old U.S. of A, another high-profile club is making their move for dominance.
Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Galaxy are far from becoming the FC Barcelona of Major League Soccer because Bruce Arena is no Pep Guardiola. And they don't play like Barça, either.
But that hasn't stopped the Galaxy from retaining the No. 1 spot in this week's MLS Power Rankings, which has also seen the Philadelphia Union and Seattle Sounders issue statement victories over the weekend.
Allow me to emulate the chorus of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Ahem.
These are the Rankings...
18. Toronto FC
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Hell hath no fury like a springtime storm.
That's what awaited Aron Winter's Toronto FC in the second leg of their Nutrilite Canadian Champions final with Toronto FC. They were down 1-0 and were moments away from being denied a place in the CONCACAF Champions League when Mother Nature became the 12th man and intervened.
A waterlogged pitch forced the match to be postponed to July 2.
However, another storm came calling for TFC...in the form of the Philadelphia Union.
In spite of Maicon Santos scoring a brace in the 50th and 59th minute, the lack of proper defending and poor goalkeeping from Stefan Frei led to one of the club's worst defeats in their short history, a 6-2 annihilation at the hands of the Union at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario.
The Reds will hope for a more inspired effort defensively against Sporting Kansas City. Kickoff at BMO Field is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 at 7:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by TSN.
17. Sporting Kansas City
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So Peter Vermes's Sporting Kansas City know how to win after all.
After several weeks without a result, Sporting crushed the New England Revolution 5-0 in U.S. Open Cup play-in action at the Blue Valley DAC in Kansas City, Kansas.
Chance Myers and C.J. Sapong scored braces in the victory. Myers scored in the ninth and 19th minutes, while Sapong recorded his brace in the 24th and 88th minutes. Aurelien Collin made it 4-0 Sporting in the 81st minute of play.
With the win, Sporting qualify for the third round proper of the U.S. Open Cup.
Returning to MLS action, Sporting Kansas City drew 1-1 with the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Col. Ryan Smith equalized for Sporting in the 75th minute of play.
""It’s a monumental step forward for us, and it’s a huge point on the road," Vermes told reporters after the match. "It helps us going into our final game in this 10 game road stretch into Toronto, and we just have to stay focused on what we’re doing, and just continue to get better, and eliminate some of the mistakes we’ve made."
"It’s a good result for us," Sporting captain Davy Arnaud said. "We needed a positive result, after our recent run of performances and results in the league. So in that aspect it was good, but having said that I think overall we were good enough to take three points tonight.
"We created a ton of chances and again the only real chances we gave them were maybe our own mistakes. I think we were well worth the point and if we’re a little sharper in front of the goal, it could’ve easily been three."
"We started quite well, but I thought we did better in the second half than we did in the first." Smith added. "Overall, they’re the champions, so you can take a lot of positives from this and go into Toronto next week and build from this."
"
Sporting will take on Toronto FC in the final game of their long road trip on Saturday, June 4 at BMO Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT/7:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by KSMO-TV and TSN.
16. New England Revolution
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A week of pure misery was that—a week of pure misery—for the New England Revolution. Better get something to cool that seat of yours, Steve Nicol.
First, the Revs were dumped out of the U.S. Open Cup unceremoniously by a frustrated Sporting Kansas City side 5-0.
"“You basically lose a game in the space of 10 minutes giving the ball away and not defending properly," a terse Nicol told reporters after the match. "And when you’re going three-nil down, it’s a long way back.”
"A lot of the younger players don’t know that when stuff like (going 3-0 down early) happens, you have to get on yourself, and not get on each other," remarked midfielder Pat Phelan. "You can’t wait for someone to tell you to pick it up. But that’s a learning experience for a lot of these guys. You’ve got to put it behind you and you have to start from scratch for every play. You can’t dwell on mistakes. It’s a tough situation to be in, but for everyone on the field, we all want to play well.
"For a lot of these guys, with the exception of reserve games, this is the only time they’ll get on the field this year. I know it’s difficult and a pressure-filled situation to come in to, but it’s disheartening to come out with a result like that. But it’s back to the field and you have to put it behind you, learn from your mistakes and move on.”
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And then New England unforgivably blew numerous chances to equalize in stoppage time against the Los Angeles Galaxy and fell 1-0. Adding insult to defeat was an injury to Benny Feilhaber ahead of the midfielder's CONCACAF Gold Cup obligations.
Nicol wasted no time trying to find excuses for the inexcusable result.
""I think the biggest problem we have is we’re naïve," said Nicol following the match. "We don’t make the best decisions at time. I think that’s our biggest problem. Between the sync and the final third, we’re just that wee bit out, whether it’s a bad decision or a bad pass or a bad run.
"We have a real solid team. I don’t think there’s too much between the teams, to be honest, but they won. We’re just a little bit away. But it’s no good being a little bit away and losing games. We need to pick up points."
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New England gets their next chance at a result on Saturday, June 4 when they travel to Pizza Hut Park to take on FC Dallas. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.
15. Chicago Fire
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Carlos De Los Cobos's Chicago Fire had a hit-and-miss week against the San Jose Earthquakes.
In the U.S. Open Cup "win and you're in" match at Buck Shaw Stadium on the campus of Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, Calif., the Fire rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Orr Barouch scored in the 61st minute and Yamith Cuesta equalized in the 76th minute of play.
""I feel very proud of this group because they left it all on the field," De Los Cobos told reporters after the match. "Despite being a man down a large part of the overtime, the guys showed character and courage. We were well-ordered in back and kept the result. At the end we were just trying to make it to penalties, and then the guys executed well.”
“It’s a good result and we hope to go far in this Cup," said midfielder Marco Pappa, who would later be called up to the USA Men's National Team "This win means a lot for our confidence. We’d tied five games and lost the last one. I’m very pleased because the team is doing well again, the players are happy because we won and we hope to beat them again at home on Saturday.”
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Sadly, that would not be the case, as they drew 2-2 with the Quakes at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. Twice, the Fire equalized: Dominic Oduro in the 57th minute and Cory Gibbs with his first of the season in the 80th minute of play.
"“We give up half chances, one or two chances, and they scored on those chances,” Gibbs told MLSSoccer.com's Sam Stejskal. “It’s happening in every single game; it’s not like we’re giving up 10 chances a game. But that’s what happens in these types of seasons when things aren’t going your way - teams get one or two chances, they score and we’re trying to fight back into it.”
“One of the things we’ve got to do is keep things in perspective,” said Chicago's Logan Pause. “We had tons of change from last year in terms of player personnel and we’re still a young team. That’s not an excuse, we’re not a group of guys that makes excuses, but there are going to be growing pains.
"We have to try to focus on some of our bad habits during training and hopefully we’ll get over this hump and get some better results.”
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Chicago returns to action against the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, June 4 at Toyota Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.
14. Chivas USA
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Robin Fraser's Chivas USA were engaged in a goal festival with the Columbus Crew and earned a 3-3 draw for their efforts.
Nick LaBrocca opened the scoring in the fourth minute of play, Andrew Boyens earned his first of the season in the 37th minute and Jorge Flores opened his scoring scoring account in the 57th minute.
Fraser, however, was displeased with the team's ineptitude on defense.
"“I’m pretty disappointed with the tie to be quite honest," Fraser told reporters after the match. "I think we all are. At the end, I’m happy to get a point. I’d rather have a point than no points, but certainly I felt like we played well enough to get all three points.
"We really made some mistakes at the end but coming off the game last week where we didn’t play very well. I felt we did extremely well in terms of possession and then in turning the possession into chances. In the end, we’ll take the draw on the road but it’s a game we felt we could’ve won.”
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Compounding matters further was a red card issued to Flores in the 69th minute for a harsh challenge.
"“Well, we put ourselves in that situation," forward Alejandro Moreno admitted. "I still maintain that we hung on for a point but we shouldn’t have been in that position to begin with. It came from mistakes, it came from us not being able to keep the ball when we had the chance to do so.
"We didn’t really manage the game the way we should have. In the end we were punished but again we’ll take the point.”
"
The club will have to soldier on without Flores on Wednesday, June 1 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Sports West.
Chivas USA will then host the Portland Timbers on Saturday, June 4. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Sports Prime Ticket.
13. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
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Teitur Thordarsson's Vancouver Whitecaps were not counting on Mother Nature to be suiting up for Toronto FC in the second leg of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship Final.
A waterlogged pitch forced an abandonment of the match, which had the Caps claim one hand on the trophy 1-0 with minutes to play. Eric Hassli scored in the 17th minute for Vancouver.
"“We’re disappointed, of course,” Thordarson told MLSSoccer.com's Brandon Timko. “The advantage that we had gotten this game doesn’t count, so that is obviously unfair. As far as the conditions, that is the referee’s decision and we have to respect that.”
“We’re not happy about it,” added Whitecaps CEO Paul Barber. “We were 1-0 up away from home after 59 minutes and were in a very commanding position in a cup final, but rules are rules. From our point of view, we were playing well and we wanted to finish this match. From Toronto’s point of view, obviously it’s a different perspective. At the end of the day, it’s irrelevant.”
"
With better weather awaiting the Whitecaps at Empire Field in Vancouver, British Columbia, Vancouver held the New York Red Bulls to a respectable 1-1 draw. Eric Hassli scored on a penalty kick in the 24th minute for the Caps.
"“I feel that, again, I’m quite disappointed because I feel that we should have managed to take three points here today,” Thordarson remarked after the match. “I thought we played a good first half, but not as good in the second. The hardworking part is there for 90 minutes, but we just don’t manage to put it in.
“I think we have shown so many times in terms of level of play that we have no problems, absolutely no problems whatsoever. We create chances on every team in this league, but we just need to finish this off."
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With the month of May in the Caps' rear view mirror, Vancouver will look to hit the ground running in June.
The Whitecaps have a couple of matches on the road this week. On Wednesday, June 1, Vancouver takes on Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Rogers SportsNet One.
On Saturday, June 4, the Whitecaps travel to Sandy, Utah, and Rio Tinto Stadium to do battle with Real Salt Lake. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by CITY TV.
12. Colorado Rapids
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Gary Smith's Colorado Rapids were in action for a couple of matches last week and could only muster up two out of a possible six points.
On Wednesday, the Rapids drew 2-2 with the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. Jeff Larentowicz scored a brace in the 27th and 32nd minutes for Colorado.
""We are digging very deep into our squad," Smith remarked after the match. "To score two goals here against a team that is absolutely laden with quality, not only to get a point, but to perform, conduct ourselves and in the end probably be unfortunate not to win the game. I think you got what you want there."
"I don’t think in games past, we have developed enough opportunities to say that we should have won, but I think tonight was a different story," said Larentowicz. "We came in with a game plan and I thought we executed well and created opportunities off the counter attack."
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Defender Drew Moor also agreed the team could have done better to hold on to the lead.
"We will walk away with our heads held high, without a doubt, but there is just that slight disappointment and the fact that we felt we could have gotten that full three points by creating some chances here in the second half," Moor said. "But it’s a quick turnaround and that’s always a good thing, so we will walk out of here with our heads held high and move on from this."
For the Rapids, one draw leads to another, and that came in the form of a 1-1 tie with Sporting Kansas City. Conor Casey opened his scoring account in the 13th minute of play.
"I think today’s game was overshadowed by the fatigue that the team has endured; some guys have been called upon probably a little too much now," Smith told reporters following the match. "The fact that we stay unbeaten is always good. You can see from the away games that we’ve played that there are points to be had when we go away but we’re going to have to turn the screw a little bit when we go away and pick up some of those points lost here."
Midfielder Wells Thompson pulled no punches when mentioned the frustration coming out of the defending MLS Cup Champions.
"There are no excuses, you could say travel or it’s been a long week. We should all be ready to play," Thompson said. "It was kind of a missed clearance by me and I’ll take the blame for that. But it is what it is; it’s kind of hard to put it together."
Fellow midfielder Ross LaBauex hinted at a silver lining in the latest slate of results.
"As long as we’re getting points we’re good," LaBauex said. "There are plenty of opportunities for us to get back to where we want to be."
One of those opportunities comes on Saturday, June 4, when they take on the Philadelphia Union at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT/9:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Altitude.
11. Columbus Crew
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It was a wild weekend for Robert Warzycha's Columbus Crew, who drew 3-3 with Chivas USA on Saturday at the Home Depot Center.
Andres Mendoza scored a brace in the 17th and 52nd minutes for the Crew, while Emmanuel Ekpo equalized in the 64th minute of play.
"“We responded well to the goals (Chivas) scored,” defender Julius James told thecrew.com's Craig Merz. “It’s encouraging. We showed some guts. You don’t want goals scored on you but we showed as a defense we can hold up. Now our attackers and offense showed they can too, which is absolutely positive for us.”
“We came back three times from one-goal deficits,” Warzycha said. “That showed a lot of heart.”
"
Columbus will hope to get back in the win column when they take on the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, June 4 at Red Bull Arena. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
10. Real Salt Lake
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The Fortress has been sacked. I repeat, the Fortress has been sacked. Pass it on.
Jason Kreis's Real Salt Lake tasted their first league defeat at home in two years in a 2-1 defeat to the Seattle Sounders at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday.
Nelson Gonzalez earned his first of the season in the 88th minute of play, but it would not be enough as Real's home winning streak ended at 29 games.
“All good things must come to an end, I guess," Kreis told reporters after the match. "I’m not quite sure how to feel about it right now, I’ve been so focused on all of the small things going on with our team lately. In some strange way I’m pleased with a lot of the play, with the fight of the guys, with the mindset to keep going and never quit.”
Real were forced to play with 10 men in the 58th minute after Jamison Olave was sent off as per the DOGSO rule.
“I think we were disappointed to give up that first goal," said defender Nat Borchers after the match. "I think the red card was even more disappointing. I don’t think it’s a red card personally and I think it’s a pretty tough call.”
Real Salt Lake will look to rebound when they host the Vancouver Whitecaps at Rio Tinto Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 at 7:00 p.m. MT/9:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by KMYU 2.2 and Comcast SportsNet.
9. Houston Dynamo
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Dominic Kinnear's Houston Dynamo had a mediocre week, to say the least. Well, one point is better than nothing, I guess.
On Wednesday, the Dynamo fell 1-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy. It could have ended in a scoreless draw, but Lovel Palmer's handball proved to be the difference.
"“We did do some good things,” Kinnear told MLSSoccer.com's Darrell Lovell. “We started the game pretty good, and then we hit a lull in the second half where we were sloppy with our passing. We stopped going forward. We didn’t do enough in and around the box.”
“We worked hard,” said Dynamo midfielder Geoff Cameron. “It’s just one of those that you have to take on the chin a little bit, but we have a game Saturday, so we are looking forward to that.”
"
On Saturday, Houston drew 2-2 with rivals FC Dallas. Cam Weaver scored his fourth of the season in the 42nd minute and Colin Clark equalized for the Dynamo in the 87th minute of play.
“We’ve got to start fixing these mistakes as we head later into the season," Weaver admitted following the match "I think we have to say, ‘It’s not good enough,’ and we have to strive for more, especially at home. We have to get those three points, and we’ve got to go back and look at the way we are playing and the mistakes that we are making and try to fix them."
Houston travels to Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday, June 4 to take on the San Jose Earthquakes. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CT/10;30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Galavision.
8. San Jose Earthquakes
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Frank Yallop's San Jose Earthquakes did not have a good week against the Chicago Fire.
In U.S. Open Cup play, the Quakes blew a 2-0 lead and fell 5-4 in penalties to the Fire after a 5-4 draw. Ellis McLoughlin opened the scoring in the 14th minute of play for San Jose and Justin Morrow made it 2-0 in the 43rd minute.
The Quakes were hoping for revenge at Toyota Park on Saturday. However, all they could manage was a 2-2 draw.
Ramiro Corrales opened up the scoring in the 49th minute of play and Chris Wondolowski earned his sixth of the season in the 74th minute. The play of SuperDraft selection Anthony Ampaipitakwong was instrumental in the draw.
"“I never try to think of that, I’m so happy to be with the San Jose Earthquakes,” Ampaipitakwong told MLSsoccer.com's Geoff Lepper. “But at the same time, yeah, it’s in the back of my mind. It’s kind of a motivational factor. That’s something personal and individual, a fire that burns for me inside: ‘You passed me up, and I’m going to show you what (the Quakes) got as a player.’”
“Ampai came into the league very mature, with a great soccer mind,” Wondolowski added. “I think he’s going to keep growing.”
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Ampai and company will look to keep their league unbeaten streak alive when they host the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, June 4 at Buck Shaw Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by Galavision and Comcast SportsNet.
7. Red Bull New York
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Hans Backe's New York Red Bulls could only manage a couple of draws over the week.
At Red Bull Arena, New York settled for a 2-2 draw with the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday. Thierry Henry earned his sixth of the season in the 29th minute of play and Luke Rodgers equalized in the 33rd minute for the Red Bulls.
"“We did well, we passed well, we did things well,” midfielder Joel Lindpere told MLSsoccer.com's Kristian Dyer, “but we lacked what I think was quality. The passing wasn’t good enough in front of the goal. It just wasn’t quality. You do all this passing, then what? Nothing comes from it.”
“When you control the game like that and you get into the attacking third, it is small, small details,” Backe added. “It has to be more creative to break down teams that sit back.”
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New York then hit the road for a cross-country showdown with the Vancouver Whitecaps at Empire Field. However, they were consigned to a 1-1 draw.
Once again, Rodgers delivered the equalizer, scoring his fifth of the season in the 34th minute.
“We really wanted three points," Jan Gunnar Solli told Dyer. “We’ve had too many draws. Every game though is difficult right now.”
With five Red Bulls taking off for national team duty, depth will be key for the club as they enter the month of June.
New York hosts the Columbus Crew on Saturday, June 4 at Red Bull Arena. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by MSG.
6. Portland Timbers
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The New Fortress has also been sacked. I repeat, the New Fortress has also been sacked. Pass it on.
John Spencer's Portland Timbers saw their league home winning streak end at the hands of D.C. United 3-2 on Sunday at Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Ore.
Jack Jewsbury equalized early in the 67th minute off a penalty and Jorge Perlaza earned his thrid of the season in the 88th minute, but the Timbers failed to complete the rally.
"“It’s disappointing the way we came out in the first half, we shot ourselves in the foot and gave up an early goal," Jewsbury told reporters following the game. "I thought we fought back fairly well to get even.”
“We just have to regroup, we have plenty more games," said defender Jeremy Hall. "We’re not worried about it, we’ve just got to keep plugging away and get back to the basics.”
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Portland returns to the Home Depot Center on Saturday, June 4 to take on Chivas USA. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by ROOT Sports.
5. Seattle Sounders FC
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Sigi Schmid's Seattle Sounders had a hit-and-miss week. On Wednesday, they fell at home to FC Dallas 1-0.
"“We had some good plays, but the bottom line is that it wasn’t good enough. We’ve got to win that game at home,” forward Nate Jaqua told SoundersFC.com's Matt Gaschk. “Dallas is a good team, but to lose to a team at home is always frustrating.”
“Getting a win you need to put three things together - effort, some quality and something magical,” said defender Zach Scott. “At times we had one or two of those, but never all three and that’s what let us down.”
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It was a different story on Saturday against Real Salt Lake. Goals from Patrick Ianni in the 71st minute and Lamar Neagle in the 84th minute gave the Sounders a historic 2-1 victory at a rain-soaked Rio Tinto Stadium.
"“It’s something we’re proud of,” Schmid told reporters following the match. “It’s something we talked about before the game - that we wanted to try and be the team that ended the streak. RSL has been a great team at home and they’re a very, very good team, so we’re very happy with the fact that we were able to win.”
“Every three points - especially that you can steal in away games - are huge for any point in the season,” Neagle added. “It was really good for us.”
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Seattle will travel to Bridgeview's Toyota Park on June 4 to take on the Chicago Fire. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by KONG 6/16.
4. D.C. United
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Ben Olsen's D.C. United came to Jeld-Wen Field on Sunday and scored a statement victory in the form of a 3-2 victory over the Portland Timbers.
Perry Kitchen opened the scoring and his scoring account in the 13th minute. Chris Pontius made it 2-1 in the 75th minute and Josh Wolff made it 3-1 in the 85th minute. Blake Brettschneider added two assists in the victory.'
""It’s a big step for us," Olsen told reporters following the game. "I don’t want to blow it out of proportion too much because in this league on any given day, you can beat a team.
"Historically we have lost when the field is small, when it’s turf, when it’s a real gritty game. And the guys today were fed up with that and they showed that they can compete physically with any team in this league.”
"
United goalkeeper Bill Hamid was clutch in between the posts, stopping two penalties.
“[The victory] means a lot," Hamid said. "Being the first team to come here (and win), after five games unbeaten for them—that’s an accomplishment we’re definitely going put in our pockets and use as confidence.”
D.C. United will hope that this result pays off when they take on the Los Angeles Galaxy on Friday, June 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.
3. FC Dallas
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Schellas Hyndman's FC Dallas took four out of a possible six points over the week to check in at #3 in our Power Rankings.
On Wednesday, the Hoops came to Qwest Field and defeated the Seattle Sounders 1-0. Brek Shea won the day for Dallas, scoring on the delivery from Andrew Jacobson in the 18th minute.
“It got kind of hectic there for a while and we were just doing our best to weather the storm, so to speak,” defender George John told MLSsoccer.com's Robert Casner. “There were some scary moments, but we did a good job.”
With the win, the shutout streak extended to 489 minutes, a new franchise record.
“It’s a good testament to the backline and our communication as well as the leadership with Kevin Hartman and Daniel Hernandez," John added. "I didn’t know it was a record, but that’s great.”
That streak would end against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, as they were consigned to a 2-2 draw at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Jacobson opened his scoring account in the 27th minute, while Ugo Ihemelu made it 2-1 in he 70th minute.
"“I thought our boys really dug deep and battled and competed in a very, very vicious environment,” Hyndman told Casner following the match. “We’ll continue to work on getting better, but as a coach I can’t ask for any more from the players.
“This was a very, very difficult two games – and swing with three games in seven days. You look at the teams – Real Salt Lake, Seattle on the road, and then coming in and playing Houston on the road – I couldn’t ask anything more from them and I think, in many ways, they have to be very proud of their effort.”
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FC Dallas will look to open June on the winning track with a match against the New England Revolution at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday, June 4. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET and will be televised by TXA21.
2. Philadelphia Union
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Were Peter Nowak's Philadelphia Union inspired by FC Barcelona's scoring mojo of Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi and David Villa? Or was Toronto FC just plain awful on defense?
Whatever the answer maybe, one thing is for sure: the Union ruthlessly destroyed the Reds at BMO Field 6-2. Gabriel Farfan opened the scoring in the second minute with his first of the year. Kyle Nakazawa made it 3-0 with his first of the season in the 44th minute.
But it was braces from Philly's version of Pedro and Messi—Justin Mapp and Danny Mwanga—that sealed Toronto's fate.
Mapp scored his brace in the 11th and 62nd minutes, while Danny Mwanga got on the score sheet in the 72nd and 89th minutes of play.
"“I think it just shows the desire and we don’t ever give up,” Farfan told MLSSoccer.com's Andy Jasner. “It shows the character of our team. It shows the desire and hard work we put in this week.”
“I just think we were pretty organized, we put a lot of pressure on their back,” Mapp added. “We forced a few turnovers. I think our guys had some good finishes by everybody, getting in good position. All around it was a good game for us.”
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A couple of matches are on the way for the Union. On Tuesday, May 31, Philadephia takes on sister club Reading United AC at Don Thomas Stadium in Reading, Penn. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Union will then hit the road to take on the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 at 9:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.
1. Los Angeles Galaxy
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Now some of you are wondering, why are Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy ahead of the Philadelphia Union in this week's Power Rankings? They blew out Toronto FC, after all!
Well, offense does win games, but I would like to add this time-honored adage: defense wins championships. This past week, the Galaxy capped off three wins in eight days with two clutch performances on defense to remain No. 1 in this week's MLS Power Rankings.
On Wednesday, Landon Donovan converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time to help Los Angeles defeat the Houston Dynamo 1-0.
"“It was, obviously, a difficult game," Arena told reporters after the match. "I thought Houston played real hard for 90 minutes. I thought our team, for the most part, played very well. It could have been a little cleaner in trying to get another goal in the game. I think overall we had a good night. You can see both teams were a little fatigued from the game over the weekend. But I’m naturally very pleased to get the three points.”
“It’s not a hundred percent chance to score, but pretty close," Donovan said of the penalty. "There’s a lot more that goes into a penalty than people realize, it’s something I work on, and something I’ve gotten comfortable at over the years. And it was good to score the goal to win the game tonight.”
Defensively, the Galaxy reduced Houston to one shot on goal."We knew that we wanted to prevent their service, first and foremost," added defender Todd Dunivant. "We did that and the big guys didn’t get service and they didn’t get a lot of opportunities because of it. It was the first object and in the first half, especially, we did a good job of keeping the ball and putting them on their heels, where [Brad] Davis and [Colin] Clark had to do a lot more defending than they did attacking. I think that was to our advantage.”
“Bruce’s game plan was to try and stop (Brad) Davis getting on the ball," midfielder Chris Birchall said. "He is probably their key player, likes to get crosses from where ever he is and set up the plays. He just told to me and Sean to try and double up on him, try not to give him space on the ball and stay near the side. I think we did that a good majority of the game. Obviously, players like that get on the ball sometimes and cause you a little bit of problems, but overall we’re pleased.”
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The defense came through in second half stoppage time—with a little help from the crossbar, of course—in LA's 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution. Miguel Lopez opened his scoring account thanks to David Beckham's seventh assist of the season in the 69th minute.
""This has been hard," a relieved Arena told reporters. "It hasn’t been as hard for me as it has been on the players. It’s been difficult and to manage to pull nine points out of three games is remarkable and it’s all the credit to the players. They’ve been fabulous."
"I think the only frustration on the night was probably we felt we should’ve had the game tied up before we scored because I think we created chances, we passed the ball around well and that’s the only frustration," Beckham said. "But we knew we’d get a good chance and we’d win the game if we scored a goal. So, you know, the frustration came from that but that’s it."
"I think it just goes to shows how hard this team works and we’re just very committed to getting the proper rest," said defender Omar Gonzalez, who delivered in the back for the Galaxy. "I mean, this is the third time that we do three games in one week and I think that getting nine points in three games is just incredible for us and moving forward, it’s just a big confidence boost."
"A lot of guys made a lot of big plays," Donovan remarked. "A.J. (DeLaGarza) made a big play before that. We put ourselves in positions on both sides of the field to make plays. Miguel (Lopez) made a great play to score the goal and other guys made great plays to ensure that we got the result."
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On Friday, the Los Angeles Galaxy play host to D.C. United in a showdown between two teams in the top five in our Power Rankings. Kickoff at the Home Depot Center is scheduled for Friday, June 3 at 8:00 p.m. PT/11:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.
