Moreno's Crew Tenure Ends (Fahmi/Studio79)

Striker Alejandro Moreno was drafted by the Philadelphia Union today in the expansion draft. A fan favorite, Moreno came to the Crew in 2007 scoring 20 goals and 12 assists in 74 games (69 starts). His form dipped in 2009 as he scored 4 goals in 22 games (17 starts). He was out of contract and his future with the team was already up in the air.

I have many great memories of Moreno. I got the first idea that 2008 would be a good year when, in the opener against Toronto, I watched Moreno expertly beat an offside trap and score a well taken goal to put the Crew up 2-0 and kick off the season in grand style.

I probably won’t ever forget his goal in MLS Cup that game the Crew a 1-0 lead at the time. It was a classic Ale goal, he took a Schelotto pass and just put his head down and kept going. He hustled past the shambolic Red Bull defense and slipped one past Cepero. It was a goal that settled down a shaky Crew team as they cruised to the Cup.

I think this is probably the best possible outcome for Columbus. Moreno was not going to come back at his $100,000 plus cap number. Lenhart and Renteria would press him for playing time. At 30, Moreno was already showing signs of wearing out. Never a speedy player, he looked down right glacial at times late in the year.

I wish Ale nothing but the best in Philadelphia and beyond. He has always been a classy individual. He would stop to talk to any fans who asked him for an autograph and he was most gracious to answer this novice writers questions. Though he only wore a Crew kit for two and a half years, he made a tremendous mark.

Schelotto's Future In the Air (Fahmi/Studio79)

Lost in the Expansion Draft talk is that the Crew and the Schelotto camp continue to talk and that the Argentine’s agents gave the Crew one final offer on Monday. This was a take it or leave it choice for the Crew, sign him or he’s not coming back.

With a final offer tendered by Schelotto, both sides won’t have to wait long before seeing what the future holds. The Crew have to make a decision about Guille’s worth to the team both on and off the field. I have to think that Schelotto’s future will be decided by the end of the month. It’s a bad sign if there is no news in the coming days about a new contract.

I still hold out hope that both sides get a deal done. The Crew could use another year of Schelotto’s imaginative play. He’s a fan favorite and would be an asset to the Crew organization when he retires. For Schelotto, Columbus is a very comfortable city. He has settled in nicely to the point his family can join him during the season. It makes too much sense on both sides for a deal to fall through, but sometimes people don’t make the deal that makes the most sense.

Shawn Mitchell has the Crew’s expansion draft protected list. The team protected 11 and Jed Zayner was exempt due to his remaining status as a Generation Adidas player. I was not too far off in my; the usual suspects are there and the Crew obviously took salary concerns when they made their list.

From the upper tier, the Crew protected Schelotto, Rogers, Marshall, Carroll, and O’Rourke. Even though Schelotto is out of contract, he still can be resigned or traded if it comes to that. Mystery still surrounds the contract status of Robbie Rogers, but like Schelotto, he has too much value to the team even if he doesn’t stick around. Marshall, Carroll, and O’Rourke were locks to be protected. All are either too good or too cheap to leave unprotected.

The next tier is a mix of mid tier talent. This included the expensive options like Gaven, Hesmer, and Ekpo. These players are all very talented and are more expensive options. The two wingers make in exess of $100,000 and are under 25 years old; the type of player that you can build a team around. Perhaps Philadelphia isn’t looking for a keeper, but a two year starter making $77,000 a year is valuable trade bait, much like how the Crew got him from Toronto.

The last three are from the cheap talent list. Lenhart, Brunner, and Moffat have upside and don’t cost much against the cap at all. They have been starters and make great cogs to a new roster. This is the valuable depth for the Crew to have, but perhaps may have been sacrificed to protect a veteran back like Gino Padula.

The unprotected list is very interesting. Team captain Frankie Hejduk is available as is valuable left back Gino Padula. 2008 first round draft pick Andy Iro is also available on the defensive side. The Crew also left several strikers available, Ale Moreno, Jason Garey, and Emilio Renteria all provide a certain offensive spark and may be intriguing to the Union. There is value on the Crew’s exposed list.

I expect Padula to get picked and traded. A veteran left back is too valuable of a commodity. I bet some team in MLS will want to trade for him as the final piece of the puzzle. If it isn’t Padula, I could also see the Union picking up one of the Crew’s strikers as an offensive option. Garey and Moreno have proven they can score goals. Garey has always been too low on the pecking order to really get any minutes, but he has produced when he has had a chance.

If the Crew do lose Padula, I can see Zayner starting on the left side. I also could see a back line of Zayner, O’Rourke, Brunner, and Marshall next year as well if Hejduk doesn’t rebound from his injury and poor performance plagued 2009 season. That would mean the Crew are looking to Moffat, Burns, or even Gaven to fill the hole in central midfield. I am intrigued who Philly picks from the Crew and how the team starts to rework the team.

The Crew will be losing someone this week. There is already trouble brewing over Schelotto’s contract situation and Rogers possibly being unhappy in Columbus, but the team is almost sure to lose someone to the Philadelphia Union expansion draft on Wednesday. The Crew brain trust will have to prepare a list that minimizes the impact to the team with a lot of question marks heading into the 2010 season.

While the Crew will be releasing their list tomorrow, but I will try to take a crack now:

Protected:

1. Guillermo Barros Schelotto – It’s a risk if he leaves for Argentina, but he is too valuable to protect.
2. Chad Marshall – Cornerstone of the team
3. Brian Carroll – The backbone of the the team. Injury contributed to an off year.
4. Robbie Rogers – Rumors of his discontent doesn’t reduce his value to the Crew, even if it is for a trade.
5. Jed Zayner – Youthful defender looked very good in defense.
6. Gino Padula – Even older left backs are too valuable to lose.
7. Danny O’Rourke – Versatile player who can play 4 defensive positions and in the midfield.
8. Eric Brunner – Young defenders as solid as Brunner are very valuable.
9. Eddie Gaven – He is a young steady performer. His high salary might scare off teams, but not a risk worth taking.
10. Emmanual Ekpo – Much like Gaven, his high salary might scare off Philadelphia, but there is too much possible turnover on offense to lose both Ekpo and Gaven.
11. William Hesmer – I think he is a little to valuable to risk losing.

Unprotected: Frankie Hejduk, Alejandro Moreno, Steven Lenhart, Emilio Renteria, Jason Garey, Andy Iro, Adam Moffat, Duncan Oughton, Andy Gruenebaum, Kenny Schoeni, Kevin Burns, Cory Elenio, Alex Grendi

I have ranked the protected list in the order I would protect. 1-8 are pretty solid, but I was on the fence for the final three. Gaven would be a big loss and he had a good year in 09, but I almost left him off my list because of his giant salary number ($173,250). He probably could be left off, but I didn’t want to take the risk. Ekpo wasn’t as steady. That’s worth protecting over the aging Moreno. Hesmer is just better enough than Gruenebaum protect as well.

As far as the unprotected list, I debated over three players, Moreno, Hejduk, and Lenhart. Hejduk is the heart of the Crew and one of the longest serving players, but he has also lost a step. He will be 36 next year and has injury problems. Moreno is out of contract, expensive, and will be 30 next year. Never a clinical striker; he is now losing any of the speed he once had. Lenhart is cheap and young, but is still very rough around the edges. He is a more replaceable talent.

Who do I expect Philly to take, just by talent and salary and not considering tradable value, I expect they take Moreno. His contract can be reworked and he is a proven MLS striker, even if it is as more of a 2nd striker. He is valuable at a reduced cap number. I could see them take cheaper talent like Lenhart, but Hejduk is expensive and aging, two bad combos.

Any way the Crew make their list, it marks the beginning of what looks to be a very tumultuous offseason.

Guille was going to give the Crew until Friday to get a deal done. It’s Friday and there isn’t any news (Ives reconstituted rumors don’t count).

O Columbus Crew vai enfrentar os mexicanos do Toluca,nas quartas de final da Liga dos Campeões da Concacaf. O sorteio dos confrontos foi realizado nesta terça-feira, em Nova York.

Os quatro grupos da fase de classificação tiveram equipes mexicanas em primeiro lugar, o que significa que o país pode monopolizar as semifinais. O vencedor de Toluca x Columbus Crew enfrentará quem sair do duelo entre o Pachuca e o Comunicaciones, da Guatemala.

Do outro lado da chave, o Pumas pega o Marathón, de Honduras, e o Cruz Azul tem pela frente o Árabe Unido, do Panamá.

Os jogos das quartas de final serão nas semanas de 10 e 17 de março. As semifinais estão marcadas para 31 de março e 7 de abril, e as finais para 21 e 28 de maio. O campeão disputará o Mundial de Clubes da Fifa em 2010.

What you missed while this traitor to the human race was throwing jellyfish at kids on the beach…

• Salem Saad, striker for the United Arab Emirates side Al Nasr, died after collapsing on the pitch during training. He was 31.
• FIFA won’t sanction a replay of the France-Ireland basketball game, in spite of the fact that Thierry Henry totally admits to the handball.
• Not even Sweden, his home country, is backing up referee Martin Hansson.
• Giovanni Trapattoni, however, hasn’t said his team was robbed (possibly because, had Robbie Keane put away the two clear chances he had, Ireland wouldn’t have had this problem).
• Robbie Keane, however, has blamed pretty much everyone who works at FIFA and UEFA headquarters for the Irish being knocked out…even though the only teams they’ve actually managed to beat in World Cup Qualifying were Cyprus and Georgia.
• Portugal, Greece, Slovenia, Algeria, and Uruguay also qualified for the World Cup yesterday.
• Harry Redknapp has hit out against the “weak” players and their “idiot” agents who go behind his back to talk to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
• The Cameroon national team would like David N’Gog to consider playing for them; ideally, he’d dive right in and play during the African Cup of Nations.
• Kieran Gibbs should be ready to face Chelsea later this month.
• Japan, the first Asian team to qualify for the World Cup, was not named one of the best teams in the Asian conference.
• The Columbus Crew will face Mexican champions Toluca in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals in March.

I am always one to doubt, to see the shadows painting the corners. 2009 was a fantastic season by many measures, but I repeatedly saw quite a few shadows of doubt this past season for the Crew.

A winless streak to start the year set the early tone and my concerns grew. The team responded to the early troubles by steamrolling through the league in June, July, August, and September and squashed nearly every doubt I had about this team; a lacking offense, a number of players having off years, and an unproven coach.

However the sputtering performances in October and November started to grow those doubts again. The early exit from the playoffs confirmed that this was a team in need of some retooling. I still had confidence that the team would be able to transition with a minimum amount of problems because this wasn’t the Crew of old. McCullers had proven to be a steady hand as GM and Warzycha had learned from Sigi Schmid for three years.

After this week though, I am not nearly as confident. Schelotto’s contract negotiations are playing out in public and it doesn’t reflect well on the team. McCullers may be saying the right things, but it sure seems that HSG isn’t going to pull out the checkbook to keep Guille. It’s also rumored that Warzycha isn’t keen on keeping the Crew’s best player.

These are things that drive fans crazy. Perhaps a deal gets done so that Schelotto retires with the Crew, but right now the team is doing quite a bit to destroy the goodwill they have developed over the past couple years. Casting aside the MVP from last year and the 3rd leading goal scorer this year doesn’t signal that the team is looking to improve on the field.

With both sides using the media as part of the negotiations, it’s a little hard to tell truth from exaggeration. I, however, believe if a deal doesn’t get done that this will be the turning point for this team and it won’t be a good one. McCullers will face an uphill battle to market this team without the flashy talents of the Argentine. Fans will certainly treat Warzycha’s tactics and personnel choices with more skepticism.

It would be a shame to see the positive developments of the past couple of years start to regress over the poor treatment of one of the very best to ever put on a Crew uniform.

Yesterday news broke that the Columbus Crew, who were knocked out of the playoffs by Real Salt Lake, had began contract discussions with Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Or, rather, they’d submitted him an offer; while specific details are confidential, league sources told the “Columbus Dispatch” that the base offer was around $227,500. Now, for most MLS players, that’s a huge salary that could easily be ten times what they’re bringing home; for Schelotto, however, that’s a 65% reduction in his $650,000 base salary.

On it’s face, that decision is pretty shocking. Schelotto is the engine that makes the Crew tick; he was their leading scorer with 14 goals this season, scoring once every 112 minutes or so. Schelotto’s inexplicable omission in the first leg of the Crew’s playoff against Real Salt Lake saw them without a real scoring threat; on the return leg, when he was back in the lineup, he scored twice.

In fact, Schelotto was the most productive designated player in the 2009 MLS season. He had more goals (14), more combined goals and assists (17), and – probably the biggest factor for the Crew – was the cheapest on a per-goal basis* ($38,235). Add on top of that that he was already the cheapest designated player in terms of straight cash (at $650,000 per year, he’s a full $70,000 cheaper than DC United’s Luciano Emilio and about 12% of David Beckham’s salaray) and you have a player that most MLS franchises would absolutely kill for. Looking at his numbers for this season, the plain fact of the matter is that Schelotto was one of the top players in the league and, at the ripe old age of 36, he set the benchmark for production from a designated player.

The only problem? He’s about half as effective as he was last season.

Oh, sure, his actual goal tally doubled; he scored 7 in 2008. But on the same salary, Schelotto contributed a mind boggling 25 assists. That means he was either the scorer or (as was most often the case) the architect for 32 of the Crew’s goals in their championship winning season. It also changes his “cash per goal” number to $20,313. Put another way: you could buy one and a half Beckham goals (at $366,667 apiece) for the amount of money spent on 32 Schelotto goals.

So if you’re Columbus, you’re left with a decision: even though Schelotto represents tremendous value for your money at the designated player slot, does he still represent that value when compared with regular players?

Columbus is saying no, he isn’t; in reality, Schelotto still represented good money this season for them, but I have a feeling that they’re looking at his metrics over time and noticing a dip in his productivity. One team that may not do the same, however, is Chicago; with Cuauhtémoc Blanco returning to Mexico, the Fire all of a sudden have a free designated player slot; I would imagine that getting a Guillermo Barros Schelotto who’s motivated to show the Crew what they’re missing, at what could be a fraction of Blanco’s nearly $3 million price tag, would be a very tempting move for them.

*-Cash per goal was determined by dividing the player’s base salary (without bonuses) by the number of goals scored+number of assists made

A mere minutes after the final game of the Crew’s 2009 season, an obviously spent Guillermo Barros Schelotto very clearly said he wanted to stay in Columbus. Warzycha and the Crew want him back too. Seems simple? Just make the deal happen.

Unfortunately, there are over 600,000 reasons that this will not be as easy as just bringing back the best player to put on a Crew uniform. Steve Goff was first to report that upper management at the Crew want the Argentine maestro to take a 50% pay cut. Shawn Mitchell then filled in some details surrounding the negotiations.

The team, either owner Clark Hunt or team president Mark McCullers is looking to get the 36 year old Schelotto back in 2010, but at a non Designated Player salary. The initial offer however is drastically reduced from his $650,000 salary last year. Mitchell tags the offer in the neighborhood of $225,000, a very big drop. I certainly understand why Schelotto would feel slighted.

This does seem very like the team is aggressively looking to cut costs; it would give the Crew much needed salary flexibility for the upcoming season. It would free up a Designated Player slot to use on a big name striker or midfielder.

Possibly more importantly it would free up some money for some of the rest of the team. Several younger players are in line for serious pay increases. Jed Zayner is out of contract and will need a bigger contact than the one that paid him $40,000 last year. Robbie Rogers, Danny O’Rourke, and Eric Brunner are in contract, but are probably due for raises.

As for Schelotto, he still has options. He certainly can go back to Argentina and play or coach. His options in MLS are a little more limited for now. The Crew hold his rights and other teams would have to trade for him under the current CBA. I would expect the Crew could get a decent return on a player who scored 12 goals in 2009 and was league MVP in 2008.

Perhaps this is wishful thinking, but I am confident a deal can be reached. Both sides are posturing on the deal, but I hope they realize that they are a good fit for each other. Schelotto has a good setup living in Columbus. The Crew must realize that Guille also provides something that MLS teams consistently lack, an inventive offensive force.

With a possible Friday deadline looming for the Schelotto situation, Columbus will have a good idea which direction the 2010 version of the team is going.

Nesta segunda a Major League Soccer anunciou o BEST XI. Confira:

GOLEIRO (1): Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)

ZAGUEIROS (3): Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew)

MEIO-CAMPISTAS (5): Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution), Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders FC)

ATACANTES (2): Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas)

Nesta temporada 10 clubes possuem jogadores no BEST XI e o Houston Dynamo é a única equipe que possui dois jogadores na lista. Outro dado curioso é que dos jogadores escolhidos, 10 jogaram o All-Star Game.

Liga dos Campeões da CONCACAF

Com a definição da grande final da MLS Cup 2009, também ficaram definidas as equipes da MLS que irão disputar a Liga dos Campeões da CONCACAF (LCC) na temporada 2010-2011. Essas equipes são:

• Seattle Sounders FC: campeão da US Open Cup 2009
• Columbus Crew: campeão da MLS Supporters’ Shield 2009
• Los Angeles Galaxy: finalista da MLS Cup 2009
• Real Salt Lake: finalista da MLS Cup 2009

O Columbus Crew está disputando a temporada atual da LCC sendo a única equipe da MLS a ter passado para fase de quartas-de-finais da competição que serão disputadas entre março e abril de 2010. O campeão da LCC ganha o direito de disputar o Mundial de Clubes da FIFA. Que as equipes classificadas para a próxima temporada tenham muita boa sorte.

En los próximos días se jugarán las finales de Conferencia en el campeonato de fútbol en los Estados Unidos. L.A. Galaxy de Landon Donovan y David Beckham y el Chicago Fire de Cuauhtemoc Blanco (en la última temporada del mexicano en la MLS), es la final soñada para la competición pero para que se pueda dar, ambas escuadras deberán superar sus respectivas finales de conferencia.

En la Conferencia Oeste, Los Angeles Galaxy eliminaron a las Chivas USA con un global de 3-2 (2-2 en la ida) y se enfrentarán al Houston Dynamo que dejó fuera al Seattle Sounders 1-0 en el tiempo extra del segundo juego con gol de Brian Ching.

Mientras que en la Conferencia Este, el Real Salt Lake despachó a los actuales monarcas Columbus Crew con un global de 4-2. El Real ganó la ida 1-0 y en la vuelta caía 2-0 pero con mucho coraje le dio la vuelta y ganó el juego 3-2 en Ohio. El equipo de Chicago será su rival, los del Fire perdieron 1-0 el primer partido ante New England Revolution en la semifinal, pero en la vuelta ganaron 2-0 con un gol al cierre de Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

I look at Chad Marshall’s and Robbie Rogers time with the U.S. National Team as open auditions to impress European teams. Both are young and talented players with a chance to play with the National team in games against World Cup quality opponents. It’s no secret that both players would like the chance to head back to Europe.

Marshall trialed in Germany before resigning with the Crew last December. He has added a 2nd consecutive MLS Defensive Player of the Year award and has played with the USMNT in qualifiers this year as well. His stock is at a high point and the Crew might cash in on his value before he leaves when his contract ends as soon as next year.

Rogers probably needs to impress in his time with the National Team more. He had an uneven season and had a solid Gold Cup. Another couple good games would renew some of that interest that he had after his Best XI season in 2008. He appeared to hit the wall in his development at times as he did not have the same confidence to dribble past defenders or the keen shooting ability that he has shown in the past.

With a lot riding on a couple of friendlies, I will be closely watching to see how the two Crew stars do. A good couple of games only helps them move into the picture for the 2010 World Cup and possibly an extended stay overseas.

A Disappointing End to '09 for the Crew and Warzycha (Fahmi/Studio79)

From wonder coach to one year wonder, the idea that Robert Warzycha’s position as head coach of the Crew is under question would have been shocking a month ago, but the October swoon, early playoff exit, and some odd personnel choices have focused some of the blame on the rookie head man.

First off, Hunt Sports Group won’t fire Warzycha, have stuck with coaches with far worse records. Barring that,  they are too cheap to buy out his contract. He will have time to retool the Crew and prepare them for the 2010 season.

Even if his employment isn’t under real threat, I still have questions about his handling the last quarter of the season and the playoffs. This was a team in awful form the last couple of months. After getting demolished in Mexico by Cruz Azul, they dropped a game against New York, and did not look convincing against Houston and Chicago. There were signs this team was already struggling.

The added games forced him into an aggressive rotation policy. This was vital as the Crew worked their way through a heavy load of games in September, but as October rolled around, Warzycha did not tighten the roster. He believed that there were no set starters and I fully believe that this led to the uneven performances heading towards the playoffs.

I was really confused with his decision to leave star forward Guillemo Barros Schelotto on the bench in Salt Lake. He did not even make a subs appearance. He chose Renteria and Lenhart instead, the same Renteria that wasn’t in the 18 five days later at Crew Stadium. I understand tactics, but that lineup shuffling is much more confusing.

One last thing that troubles me is that Warzycha repeatedly said that the Crew looked the better team in games that they lost. He said it again on Thursday night after Salt Lake came into Crew Stadium and ended Columbus’s season. Even though the Crew outshot RSL, they did not look like the sharper team. Salt Lake controlled the midfield and had a couple of chances early that would have killed off the game before it started. I saw a team that was outplayed (even slightly) on their home field with playoff advancement on the line.

I certainly don’t want to overlook what Warzycha achieved this season. He was able to successfully guide the Crew to a 2nd Supporter’s Shield and passage to the knockout stages of the Champions League. That is something that no other coach in MLS can say this year. I hope that he learns from this dose of failure and retools the team back into Cup contention in 2010.

Radość piłkarzy i kibiców Chicago Fire po zdobyciu drugiej bramki przez Cuauhtemoca Blanco. PHOTO AP

Robert Warzycha i prowadzeni przez niego Columbus Crew nie obronią tytułu mistrzowskiego.

W finale konferencji wschodniej zagrają Chicago Fire, którzy na Toyota Park podejmą Real Salt Lake, natomiast w finale zachodu już w piątek Galaxy w Los Angeles zmierzą się z Dynamem z Houston. Po sensacyjnej porażce Crew z Realem w pozostałych półfinałach konferencji emocji nie brakowało, a w meczu Sounders z Dynamem o wygranej i awansie Teksańczyków zadecydował gol strzelony dopiero w dogrywce. Najciekawsze derby Los Angeles, między Galaxy i Chivas USA rostrzygnął rzut karny Landona Donovana. 4 mecze rewanżowe obejrzało łącznie 86 000 widzów.

Konferencja Wschodnia

Columbus Crew – Real Salt Lake 2-3 (2-2)

Pierwszy mecz 0-1, awans REAL

Bramki Crew: Guillermo Barros Schelotto 2 (19, 35), dla RSL: Javier Morales (37), Robbie Findley (45+), Andy Williams (74). Żółte kartki Danny O’Rourke, Alejandro Moreno (Crew), Jamison Olave (68). Widzów 10 000

COLUMBUS CREW:  William Hesmer – Frankie Hejduk (Steven Lenhart 74), Eric Brunner, Chad Marshall, Gino Padula (Jason Garey 84) – Emmanuel Ekpo (Robbie Rogers 64), Brian Carroll, Danny O’Rourke, Eddie Gaven – Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Alejandro Moreno.

REAL SALT LAKE: Nick Rimando – Robbie Russell, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave – Andy Williams (Jean Alexandre 91+), Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales (Clint Mathis 82), Will Johnson – Robbie Findley, Fabian Espindola (Yura Movsisyan 65).

Szok w Columbus, Real wygrał z Crew od takich tytułów zaczynały się kolumny sportowe gazet po tym meczu. W Columbus doszło do ogromnej sensacji, gdzie prowadzeni przez Roberta Warzyche aktualni mistrzowie USA, w rewanżowym meczu ulegli Realowi Salt Lake City 2-3 i tym samym zostali wyeliminowani z dalszej fazy rozgrywek. Drużyna Warzychy po 35 minutach prowadziła 2-0 do minował na boisku a przez komentatorów polski trener uznany został geniuszem, ale jego zespół  obroni tytułu mistrzowskiego. Po dwóch golach Guillermo Barrosa Schelotto Crew po 35 minutach prowadzili 2-0, jednak później było już tylko gorzej. Najpierw przypadkowego gola zdobył Javier Morales, następnie tuż przed przerwą fatalnie we własnym polu karnym zachował się Frankie Hejduk. Po bezsensownie głupim faulu Hejduka na Espindoli, karnego na gola zamienił Robbie Findley.

Trzeci gol Andy Williamsa w 74-ej minucie zupełnie załamał Crew i sensacja stała się faktem, mimo przygniatającej przewagi

- Dzisiaj dominowaliśmy, ale straciliśmy trzy bramki. Czasami lepsza drużyna nie wygrywa – powiedział po meczu mocno rozczarowany Robert Warzycha.

Chicago Fire – New England Revolution 2-0 (1-0)

Pierwszy mecz 1-2, awans FIRE

Bramki: John Thorrington (35), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (83). Żółte kartki: Kenny Mansally, Edgaras Jankauskas, Jeff Larentowicz (NE). Widzów 21 500

NEW  ENGLAND REVOLUTION: Matt Reis – Darrius Barnes, Emmanuel Osei (Pat Phelan 86), Jay Heaps – Edgaras Jankauskas, Sainey Nyassi, Kevin Alston, Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz,  -Kenny Mansally (Mauricio Castro 46) (Wells Thompson 72), Kheli Dube,

CHICAGO FIRE: Jon Busch –  Brandon Prideaux, C.J. Brown, Dasan Robinson, Daniel Woolard – Chris Rolfe, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Logan Pause, John Thorrington – Marco Pappa (Baggio Husidic 88), Brian McBride (Patrick Nyarko 56).

Więcej wkrótce

Konferencja Zachodnia

Houston Dynamo – Seattle Sounders 1-0 (0-0, 0-0)

Pierwszy mecz 0-0, awans DYNAMO

Bramka: Brian Ching (96). Żółte kartki: Tyrone Marshall, Freddie Ljungberg (Sounders),  Mike Chabala, Geoff Cameron (Dynamo). Czerwona kartka James Riley (Sounders – 120). Widzów 27 500

HOUSTON DYNAMO: Pat Onstad – Andrew Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Mike Chabala – Brian Mullan, Ricardo Clark, Stuart Holden, Brad Davis (Corey Ashe 98) – Dominic Oduro (Luis Angel Landin 81), Brian Ching (Cam Weaver 96).

SEATTLE SOUNDERS:  Kasey Keller – James Riley, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Tyrone Marshall (Sanna Nyassi 11), Leo Gonzalez – Nate Jaqua, Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Steve Zakuani (Roger Levesque 67) – Fredy Montero (Sebastien Le Toux 91), Freddie Ljungberg.

Los Angeles Galaxy – Chivas USA 1-0 (0-0)

Pierwszy mecz 2-2, awans GALAXY

Bramka: Landon Donovan (73 – karny). Żółte kartki: Sean Franklin (LA), Carey Talley, Zach Thornton, Paulo Nagamura, Yamith Cuesta, Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA). Widzów 27 000

LOS ANGELES GALAXY: Donovan Ricketts – Sean Franklin, Gregg Berhalter, Omar Gonzalez, Todd Dunivant – Chris Klein (Jovan Kirovski 67), David Beckham (Alan Gordon 78), Dema Kovalenko, Landon Donovan – Edson Buddle, Mike Magee (Eddie Lewis 86),

CHIVAS USA: Zach Thornton – Carey Talley, Yamith Cuesta, Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein – Michael Lahoud (Eduardo Lillingston 76), Paulo Nagamura, Jesus Padilla (Maykel Galindo 60), Sacha Kljestan – Maicon Santos (Jorge Flores 84), Justin Braun.

MLS Playoffs 2009 Finały konferencji (jeden mecz)

Konferencja Wschodnia

Chicago Fire – Real Salt Lake – sobota, 20.00, TV FSC, FSC

Konferencja Zachodnia

Los Angeles Galaxy – Houston Dynamo – piątek, TV ESPN2, ESPN Deportes

Chris Reiko

ChrisReiko@hotmail.com

Questions Surround Schelotto's Return (Fahmi/Studio79)

So the champs are done after Real Salt Lake beat the Crew on Thursday. Everything that needed  to happen did at first. Needing two goals to win the series, Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored both by the 35th minute. All that was needed was for the stalwart defense to hold up the potent Real Salt Lake offense. That was when things started to turn. The defense started to crack, RSL controlled the midfield, and Columbus gave up a two goal lead at home.

Early on, Schelotto willed the Crew to a two goal lead in the first half. The Crew defense had looked shaky and an RSL goal would have sealed the game before the game really got started. Schelotto sent in a dangerous ball for the first goal and Rimando somehow missed it, but it was the second goal that was reminiscent of classic Guille. Directing pressure to get the ball back, reading the defense and making a run, getting the ball from Ekpo, and finally creating his own shot. The game couldn’t have gone more to plan.

The offensive outburst masked the difficulty the Crew were having in midfield. Salt Lake had controlled possession and had a couple chances to open the scoring so it wasn’t surprising that they pulled a goal back quickly. Beckerman found space to lob a ball and Hejduk kept Morales onside and the aggregate was tied within 2 minutes of the Crew going ahead.

I think the Crew might have been able to hang on if they were able to get to halftime with the 2-1 game lead (2-2 on aggregate), but the penalty looked like it took the fight out of the team. I thought it was a penalty at the time and I still do after seeing the replays. It was a light call, but Hejduk was pulling the shirt and looked like they got their legs caught together. It was a gift that RSL took.

With a tie game (3-2 RSL lead on aggregate) at halftime, the Crew had squandered a great opportunity and it showed on the team’s faces and in their posture. They looked defeated. A long season and a lot of games in September and October had taken anything this team had left in reserve.

The third Salt Lake goal made the remaining 20 minutes a formality. It seemed like a microcosm of the last 2 months. Everyone flailing to hold on but ultimately falling short, unable to see, let alone stop the danger. The Crew can look to some questionable calls by Toledo, and he did have some, but this was a team that looked 2nd best on the night. Real Salt Lake came into Crew Stadium and beat the once invincible Crew team. The champs reign ended with a thud.

It was the perfect kickoff for an offseason filled with critical decisions. This certainly wasn’t the crowning achievements of 2008, but it wasn’t the dismal failures of 2005 through 2007. Now the team has missed out on some high expectations, there will be a lot of examination of how to move this team forward. Decisions will be made on older vets like Schelotto, Moreno, and Hejduk. The team will have to look for goal scorers. Even first year head coach Robert Warzycha’s performance is up for debate.

What you missed while taking giant jellyfish, grinding them up, and turning them into candy for astronauts…

• Chelsea’s transfer ban was lifted pending appeal, meaning that they’re going to buy <insert every name you can think of> in the January transfer window.
• Sir Alex Ferguson claims that Tomasz Kuszczak’s comments on his relationship with Edwin van der Sar were just his “Polish humor”.
• Fulham were reduced to nine men and beaten in Rome; Jamie Carragher and Philip Degen feel their pain. Meanwhile, in Merseyside: Everton 0 – 2 Benfica…meaning Everton was outscored 7-0 over two legs.
• In spite of the fact that he’s facing surgery if he doesn’t get a three week rest, Fernando Torres still wants to play in Spain’s friendly with Argentina next Saturday. This possibly proves that Fernando Torres is an idiot.
• Portsmouth captain Aaron Mokoena ignores the lessons of Newcastle’s 2008-09 season and says that Portsmouth is “too good to go down”.
• Columbus centerback Chad Marshall was named MLS Defender of the Year right before Columbus crapped out of the playoffs to Real Salt Lake by losing 4-2 on aggregate.
• Cristiano Ronaldo will miss at least two more weeks with an ankle injury, which is really bad news for Portugal.
• Frank Lampard says he’s his own worst critic. Translation: Frank Lampard doesn’t read many blogs.

O Columbus Crew precisava vencer o Real Salt Lake, já que na semana passada o time de Utah venceu o Crew por 1×0. Jogando em casa e com o apoio da sua torcida o Columbus foi pra cima e na metade do primeiro tempo já vencia por 2×0 com dois gols do atacante argentino Guillermo Barros Schelotto e estava com pinta que iria ser fácil, mas o Real Salt Lake ainda no primeiro tempo chegou ao empate com gols de Javier Morales e Robbie Findley.

O empate foi um banho de água gelada para o Crew que teve que se expor para buscar a vitória, a classificação e claro seguir defendendo o título da MLS e foi quando o Real matou a partida, Andy Williams fez 3×2. Depois no restante da segunda etapa praticamente todas as chances do Columbus Crew pararam na mão do goleiro Nick Rimando.

Agora o Real Salt Lake espera seu adversário da partida entre Chicago Fire e New England Revolution.

Escalações:

Real Salt Lake — Nick Rimando, Robbie Russell, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Andy Williams (Jean Alexandre 91+), Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales (Clint Mathis 82), Will Johnson, Robbie Findley, Fabian Espindola (Yura Movsisyan 65).

Columbus Crew — William Hesmer, Frankie Hejduk (Steven Lenhart 74), Eric Brunner, Chad Marshall, Gino Padula (Jason Garey 84), Emmanuel Ekpo (Robbie Rogers 64), Brian Carroll, Danny O’Rourke, Eddie Gaven, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Alejandro Moreno.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto strzelił 2 gole dla Crew, ale nie wystarczyły one do awansu. PHOTO GETTY

Do ogromnej sensacji doszło w Columbus, gdzie prowadzeni przez Roberta Warzyche aktualni mistrzowie USA, w rewanżowym meczu ulegli Realowi Salt Lake City 2-3 i tym samym zostali wyeliminowani z dalszej fazy rozgrywek. Drużyna Warzychy po 35 minutach prowadziła 2-0 dominowała na boisku, a przez komentatorów polski trener już wtedy uznany został geniuszem. Jednak po kilku fatalnych błędach w obronie, okazało się że jego zespół  nie obroni tytułu mistrzowskiego.

Po dwóch golach Guillermo Barrosa Schelotto Crew po 35 minutach prowadzili 2-0, jednak później było już tylko gorzej. Najpierw przypadkowego gola zdobył Javier Morales, następnie tuż przed przerwą fatalnie we własnym polu karnym zachował się Frankie Hejduk. Po bezsensownie głupim faulu Hejduka na Espindoli, karnego na wyrównującego gola zamienił Robbie Findley i to był kluczowy moment meczu. Gol do szatni podciął skrzydła niemal fruwającym w pierwszej części meczu piłkarzom Crew i w drugiej połowie zabrakło skuteczności i pomysłu na więcej goli.

Trzeci gol Andy Williamsa w 74-ej minucie zupełnie załamał Crew i sensacja stała się faktem, mimo przygniatającej przewagi Crew więcej goli już nie strzelili.

- Dzisiaj dominowaliśmy, ale straciliśmy trzy bramki. Czasami lepsza drużyna nie wygrywa – powiedział po meczu mocno rozczarowany Robert Warzycha.

 Columbus Crew – Real Salt Lake 2-3 (2-2)

Bramki Crew: Guillermo Barros Schelotto 2 (19, 35), dla RSL: Javier Morales (37), Robbie Findley (45+), Andy Williams (74). Żółte kartki Danny O’Rourke, Alejandro Moreno (Crew), Jamison Olave (68). Widzów 10 000

COLUMBUS CREW:  William Hesmer – Frankie Hejduk (Steven Lenhart 74), Eric Brunner, Chad Marshall, Gino Padula (Jason Garey 84) – Emmanuel Ekpo (Robbie Rogers 64), Brian Carroll, Danny O’Rourke, Eddie Gaven – Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Alejandro Moreno.

REAL SALT LAKE: Nick Rimando – Robbie Russell, Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave – Andy Williams (Jean Alexandre 91+), Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales (Clint Mathis 82), Will Johnson – Robbie Findley, Fabian Espindola (Yura Movsisyan 65).

 Chris Reiko

ChrisReiko@hotmail.com

The Crew season hangs on tongiht’s game against Real Salt Lake. The story is well known by now. After losing game one, the mordibund offense has to start scoring goals. The 2009 Supporters Sheild winners are in danger of crashing out of the playoffs early.

It does help that the team is returning to Crew Stadium where the team has scored 10 more goals than they have given up. Added to the fact that Real Salt Lake has been horrible on the road, the Crew are in a pretty good position to advance.

Crew on Offense: Here is the biggest question, how does the team score goals? They haven’t scored one in the league since October 10th, that’s three straight games. Making it more difficult, Salt Lake will probably try to play defensivly and bunker. The Crew have struggled to break down compact teams. The Crew is best at counterattacking.

The Crew will have their big game maestro back on the field. Guille is again expected to carry the team on his back even though he has been woefully out of form the 2nd half of the year. When he is on, his vision can open up almost any defense. His deadball skills can also turn the game. One great free kick that finds the head of Chad Marshall can equalize the series and open up the game.

Barring a corner or free kick that goes in, the team will have to find some offense from the run of play. The strikers on this team are workers rather than classical finishers. The midfield will have to step up and provide some offensive pressure. Many times this has come from the wings, but tonight the team will have to find offense from the central midfield.

The defensive central midfield does not support the offense. Eddie Gaven is an obvious choice to provide the springboard out of midfield, but I would expect to see a little more defensive posture. Brian Carroll is a lock in the defensive mid spot. Danny O’Rourke has played in the central midfield spot lately, but I would like to see Adam Moffat as a linking player with some offensive flair.

Regardless of the lineup, I expect to see early changes if the Crew are still down at halftime. Warzycha is not one to patiently wait for a goal. He will try to put the players on the field to create one.

Crew on Defense: If the offense has been a question, the defense has been a certainty. Even without Marshall, the Crew defense has matched up against the best offenses in the league and shut down teams. With the current offensive woes, the defense will have to be even better and pitch a shutout.

To keep the team in the game, Columbus will have to shut down the counterattacking speed that Real Salt Lake uses to great effect. With the offense trying to find a tying goal, Salt Lake can sit back and counter using the speed of Movsysian and Findley. The speed of Danny O’Rourke may be the better option to match the pace that Salt Lake is going to use.

Final Thought: An early goal will change the complextion of the game. If Real Salt Lake scores, then things get a whole lot tougher. If the Crew scores, then they might start to break open the game and the offense may start to roll and avoid overtime and a possible penalty shootout.

RSL 0 – Crew 2

What you missed while the full scale of the giant jellyfish insurgence – like the fact that a school of them can be hundreds of miles long – was coming to light…

• First, the result for the game you probably forgot about: West Ham 2 – 1 Aston Villa. Zavon Hines scored deep in stoppage time to give the Hammers all three points.
• Your Champions League wrap: Rubin Kazan 0 – 0 Barcelona, Arsenal 4 – 1 AZ Alkmaar, Fiorentina 5 – 2 Debrecini, Lyon 1 – 1 Liverpool, Dynamo Kiev 1 – 2 Inter Milan, Unirea Urziceni 1 – 1 Rangers, Sevilla 1 – 1 Stuttgart, Standard Liege 2 – 0 Olympiakos.
• After purchasing 200 more shares yesterday, Stan Kroenke’s only .09% away from having to announce a formal takeover bid. The fact that the new owner’s buying the club on a “Ten Easy Payments!” plan should really unnerve Gunner fans, I think.
• Jack Warner’s whining about a purse (probably because it wasn’t full of money when given to his wife).
• Jose Bosingwa may need an operation to correct damage to his knee; he’s been out since October 17th.
• Now that Spain’s “Beckham Law” – in which footballers from other countries pay half the tax rate that regular citizens pay – is really the “Pennant Law”, they’re looking at repealing it.
• Columbus plays Real Salt Lake tonight in the second leg of the MLS playoffs; // // 0 && typeof(nflDefaultLeague)!= “undefined”) {
  leagueId = nflDefaultLeague;
  //find teamId of default league (if exists)
  for(var i=0; i Guillermo Barros Schelotto is expected to play this time, which could be helpful.
• Check out the alliteration in this ESPN headline: Beckenbauer blasts Bayern after Bordeaux beating
• Rangers are expected to complain to UEFA over crowd trouble in their Champions League match last night. In possibly related news, Rangers fans were sprayed with CS gas after ripping up seats and fighting with police.
• Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy has been recalled by the South African national team for friendlies against Japan and Jamaica.

There is some nervous energy amongst the Crew and their fans. I could sense it when I went to the rally last night for my Columbus Underground story (a story which is now up). The team hasn’t played their best and faces elimination and an early end to the season.

This is not a lighthearted group right now. They haven’t scored in almost a month. There is that bit of controversy about Schelotto not starting. Quite a few of the players gave the required quotes about a do or die game and dreaming about the Cup, but the stress of being number one was apparent on many of the players faces.

There isn’t the looseness that I have seen before; this team is all business. Frankie Hejduk had a few words for the assembled masses about taking the game to visiting Real Salt Lake. Jed Zayner talked about the home crowd being the fuel to drive the team forward, but the realities of being the favorite are really starting to set in. They are the marked men, Salt Lake took a good shot at them on Saturday and now are 90 minutes away from knocking out the champs.

I guess that’s why I found the loosest and most relaxed person at the rally was Coach Warzycha. He even joked about the Guille controversy by saying “I read a lot this week so I am now clear on who will play on Thursday.” For all of the criticism that came his way this week, Robert is looking past it to the game. A Crew win and he will look like a genius.

With a goalless streak and 3 straight losses, this is a team that is playing tight. The longer the game goes on Thursday without a goal; the tighter I bet they get. Sometimes goal scoring is more mental that physical. An early goal may just open the floodgates and restore a little confidence and swagger to the champs. Without that championship swagger, home field advantage won’t be enough.