Out and About

It's pretty interesting to hear Robbie Rogers in this interview with Hannah Storm talk about how, back when he won his first MLS Championship with the Columbus Crew, he wasn't able to really enjoy it because of the stress and strain of being gay and feeling he had to hide that. 

I remember 2008. The final was played here in LA, and yeah, Robbie didn't look all that happy. 

But his transition to the Galaxy wasn't seamless. He was injured and played inconsistently. A position change brought out the best in him this year. 

What seems to bring Robbie the most joy is something most of us take for granted: He's now able to be himself.  

You be you, Robbie.

Round-up of LA Noche

Last night, 

People wondered why LD is retiring. 

Others understood. 

Baxty wrote on LA's 5-0 win. 

Incidentally, five goals is the number Columbus needed, but didn't get, versus the New England Revs. 

An LD playoff hat trick and yet this is all a paper in England could find worthy of an article? They didn't even name Taylor Twellman, who provided the quote that so mesmerized them. Shoddy. 

Just to appease TT fans, here's a pic of him back in the day - at a FIFA EA event, no less! 

Who in this picture is #2 to LD and what for?

Crew - LA - Running blog.

Kickoff!

1- People in the pressbox are watching tape of Brek Shea's latest goal. Kid's going to earn himself a ticket to Europe in short order if he keeps it up. Corner for the Crew comes to nothing. 
2- Mendoza is down, not sure why. 
3- Well, whatever it is, it's not good. Heinemann is coming in. Donovan cross into the box cut off by Hesmer. 
4 - Heineman is in. 
6 - Galaxy earn a corner, Beckham takes, and it's cleared out.  
8 - Becks with a nice crossfield pass to LD, who loses ball to a persistent Gaven. LD fouls him trying to get the ball back. 
10 - Crew blunting the Galaxy attack pretty well, and on a little possession run of their own. 
12 - Bernado Anor with a hopeful shot from distance. Wide by quite a bit.
16 - Berhalter gets a yellow for a takedown foul on Anor. Saunders catches the freekick.   
19- Corner for the Galaxy leads to a bit of sustained pressure for a while, but then the Crew finally get some breathing room.  
22 - Galaxy are having the better of play, but they seem sluggish. May still be tired from the Real Madrid game. 
23 - Saunders nearly drops and outside shot from Rogers. Woah, butterfingers.  
25 - Another Galaxy corner drops to Hesmer. It's like they're playing catch out there.  
28- Galaxy with puzzling play and lack of cohesion.
30- Angel gets the easiest putaway in his playing history after LD breaks the ankles of two defenders and lays off a sweet pass to him in the box. Of course, cursed as he is this year with crappy form, Angel misses. He's so getting traded, is the buzz in the pressbox.  
31 - Or just plain cut. 
35 - Corner leads to a low outside shot from Franklin, but Hesmer gets down for the save. 
36 - Another Galaxy corner. Becks takes, it drops out to LD, who touches to a more open Berhalter, whose bending shot/cross? misses wide.  
39 - It doesn't help the Galaxy to have so many chances if they can't make good on any of them. After some good interplay between LD and Becks, Becks misses high on the shot.  
 Pushed the wrong button and a bunch of my posts disappeared. 
53 - Galaxy still bossing the run of play, still unable to score. Crew will probably steal this result late. 
56 - Scramble in the box, but the Galaxy still can't poke the ball in.  
59 - Another corner for LA. It's cleared. 
60 - It's really a credit to Omar Gonzalez how toothless the Galaxy are on corners without him. He's on the bench, nursing an injury. 
61 - Another Galaxy corner. 
62  - Off the corner, the Crew get a counter, and it's threatening as Heinemann turns the corner on Franklin, which isn't easy to do, but his cross is mistimed and the Galaxy escape damage.  
64 - Crew corner, Galaxy clear from a Rogers kick that is low. 
65 - Lopez is limping, but he's earned LA a free kick. Becks takes and it's cleared.  
66- AJ with a pretzel move to stop a Crew attack.
68 - Becks earns a foul in a decent spot, and Magee comes in for Lopez. Big cheer for the goalkeeper.
 70 - GOAL! The ball carooms off the wall on the freekick, and Franklin winds up and keeps it low and it skids into the goal. 1-0 Galaxy. Finally, after all their chances. Franklin's first of the season, too. Actually, it's his first MLS goal. He did have a CONCACAF Champions League goal, though, so it's not his first pro goal.
73- Let's see if the Galaxy can finish this game better than the USWNT in the WWC final. 
77 - Galaxy corner #15, I think. It's cleared. Rinse and repeat. 
79 - Looks like a handball by a Crew player, but ref awards the other way, as home fans boo.
80- If anyone is balding less gracefully than Wayne Rooney, it's Eric Gehrig.  
82 - Heinemann knocks down a couple of of bodies in the box like bowling pins, but it's to no avail as the pass bounces through untouched to Saunders.  
83 - Mikey Stevens in for Kirovski 
84 - Heinemann shows off a couple of tricky moves in the box to free himself for the shot, but Saunders makes the low catch.  
85 - Juninho gets a yellow, as both players go down. 
86 - Crew get a corner. Galaxy clear. Saunders saves on a follow shot. 
88 - Crew looking more lively late. 
89 - Former Galaxy player Josh Gardner off for Jeff Cunningham.  
90+ 2 minutes added. Galaxy freekick is retaken after ref marks out distance. Becks gets a yellow for arguing encroachment. 
Becks earns himself a corner off a deflected shot. It's taken short, as they run out the clock. So the short answer is yes, the Galaxy can kill a game better than the USWNT in the WWC final. Not always pretty, but effective.

Soccer in Spanish

It's just more exciting, in my opinion. Shots of the fans, goal celebrations, stats comparing two big stars, announcers who seem excited about the match itself.

Highlights of the Crew/Wizards match in English.

Highlights in the language that does it right.

Crew/Wizards running blog

The Crew are still near the top of their conference, while the Wizards are at the other end. Nothing is promised in MLS, though, so lets follow the bouncing ball.

Kickoff!
Wizards
* 1 - Kevin Hartman (GK)
* 2 - Michael Harrington
* 6 - Lance Watson
* 7 - Claudio Lopez
* 9 - Sasha Victorine
* 11 - Kurt Morsink
* 12 - Jimmy Conrad
* 14 - Jack Jewsbury
* 15 - Aaron Hohlbein
* 17 - Roger Espinoza
* 22 - Davy Arnaud

Crew
* 1 - William Hesmer (GK)
* 2 - Frankie Hejduk
* 5 - Danny O'Rourke
* 6 - Andy Iro
* 7 - Guillermo Barros Schelotto
* 10 - Alejandro Moreno
* 14 - Chad Marshall
* 15 - Stefani Miglioranzi
* 16 - Brian Carroll
* 17 - Emmanuel Ekpo
* 19 - Robbie Rogers
1 - Moreno offside almost immediately. Who will take a bet that he gets five of those this match?
3 - Wolff is on the bench - looks like old times for the boys in blue.
5 - Hejduk looks like a hyperactive lion with that hair. Somehow, it works for him.
6 - AleMo is appealing for a handball, but the replay is a poor angle and inconclusive.
8 - Yikes, what did Harrington do to his hair? He looks like Johnny Rotten. The punk platinum makes his eyes look buggy.
10 - Harkes is talking about his West Ham days. It's pretty boring, but so far, the game's not much better.
11 - Teams are testing each other out - Hejduk can't save a ball from rolling out of bounds.
12 - Schellotto gets caught by Holbein, who basically can't check his run after Schellotto bring the ball down.
13 - AleMo beats a defender, but bends an easy cross into Hartman's gloves.
14 - Lopez passes to space, but Watson leaves the space empty.
16 - Ekpo looks great when he has room, not so much when he runs into traffic.
17 - Rogers! He gets a flick pass from AleMo and races into the box, where a quick cutback shakes his defender and then he cracks a shot - wide, but not by a lot.
18 - Now both teams have settled down and are creating chances. Lopez is talking a lot on TV. I'm not sure to whom, though, since he's obviously speaking Spanish, but besides Espinoza, his teammates probably don't understand much.
20 - Harrington and Hejduk are having a hair battle - is the bleach bottle or the length superior? We shall see who will claim the victory.
21 - Arnaud is fouled by Ekpo near the corner of the box. Appetizing for Lopez here. Arnaud takes it, though, Crew clear.
22 - GOAL! Hejduk's lion locks have let him down. Morsink serves the Crew clearance right back into the box, where Sasha Victorine is well-positioned between two Crew defenders, Hejduk and O'Rourke, to fight for the header. Hejduk leaps for it, but sends it into his own net. 1-0 Wizards
24 - GOAL! Wizards score their own! Espinoza gets on to the end of a skipping Jewsbury cross, just beating Marshall to the ball. 2-0 Wizards.
26 - GOAL! Crew set up a FK and take it quickly. Schellotto loops it over the wall and into the sidenetting past Hartman's gloves. 2-1 Wizards still lead, but their two-goal advantage has vanished.
28 - Hejduk shows Samson-like strength on an outside shot that is way, way high.
32 - Rogers is down in the box and Abbe Okulaja lets it go. Of course. It's Abbe. Harkes disagrees with the non-call. Rogers as well, but more vehemently and probably with more profanity involved.
33 - GOAL! Rogers springs Schellotto behind the defense on the wing, who holds the ball into the box, then releases the ball for AleMo, who gets a little bit on the ball as his KC defender goes down on a tackle. But the ball blips to the right of Hartman, headed toward the net. Hartman scrambles and just gets a glove on the ball to shovel it away from goal, but right to the feet of AleMo, who had sprung back up. AleMo gets the easiest of finished for the tying goal 2-2.
35 - Hesmer saves an outside shot.
38 - GOAL! Crew corner - Schellotto serves the ball in and Marshall beats Conrad to the ball, diving to finish it into the roof of the goal. Columbus leads. 3-2.
40 - Rogers yellow carded for a tackle from behind.
42 - Harkes mentions Harrington's hair. He also thinks that it might be "psyching him out" instead of helping. Well, it seemed to help at 2-0. Not so much at 2-3. Hejduk's lion locks have struck back.
43 - Ekpo and Conrad down after a collision.
45 - As Jimmy rises, JP mentions that Jimmy writes for espn.com. Hey, that's almost a shout-out to me. Sorta. I write for espn.com, too.
45 + FK for the Crew who are keeping the pressure on the Wizards. Schellotto is tricky by sending the ball square for Carroll, whose shot is blocked back.
Halftime!
Kansas City came out racing, but then the momentum shifted drastically. Now the Wizards look stunned. The Crew deserve their lead, but they got a bit lucky with the bounce on the second goal. No matter. They also refused to let the early deficit discourage them and roared back with three unanswered goals.
48 - Wolff is in for the second half for the Wizards.
49 - Schellotto with a shot, but Hartman stops it and the offside flag was up anyway.
53 - Wolff is already back to his old form - getting into good positions, but not getting a shot off.
54 - AleMo misses on a diving header. He protests that he was held.
55 - Hejduk on the break, getting a pass from Ekpo, Frankie is alone on goal but Hartman snuff the shot.
58 - KC with a corner chance. Lopez has to deal with a few streamers, but nothing like the showers of before. Crew clear.
59 - Another corner. This one looks like it has a chance, but the Crew clear again and then Ekpo is cleared by a Morsink tackle. Yellow.
69 - Hartman! Save. He's keeping KC in the game. He has 70 saves this season.
72 - Schellotto takes down Jewsbury and sees yellow. Harkes goes on an Etcheverry soliloquy. He manages to bring DC into games even when they aren't playing. Also, as Harkes goes on about how much better Etch is than Guille, I recall the final days of Marco in MLS. They weren't pretty much of the time.
76 - GOAL! Hartman's saves were not in vain! Morsink with a great field crossing pass to Jewsbury, who remains calm as O'Rourke leaps and misses the ball. Jewsbury brings it down, moves into the box and slides the ball in front of goal perfectly, leaving Wolff with a tap in. 3-3 Even.
79 - Lopez in the box! He gets a shot off at a tough angle, but it doesn't quite go in.
80 - Ryan Pore comes in for Roger Espinoza.
81 - Who called Crew/Wizards to be the game that lights up ESPN Thursdays? Victorine shoots from outside, bangs the boards.
84 - The shift now is for Kansas City, and it's the Crew who look a bit shaky now.
85 - So the Crew turn to their lucky charm - Steve Lenhard, and he replaces Miglioranzi. Lenhart has the knack for late-game goals, but he can't catch up to a long pass from Schellotto.
86 - The Wizards turn to that blue-eyed midfield maestro, Kerry Zavagnin.
87 - Conrad's head gets pulled by Lenhart as he latches on to a ball, gets his goal called back for the foul.
88 - Shoving breaks out in front of Abbe as the Crew set up for a FK. The Wizards clear, Zavagnin finding Wolff on the outlet run.
90 - Carroll down in the box, trying to meet a Schellotto pass. Abbe waves off the contact.
90+ Again the tides of fortune have shifted - the Crew have the late attacks. The Wizards complicate a clearance and Rogers gets fouled. A FK for the Crew. It leads to a corner. Iro goes up for it, but Iro doesn't get good direction on it, popping it over the goal.
Final whistle!
A draw is probably a fair result, but it also means that KC still doesn't really advance very far up the table, though they continue their unbeaten streak.
I guess the hairdos of Harrington and Hejduk cancelled each other out - neither claimed supremacy.

Galaxy lament lost points

Though they didn't lose, the Galaxy left two points on the field yesterday.

Beckham comments

Beckham shares his take on the match.

Ruud looks back on game

Ruud's take on the draw with Columbus.

Brad Evans soundbite

Brad talks about the game.

Sigi says he's proud

After the game, Sigi Schmid shared his thoughts on the 3-3 draw.

Galaxy/Crew running blog

The California heat wave welcomes MLS soccer this evening.

Crew: William Hesmer, Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Danny O'Rourke, Ryan Junge, Brad Evans, Guillermo Barros Schellotto, Brian Carroll, Nocolas Hernandez, Robbie Rogers, Alejandro Moreno

Galaxy: Steve Cronin, Chris Klein, Sean Franklin, Abel Xavier, Mike Randolph, David Beckham, Ely Allen, Alvaro Pires, Ante Jazic, Edson Buddle, Landon Donovan

Actually, the sun has dropped enough that none of the seats get hit directly, and there's a cooling breeze - perhaps from the ocean. It's not tooooo hot, in other words. Course, I'm just sitting in the press box.

The Crew have added a lot of black to the jersey they have on - the yellow is reduced to a big vertical stripe down the center. It looks slimming from the front, but then there's a yellow square on the black back of it, on their butts, practically. That seems like a target. Or something.

Kickoff!
1 - Ale Mo is running to goal, but he's not fast enough to outrace Randolph. Ale boots ball forward and Cronin collects.
3 - Crew corner, Guille takes it, strikes it far. Beckham clears.
4 - GOAL! Beckham high-kicks a cross, and Donovan challenges Hesmer for it. Hesmer is a good goalkeeper, but he drops the ball, and Donovan pokes it into the net. 1-0 Galaxy.
6 - Pressbox is discussing Hesmer's bobble. They describe it as a Tony Caig moment. Poor Caig. Even mistakes he doesn't make have people referencing him.
7 - Crew on the attack in the Galaxy area, but the corner gets cleared.
9 - Cronin goes high to catch a throw-in. He falls, but hangs on to the ball. Hesmer takes note.
10 - Beckham to an overlapping Klein, who whips a cross in to Donovan, who makes a hash of the redirect - ball goes wide.
15 - It's been back and forth, but no clear chances for either side for a while.
16 - Ely in the box, but gets tentative on his cross, which is cut off for a corner. Donovan takes it. It's a good kick but Hesmer is interfered with.
18 - The call and response of "LA!" "Galaxy!" on the ends of the stadium is going on.
20 - Crew corner. Donovan gets the clear, tries to hit Beckham with a long pass, but doesn't have the skills of Becks there. Crew recover, but are then called offside.
22 - Ale in the box, beats Randolph, crosses, Xavier, clears, nearly an own goal. Corner falls invitingly, but the Galaxy eventually clear.
23 - Bad Crew pass leaves Becks with the ball and he tries to catch Hesmer off his line. Misses high.
24 - Guille in the box - lays pass off for Rogers, whose sliding shot gets deflected outside netting by Cronin. Corner causes problems for the Galaxy, but they eventually clear.
26 - A crush of bodies near the edge of the area, and Franklin's tackle takes down Guille. Sean gets a yellow for that.
28 - Neither team has any decent rhythm right now. It's a choppy game. Passes are nearly as likely to go to the other team, it seems. That's partly due to the pressure defending from both sides.
30 - Becks to Buddle! But Edson's header is just wide.
32 - Jazic gets taken down hard by Frankie, but no card. Geiger has a chat with him, though. Becks lines up the free. Hesmer catches it.
34 - Guille is in deep, crosses, Cronin catches.
36 - Pires gets fouled, but it's too far out for Beckham to even bother. Franklin takes it.
38 - Buddle is down in the box, but Geiger isn't buying.
39 Buddle on the break, but screws it up. The Crew are scrappy defenders, not that I expected any less from a squad with O'Rourke.
41 - The Galaxy players seem to be off - Donovan hits a pass to Beckham, Beckham loses the ball, there's very little precision here.
42 - Jazic nearly on the breaks from a Becks pass, but Hesmer is out of the area to boot the ball back.
44 - Ale finally drops in a bit of skill - a perfect loft pass to Rogers to run on to int the box. Cronin comes out and Rogers tries to chip him - nearly worked.
45+ Another deep FK, but Becks takes this one. It's knocked out for a throw, but the whistle blows.
Halftime - The Galaxy are off tonight for some reason, but the Crew's one major error means LA has the lead.
47 - GOAL! The Galaxy start the second half fast. They keep the ball out on the left for a while, working short passes against the defense of the Crew, who seem to be expecting a switch to Becks at any moment. Instead, Buddle beat O'Rourke to a ball and gets into the box, where, he puts the ball away far post when Hesmer comes out. 2-0 Galaxy.
50 - Ale handball in the box kills a Crew attack.
51 - Becks long pass to Donovan - LD corrals it in the box and crosses, where it gets put out for a corner. LD to take. Hesmer catches it.
54 - Marshall header from a Guille corner - wide by a bit.
55 - Crew earn another corner for a Frankie effort. It's cleared for a deep throw. Cronin punches that out, and LD harasses Hernandez into shooting wide.
57 - Another Crew corner. This one is dangerous, but the Crew can't get a shot off. The Galaxy have lost momentum, and the Crew is pressuring hard.
58 - Becks on a break, but his cross is behind Buddle, and the Crew reclaim possession.
60 - Guille fouls Xavier, who is down for a bit.
62 - Ale in alone - Galaxy backline expected offside, but no call. Cronin comes out, Ale misses! He shoots far post and goes wide. Yikes. The chance to ruin Cronin's shutout was right there.
64 - Ale tries to atone on the throw, but Cronin punches the ball out to Becks for a counter. Ball eventually works its way to Ely, who puts a move on his defender in the box, but then his shot is deflected.
66 - Rogers low shot from outside is deflected. The breeze in the stadium has died, so it's actually hotter now than when the game started. Stifling.
67 - GOAL! Cronin loses the shutout. Guille serves the ball into the box and it drops for Evans, who strikes it into the goal. 2-1 Galaxy. Gordon comes in for Jazic.
71 - Penalty! Klein brings down Rogers in the box. Guille steps up to the spot. He puts it away hard. 2-2 Tied up.
73 - Once again, the Galaxy defense lets opponents back into the match. Gordon takes an outside shot that is high.
74 - Becks crosses, Frankie puts it out for a corner. LD takes - it's cleared to Becks, who pops ball back to LD, whose pass gets cut off for another corner.
75 - LD takes - Gordon heads it down - just misses the net. So close. Steven Lenhart comes in for Nico Hernandez.
77 - Crew circle the Galaxy goal, pinning them back.
79 - This is why no one can leave a Galaxy game early. Ya never know.
82 - Penalty! Becks in the box gets brought down. LD goes through his ritual. Hesmer has saved a bunch of PKs this season.
83 - GOAl! Not this one. LD puts it away. 3-2
85 - Gulle FK - it's cleared, but Crew recover ball and earn a corner.
86 - Becks starts a counter, ball to Ely, then a pass for Gordon, but Hesmer gets there first and passes to start a Crew counter.
87 - Xavi slide-tackles the ball on the edge of the area. It looked like he got ball, but he gets a yellow card.
88 - GOAL! FK goes to the top of the area, and Cronin blocks that shot, but he can't control the rebound and the Galaxy can't clear. Lenhart knocks it in. 3-3 All square again.
90 - Press box debates the call on Xavie. They're split.
Galaxy attack! Becks is in the box, he beats his defender, he shoots! Wow. Way high. Yikes.
90 + Lenhart in the box - shot goes wide.
Randolph fouls Guille but is hurt on the play and limps off. Franchino gets set to come in, but Crew get to play a man up for a bit.
Final whistle. The crowd hates the ref. I called a draw for this game, but I never expected six goals. Cronin's GAA continues to stink.

Don doesn't like racist language

Though he apparently still doesn't have any problems with streamers delaying play or the other garbage fans threw in that infamous "Columbus incident".

Major League Soccer Commissioner Issues Statement
Regarding Spectator Incident in Columbus on May 24
NEW YORK (Wednesday, June 4, 2008) – Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber issued the following statement today regarding an incident involving a spectator in Columbus at the Crew versus New England Revolution match on May 24.
“MLS and the Columbus Crew have extensively reviewed an incident that took place during the Crew versus Revolution game on May 24 where there is audio of a spectator at Crew Stadium using vulgar language and an unacceptable and offensive racial epithet.
“The review included video posted on the internet, and interviews with security personnel, fans and team officials.
“MLS and the Columbus Crew are working diligently with all relevant authorities, including Club Supporters Groups, to identify the spectator involved. In the event the perpetrator is identified, he will be banned for life from Crew stadium and all other MLS stadiums and events.
“MLS takes enormous pride in our commitment to racial and ethnic diversity and inclusiveness – in our stadiums, on our fields, and in our administrative, coaching and ownership ranks. We categorically will not tolerate this language in any context or setting and are working with all of our clubs and stadiums to ensure that this isolated incident is not repeated.”

The aftermath

Chivas USA is now in a three-way tie for first place but more importantly the team is finally starting to find some cohesiveness.

Columbus, meanwhile, played a man down from the 22nd minute on but coach Sigi Schmid said they played with 10 men from the moment they stepped off the bus.

Video Crew

Guille and Robbie, opening statements (I planned to post this hours ago, but my car overheated and it turns out the radiator is shot and so I've only arrived at home now)

Crew/Chivas preview

No, I didn't forget to preview Columbus and Chivas USA in my little Canales Corner feature - I just wanted to cover it in more detail, because they're having a presser about the whole thing.
Robbie Rogers and El Melli go first.
Here we are.
Guille is asked about the last Chivas USA/Crew game. He says he expects this one to be as as hard-fought.
He's asked about an interview he gave in Argentina about MLS.
"It lacks experience. It's only about ten years old. It's growing."
Robbie says the team can keep getting better.
Guille is asked about the Argentine players in MLS.
"For a league that's trying to develop, it's good to get good players. They happen to be Argentine, but they can come from elsewhere, like Robbie."
Guille is asked about the perception of U.S. soccer in Argentina.
"It's a growing league. It's trying to make progress. They see it as a league with a good future. I saw it as a league that is expanding."
I ask Robbie about differences between this year and last - what's helped the Crew improve their results?
"Last season, I felt that our head would get down if we got scored on. Now we just take that challenge and we keep going at it. We gave up two goals in that last game versus Chivas and we kept going at it. We're bringing more energy to the game. That's made a big difference."
I ask Guille about fans throwing stuff on the field.
"I think it's a demonstration of the excitement of the fan. As long as it's done properly, it's part of the game."
Chivas USA is up now
Sacha admits getting sent off is extra motivation to do well.
Panchito is asked if this team is as strong as the one last year.
He gives a long answer that basically says, Yes, but we've had trouble with injuries.
Sacha is asked about having to play different positions.
"if your'e a good soccer player and you're smart, you can play any position. I have no complaints. It doesn't matter to me as long as we're winning."
Sacha talks about playing with Robbie when both were young.
"We're pretty close. I treat him like my little brother."
Sacha is asked about the West.
"No one has run away with it. We could be in first if we win tomorrow."
Pancho is asked about playing left back.
"I felt comfortable. I think I have a good view of the field there, getting into the attack. I do see a possible future there, though I see myself more as an attacker."
If Pancho plays tomorrow (92 appearances) he'll set the record for appearances for the team.
Panchito says he's proud of the record and will be proud to reach 100 games with this club that has helped him grow.
Last question
"It's the same system and style we had last year," says Panchito. "We're sticking to what has worked for us. We want to improve, however, and play better, especially at home. It's important for the new players to adapt, and they've done that well, so I think we're going to put on a good performance at home."
"I don't know if the football is different," Sacha says. "Maybe we haven't been taking care of the ball as well, but that happens with differences on the team. We're starting to create more chances now. That happens when you learn each other's tendencies. That's been getting better in practice and in the games."

Herr Siegfried

One of the league's early surprises thus far this season has been the Columbus Crew. Not many pundits (myself included) gave the Crew much of a chance to compete in the Eastern Conference and while the season is still very young the Crew looks like a club that will compete for a playoff spot at least and possibly even more.

The Crew's latest win was Sigi Schmid's 100th MLS coaching victory which is really a significant accomplishment. Only Bob Bradley has more MLS coaching wins in league history - that's pretty elite company.

I always felt that Sigi got a bit of a raw deal here with the Galaxy, that he was fired prematurely. I still feel the Galaxy would have made it to MLS Cup 2004 had he remained in charge, but that late-season coaching change was too much for that team to overcome. Still, some would argue that he should have been sacked after the '03 season, which I can't really counter.

Ultimately, though, Sigi landed on his feet and finally has the Crew headed in the right direction. He's gotten quite a bit of criticism for his playoff-less time in Columbus but this team has the makings of a pretty good side and Sigi deserves credit for the job he's doing.

DC United/Crew Running blog

El classico yanqui!

What are "caliber players"? Oh, the announcers mean "quality players" or "high-caliber players", but that's not what John Harkes said.

Kickoff! The Barra Brava, SE, La Norte, heck all the DC fans look great.

3- Early focus is on Eddie Gaven for some reason, though he didn't do anything there but kick the ball out.
5- It must be the camera angle, but Emilio Luciano looks heavy. Brian Carroll looks so wrong in a Crew jersey. It's going to take a while to get used to that. Ooo, Gallardo serves into the box, Columbus clears, the counter springs Robbie Rogers - eek, he misses wide. Good work to get free, though.
7- Wells didn't look good on the corner there, but he ended up not having to pay. Young goalkeepers haven't looked great in MLS lately - ok, maybe Hesmer and his PK saves. Tony Caig is probably tragic at any age.
10 - AMo is his usual battling self, but Martinez shuts him down on the counter well. It's mostly been DC running their usual possession game, but the Crew worked the counter well. DC not shabby on the counter either, and Fred earns a CK. Gallardo takes, Crew clear.
18 - Eeek, cable problem, but lucky for me, no one scored while I was offline.
19 - Harkes is comparing Gallardo and Gomez, and it doesn't help when he mixes up their names and says one when he means the other. I know I like the Christian's hair better. Does anyone in MLS rock the ponytail successfully?
Hesmer makes a catch on a ball from distance.
22 - Damn skippy! Great no-look backheed from Schelotto into the DC box. That was so pretty. It's too good for MLS. No, seriously. No one on the Crew was prepared for it or looking to make the run. It's like Magic Johnson first coming into the NBA - you're just not looking for passes no ones has ever made before.
28 - Wow - a great stretch of attacking there - Schelotto is stoned by Wells after a great pass from Rogers, then Gallardo serves a delicious cross to JMo, who takes a poor touch and allows Hesmer a chance on the ball.
33 - GOAL! Schelotto holds up the ball on the attack beautifully, waiting for the run by Hejduk, who then receives the ball and crosses into the box, quickly, where AMo connects with a vintage fighting-for-it poke past the defender to put the ball in the net. 1-0 Crew
34- Luciano Emilio gets tugged down in the box by Hejduk, who plays it like LE was holding his shirt as well.
35 - Luciano in the box again, can't quite turn and shoot.
38 - Rogers is wrecking total havoc on DC. He draws a FK near the box. Schelotto sets up. Wells catches it.
I didn't mention them before, but after the goal, the camera cut to a pocket of Crew fans celebrating in the upper deck of RFK. Good stuff.
41 - GOAL! Bryan Namoff! He sets up way outside, but DC has a nice run of possession that culminates in Moreno sliding a pass to Namoff, who takes a careful touch, almost too long, but unleashes a low shot that deflects in off a sprawling Adam Moffat. Hesmer had no chance.
43 - GOAL! Moffat comes right back up the field and chips a cross over Wells and AMo again fights for it, battling DC defenders left and right and pokes it into goal. 2-1 Crew
Wow - that sucked the energy of the DC fans. They weren't even finished celebrating properly and then they're down again.
Halftime - The Crew are looking pretty dang good this season, really.
52 - Luciano Emilio is going down rather easily. He isn't getting the call. Frankie shoots from long range. Wells does fine with it.
57- Franco Niel is getting ready to come in - don't know who Soehn is taking out. Rod Dyachenko is coming in as well.
Jaime is off, as is Marc Burch.
Had a home crisis - my refrigerator has stopped working. I can't help but think of Chick Hearn - "this game is in the refrigerator", which in this case, would mean someone still had a chance.
Anyway, Guille got the better of Gallardo again, as apparently happened a lot back in the River-Boca days. Columbus carries the day, 2-1.

Different views

My take for TDS.

Chivas owns up

With the help of an own goal, Chivas USA knocked off the Crew 2-1.

For Chivas, the goal allowed was just the second they've let in at home this season (officially; technically that 3-1 loss to the Galaxy counts as an away game). They're 6-0-1 in home games and that ties them with Houston for most wins at home. And now, they're getting breaks. At the start of the year, they weren't.

My take for MLSnet.com.

And the opposing view from Danny Bueno, also for MLSnet.com.

Going home again

Chad Marshall is a local Cali boy, though he now plays for Columbus. He grew up in the Inland Empire - Riverside, to be exact. A contingent of supporters turned out for him in the stadium last night.