Castillo a gamble worth taking
Just a couple of seasons ago, Nery Castillo had the football world at his feet. Shakhtar Donetsk rated him so highly they spent over $20 million dollars for his services. After that, a loan move to Premier League giants Manchester City followed, but somewhere along the way Castillo lost his direction.
The Mexican international was never given a chance in Manchester and his return to Ukraine has not gone according to plan -- it is obvious that he is a player in need of a fresh start.
Castillo may have struggled for form over the last few years but nobody can doubt his talent, and at 26 he is a player that still has his best years ahead of him. It can be looked upon as a risk to bring in a player who is not at the top of his game, but it is no more of a gamble than signing an aging star that has his best years behind them.
The Fire has shown with this signing that they are committed to turning their team into a contender again and, if Castillo can return to form, that is exactly what the Fire will be.
Hyndman and Dallas continues to impress
Two teams in MLS have proven to be more difficult to beat than anyone else this season.The L.A. Galaxy has garnered all of the headlines for its superb start to the season, but FC Dallas has proven just as difficult to beat.
There were some eyebrows raised when longtime college coach Schellas Hyndman took over from Steve Morrow, but the former Southern Methodist man has been a huge success so far and is more than capable of molding this team into a real contender in the Western Conference.
Dallas’ latest win over red-hot RSL has seen the Hoops move to within five points of second place in the west, and they have managed to do it without a star name player of note. Last season, Jeff Cunningham almost singlehandedly carried this team to the playoffs, but this year the team has become more balanced with everyone making a solid contribution.
Brek Shea and David Ferreira have been particularly impressive, but it is Schellas Hyndman who should take all the credit for turning this team around.
Henry the biggest signing in MLS history
There is no doubt that the signing of David Beckham helped increase the global appeal of MLS. Beckham is a marketing monster and there is no other footballer in the world more recognizable than him, but the signing of Henry is a bigger draw on the field for football fans in this country.
Beckham was always a footballer who played his part in very successful teams, but he was never the star player on Manchester United or Real Madrid.
Henry on the other hand has lived with the role of superstar since his early days with Arsenal. Henry was the centerpiece of one of the greatest teams ever seen in the Premier League and played a huge part in the success of the French national team of the late 90’s.
Henry comes to MLS with plenty left in the tank and he has the ability to change a game in an instant with one sublime piece of skill. Beckham is a great player but Henry is something special and New York fans are in for a treat over the next few years.
Beckham on the way back
It was expected that David Beckham would miss the rest of the season, but last week Bruce Arena confirmed that Becks is about six weeks away from a return to MLS action.
The way the Galaxy have played so far this season it could be argued that they haven’t missed the England international, but his leadership qualities and passing ability will be needed if the Galaxy are to make a deep run into the playoffs and lift the MLS Cup.
Other Galaxy players like Omar Gonzalez and Edson Buddle have emerged as top stars in the league this year, but to have a player with the experience of Beckham right before the playoffs begin makes the Galaxy that much stronger.
Becks may have paid the Galaxy back all the money they have invested in him with the exposure he has brought to the team, but it is fair to say that we have still not seen the best of him on the field.
This year’s playoffs will give the England international the perfect opportunity to repay the club by playing at a high level and bringing silverware back to Los Angeles.
On to this week's MLS Power Rankings ...
1. Los Angeles Galaxy: The Galaxy returns to number one in the rankings after another battling win over D.C. My guess is they won’t be giving up top spot again anytime soon.
2. Real Salt Lake: RSL’s superb unbeaten run had to end sometime but this team has shown enough character over recent weeks to suggest they can bounce back from their poor performance in Dallas.
3. Columbus Crew: The Crew beat the Red Bulls in front of a watching Thierry Henry as they showed the Frenchman and his new side that they are still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
4. FC Dallas: Dallas announced its arrival in the battle for the Western Conference with their win over RSL this weekend.
5. Toronto FC: Philadelphia may be a difficult place to play but Toronto has to find a way to win at the lesser teams in the east if they are to be considered a threat to Columbus and co. at the top of the conference.
6. New York Red Bulls: The Red Bulls may have lost to the Crew but I doubt it dampened the spirits of their fans still celebrating the acquisition of Thierry Henry.
7. San Jose Earthquakes: San Jose held English giants Tottenham Hotspur to a goalless draw at the weekend and Frank Yallop will hope his side can build on their good defensive performance over the coming months of the MLS season.
8. Colorado Rapids: The Rapids had a meeting after their disappointing draw with K.C. and let’s hope the discussion leads to a better product on the field because the Rapids have not been good enough over the last few weeks.
9. Houston Dynamo: The Dynamo’s form will need to drastically improve when they return to MLS play if they are to play a part in the postseason.
10. Chicago Fire: Nery Castillo is a player that has his best years ahead of him and should prove to be a quality acquisition for the Fire.
11. Chivas USA: Chivas USA is finally starting to show some life and its new signings mean it will be a much more difficult side to beat over the second half of the season.
12. Philadelphia Union: Philly looks like it can beat anybody at home but its away form will prove to be its undoing this year.
13. Kansas City Wizards: The Wizards played some superb football and were unlucky to only pick up four points form their two-game road trip in Colorado and Columbus.
14. Seattle Sounders: The Sounders picked up a much-needed win at D.C. but I still get the sense that all is not right with the Sounders.
15. New England Revolution: The Revs have been in good form in SuperLiga play as they continue to build on their solid victory over the Galaxy.
16. D.C. United: Try as it might, D.C. still cannot shake the poor form that has plagued it since the start of the campaign.
Keith Costigan is a writer for FoxSoccer.com covering Major League Soccer.
