It was no secret that the Western Conference was stronger than the Eastern Conference heading into the 2012 MLS season, but just two weeks into the new campaign, we are already getting a taste of just how big the disparity is.
Poor starts for 2011 playoff teams Philadelphia and New York, coupled with a flat opening two weeks for turnaround candidate D.C. United, has the East looking downright putrid early in the season.
Eight of the East’s ten teams are still winless two weeks into the new campaign, while eight of nine West teams have already tasted victory. The result is the West holding a 9-2 record against East rivals (with Houston accounting for both wins).
The disparity has only served to increase criticism of the league’s decision to change its playoff structure to feature five teams from each conference, regardless of record. The change will likely see some good Western Conference teams miss out on the post-season, but it also means the teams off to terrible starts in the Eastern Conference have more room for error as they try to make adjustments on the fly and, in the case of several teams, give new players time to adjust.
Sporting Kansas City and Houston have jumped out to good starts, which isn’t a surprise since both were consensus picks to be in East title contention, but both teams have also benefited from easy opening schedules. That being said, Sporting KC looks every bit as polished and dangerous a team as most thought they would be while Houston’s defense appears as imposing as it was expected to be.
What is it going to take for the East stragglers to join KC and Houston in giving the conference a more respectable outlook?
For Philadelphia, getting young goalkeeper Zac MacMath to settle in and avoid a confidence meltdown will be a start, as will getting Danny Mwanga to start playing like a star forward. Gabriel Gomez impressed and forward Lionard Pajoy showed some good signs in the team’s 2-1 loss to Colorado, so not all is negative. But MacMath’s hiccups and the team’s inability to finish chances has Union fans pining for the days of Faryd Mondragon and Sebastien LeToux.
The Red Bulls’ slow start already has some fans in New York panicking, but it should be noted that New York opened the season with road games against two of the top five teams in the league. That doesn’t excuse their lackluster performances, but is certainly a factor. Getting Rafa Marquez back from suspension and potentially Luke Rodgers back from a prolonged visa process should provide a boost, but if Joel Lindpere and Dane Richards don’t up their games, and unless Wilman Conde gets healthy or Markus Holgersson starts moving better, the Red Bulls could find themselves facing another long season.
D.C. was expected to start well, what with an injection of talent and the return to health of some key players, but the squad Ben Olsen has trotted out has been a disjointed and underperforming miss. The offense was supposed to be better with the addition of designated player Hamdi Salihi at striker, but he failed to register a shot on goal in the team’s opening day loss to Sporting KC before being benched for the team’s 3-1 loss to the LA Galaxy.
Is Olsen already feeling the heat, or are we seeing a case of an inexperienced coach tinkering too much? It is too early to issue any verdicts on Olsen’s D.C. United side just yet, but with an upcoming trio of games against unbeaten West teams, D.C. could wind up sliding into 2012 the way they skidded out of 2011 (the team finished winless in their final six matches, an 0-5-1 stretch, last season).
It is too early to get a sense of where Chicago, Columbus and Toronto FC will be once things get rolling but TFC’s CONCACAF Champions League triumph over Los Angeles bodes well for a potential turnaround season (though losing Torsten Frings for 4-6 weeks is a big blow.) Chicago is a very promising team and the addition of Arne Friedrich could help the Fire take advantage of the other slow-starting teams in MLS.
As things stand now though, the race for playoff spots in the East seems destined to be a study in mediocrity while several Western Conference teams are sure to be left wishing their road to the post-season could be so easy.
MLS WEEK TWO OBSERVATIONS:
Montreal Impact defends a Pavel Pardo free-kick in the 1-1 tie with Chicago Fire. (Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)
The record crowd of 58,912 created an amazing atmosphere in Montreal’s first home match and the Impact responded by delivering a much better performance than their season opener. The Montreal defense was much improved, though it was also going up against a Fire team making its season debut.
For Chicago, seeing Dominic Oduro score in the opener is a great sign and re-affirms that he isn’t ready to be a one-year wonder. The Jalil Anibaba-Cory Gibbs centerback tandem looks solid, which will leave Frank Klopas with a difficult decision once Arne Friedrich is ready to play.
Playing without David Ferreira and Brek Shea was tough on the Dallas attack and it showed as the home team struggled to generate chances against a tough Portland defense. Truth be told, the Timbers could have easily walked away with a road win with a little better finishing.
Portland has to be giddy about the debut of centerback Hanyer Mosquera, who looks every bit like a first-rate centerback and the kind of player the Timbers have been hoping to be able to build their defense around.
Chivas USA might be the worst team in MLS, but Vancouver isn’t about to give back the first road win in team history. The Goats actually had more of the ball and created more chances in this snoozer of a game, but the Whitecaps defense stepped up with a second straight shutout.
It’s tough to feel too confident after a second straight shutout loss at home, but Robin Fraser will look to build on the positives, such as the work by the midfield. There is still a sense that this Chivas USA team is still two to three players away from being a contender though, even when Juan Pablo Angel returns.
In what has become a predictable script, Real Salt Lake outclassed the Red Bulls on their way to a comprehensive shutout victory. The midfield trio of Ned Grabavoy, Kyle Beckerman and Luis Gil controlled the midfield and only ceded control of the match after the team went up 2-0. Fabian Espindola has the look of a player ready to post 15 goals, and rookie Sebastian Velasquez has firmly planted himself in the early stages of the rookie of the year conversation.
As for New York? Hans Backe went with a 4-5-1, choosing to leave Kenny Cooper on the bench again, and while the extra midfielder helped New York gain some more possession, it didn’t help make New York any more dangerous.
David Estrada of the Seattle Sounders celebrates after scoring against Toronto FC. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
A first-half injury to defender Torsten Frings made a very difficult task nearly impossible for Toronto FC as Seattle’s offense tore through Toronto’s back-line. David Estrada had his coming-out party with the hat trick, but Alvaro Fernandez’s performance playing provider was just as impressive. Seattle will need both to keep it up after losing Mauro Rosales to an injury.
Toronto will need to figure out how to cope without Frings, who helped conceal the team’s defensive frailties. Adrian Cann is working his way back from injury. One positive for TFC was the latest beautiful goal from Ryan Johnson, who is playing like someone brimming with confidence. Toronto will need him to keep scoring because the defense is in for a tough stretch without Frings.
The Dynamo won their second straight road game with another outstanding defensive performance, helped in part by a stellar effort from goalkeeper Tally Hall. It wasn’t pretty, and Houston didn’t exactly generate a ton of chances, but racking up points on this season-opening road trip is all that matters.
For San Jose, it was a disappointing second match and one that raised some familiar questions. Can the Earthquakes generate chances against good defenses? Is the midfield good enough to bring San Jose to the playoffs? A new question for the ‘Quakes is just how long will it take for Tressor Moreno to get fully fit? They’d better hope it is soon because they need some creativity in midfield.
The red card to Stephen McCarthy ruined any chances New England had of pulling the upset, but the fact the Revs were down a man for so long still shouldn’t take away from what was a truly masterful performance by Sporting KC. MLS teams squander man advantages all the time, so for KC to be so effective with that advantage showed the team’s quality.
C.J. Sapong and Teal Bunbury get more headlines, but Kei Kamara is really establishing himself as a force in MLS. His finishing has improved consistently and he makes it impossible for defenders to consider double-teaming anybody else. Bobby Convey looked much more comfortable and effective in his second match for New York.
The Union dominated play in the first half, but simply could not finish. That ultimately doomed them when the Rapids capitalized on the few chances that came their way. Jaime Castrillon continues to impress while rookie Tony Cascio isn’t playing like a rookie. There was a lot of talk about drastic changes Oscar Pareja would make, but what he has done is simply splash some flair to the same tough-defending Rapids formula.
Philadelphia fans left PPL Park disappointed, but there were some positives to take away from the match. Lionard Pajoy looks like a difference maker at forward (though he wasted too many chances) and Gabriel Gomez made the move from defensive midfield to central defense look effortless. Zac MacMath committed a bad blunder on Colorado’s first goal, but he showed plenty of quality before that play and as long as he stays confident he will only get better.
Los Angeles Galaxy earned a routine home win over DC United. (Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
Robbie Keane looked like the player he was expected to be, and D.C. paid the price for it. Keane was far from alone in stepping up for a sorely-needed victory. David Beckham was all over the field and Todd Dunivant looked like a Best XI defender again. Andrew Boyens putting in a steady shift at centerback had to be encouraging for Bruce Arena.
D.C. United just looked flat. The cross-country trip and facing a desperate LA team didn’t help, but it still doesn’t excuse a lack of effort in far too many parts of the field.
