Pires to MLS is a positive move
The news that MLS is talking with Robert Pires is good news for fans in America.
Pires may be 36-years old but he is a quality player who has proved during his time at Arsenal, the French national team and now with Villarreal that he is a talented attacking midfielder who would add some much-needed flair to the league.
Many times we have seen DP’S join the league after a break from playing at the top level, but that would not be the case with Pires. His technical ability and movement means he would also act as a great role model for some of our top young players in the league who would get to play with or against one of the best midfielders of his generation - just check his goal scoring record at Arsenal.
The former French international does have a history of injuries, but it is a risk that MLS has to take. We have not seen enough big name players join the league over the last few years and hopefully the signing of Pires will be the first of many top class new additions.
Who is at fault For Toronto’s struggles?
For the last few years we have watched Toronto struggle to live up to fan expectations as they have continually fallen short of the playoffs. This year was supposed to be different.
Preki was brought in as head coach and his no-nonsense disciplined approach was apparently exactly what this squad needed to push on, but after two games, it doesn’t look like too much has changed and Toronto look like they are in for another season of disappointment.
It would be silly to point the finger at a coach that has only had two competitive games, but I do believe general manager Mo Johnston has to shoulder his fair share of the blame for Toronto’s problems. Johnston has been the one constant in Toronto and has not always made the best decisions when it comes to coaching or personnel decisions.
If Toronto continues to struggle, Johnston should fall on his own sword before anyone starts pointing the finger and blaming Preki.
Philly opens new stadium in style
MLS really couldn’t have asked for a better beginning in Philadelphia. A crowd of over 34,000 was treated to a five-goal thriller and the Philly fans already have a hero with Sebastien Le Toux notching a superb hat trick.
It is still very early but judging by the size of the crowd, the Union will have no problems filling PPL Park when it finally opens. If Philadelphia continues to draw large crowds, they will follow in the footsteps of Toronto and Seattle as a new franchises who immediately drew bigger crowds than their older MLS foes.
They have set the bar high for cities like Vancouver and Portland coming into the league and hopefully these new teams can continue this upward trend.
Bruce Arena - The best coach in America?
Bruce Arena’s finest moment as a coach came in 2002 when he led the U.S. national team to the World Cup quarterfinals, but the job he has done at the Los Angeles Galaxy over the last 20 months has been just as impressive.
He took over a team that was deep in turmoil, had a subpar playing staff due to some strange decisions by Alexi Lalas, and had a superstar signing that had yet to really make his mark in the league.
Since then Arena has revamped the playing squad to the point that the Galaxy can now consider themselves the best side in the league, even without the injured David Beckham. Arena struggled with the Red Bulls after his spell with the national team but his time away from the game refreshed him to the point that he can now once again be considered as the best coach in the U.S.
And I include Bob Bradley in that statement ...
Is Chicago regretting their coaching change?
The Chicago Fire was just a penalty shootout win away from an MLS Cup final berth, yet the powers that be decided it was in the team’s best interest to replace coach Denis Hamlett and move in another direction.
I was never the biggest fan of Denis Hamlett but I felt at the time that his dismissal was harsh and, after a poor start to the season, I wonder if some of the Chicago fans feel the same way. Carlos De Los Cobos has obviously not been given enough time to be judged yet, but it is hard to figure out exactly what the thought process behind the coaching change actually was.
Coaches should be judged on results and, based on that, Hamlett leading his side to the last four before being defeated by the eventual champions should have been enough for him to warrant another year in the job. The owners made the decision to go in a different direction and right now it looks like that direction is down.
On to this week's MLS Power Rankings ...
1. Los Angeles Galaxy: The Galaxy will not have to worry about the Dynamo challenging them in the west based on how easily they won in Texas last Saturday.
2. Kansas City Wizards: It wasn’t as pretty as their win against D.C. but the victory over the Rapids proved this team can and win ugly, too.
3. New England Revolution: Winning with so many players out will give Steve Nicol a selection dilemma when he finally has a full squad to choose from.
4. Columbus Crew: The Crew didn’t produce the kind of performance we have come to expect from them but in the end could have still come away from Dallas with three points. It would have been an undeserved win though.
5. Seattle Sounders: Sigi Schmid will not be happy with his side conceding a late goal from a set piece as they threw away two points from their trip to Salt Lake.
6. Real Salt Lake: RSL showed all their fighting spirit as they battled back for a point against a Seattle side that arguably has a lot more talent than them.
7. New York Red Bulls: The Red Bulls were way too defensive against a Chivas USA side that was there for the taking.
8. Houston Dynamo: It’s time for Dominic Kinnear to face up to the fact that this team is a shadow of the one that once ruled MLS.
9. Colorado Rapids: The Rapids are stronger defensively but do they really create enough for their talented forward line? I don’t think so.
10. Philadelphia Union: An unbelievable show of support by the Philly faithful helped this team pick up its first win and earn them bragging rights over D.C. fans.
11. San Jose Earthquakes: The Earthquakes first win in Chicago since 1999 has given Frank Yallop something to build on after their disastrous start to the season.
12. Chivas USA: Chivas finally got off the mark with their win over New York but their performance will hardly fill their fans with optimism for the rest of the season.
13. FC Dallas: Dallas can play some good football at times but it will count for nothing if they can’t start turning their dominance into victories.
14. Chicago Fire: The Fire really misses the flair of Blanco but still have enough quality to have gained more than one point from their first three games.
15. Toronto FC: Losing to a talented Columbus Crew is understandable but their can be no excuse for the dismal showing against an undermanned New England side.
16. D.C. United: D.C. showed its first glimpse of life against Philly but why did it take them going two goals down to finally see some character?
Keith Costigan covers MLS and U.S. Soccer for FoxSoccer.com.
