-Matt Acconciamessa | US Soccer Daily

Another week of MLS in the books; here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly:





Everything that RSL did: You know it was a good day at the office when your coach is saying things like “the best soccer I’ve seen in front of this stadium”. RSL, led by another stellar outing by Javier Morales, absolutely handled a Donovan-less Galaxy side. With the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal coming next Tuesday, MLS fans should be happy that the league’s representative is playing some fantastic soccer right now.

Tally Hall: The Sounders peppered Houston’s goal on Friday night, searching for their first goal and win of the new season. The Dynamo managed to walk of Qwest with a point despite being heavily outshot, though, thanks in large part to Tally Hall’s performance between the posts.



Wondo: Chris Wondolowski might not be a one-hit-wonder after all. His brace against Dallas exemplified what won him the Golden Boot last year: good off-the-ball runs to get in the right spots and great finishing when opportunities arise. With the two goals, Wondo has now scored San Jose’s last 12 (yes, TWELVE) regular season goals. Ridiculous.


Frei to Martina: TFC’s second date with an expansion side turned out a lot better than their first, thanks in part to a straight forward counterattack that saw the ball go from Stefan Frei’s hands to the back of the net in a matter of seconds. The pinpoint punt and beautiful first time finish from Martina helped seal the full three points for the Reds; check it out here.

Hesmer’s late stop: In second half stoppage time of a scoreless draw, Joel Lindpere’s left-footed daisy-cutter looked like it was headed for the lower corner, but Will Hesmer did very well to get down quick and get a strong hand on the ball to make the tough, crucial save.


Weather: After some gorgeous spring weather in Week 1 (well, maybe not in California), things were a lot colder this time around, which may in part help explain some of the smaller opening day crowds in Chicago, New England, and Columbus. Personally, the frigid, windy weather at PPL Park made me glad that MLS doesn’t run through the winter, and based on the conversations I heard around me, I don’t think I was alone in thinking that.

Chivas USA: It’s never a good thing when you open a season with two home losses. Robin Fraser did a lot of retooling in the offseason, but there is still a ways to go for the Goats.




Eric Hassli: The Whitecaps DP followed up his opening day brace with a pair of foolish cards that may have cost his team a road point. Despite missing a handful of players due to injury and international duty, Vancouver did a good job of stymieing the Union attack, but their hopes of leaving Chester with something to show for their efforts were dealt a serious blow thanks to Hassli’s bonehead decisions.

Officiating: This could probably fall in the “Ugly” category every week, but there were some particularly questionable calls this past weekend. My expectations for MLS officiating are always low, but last weekend still managed to fall short.

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Feel free to add anything I missed.