- Ethan Gomberg

Major League Soccer announced today that Zach Thornton of Chivas USA has won the 2009 Goalkeeper of the Year Award. Thornton beat out Seattle's Kasey Keller and LA Galaxy's Donovan Ricketts.

Thornton's win, though by no means undeserved, comes as a bit of a shock; Keller was viewed by many as the favorite, having helped the expansion Sounders make the playoffs in their inaugural year.

MLS press release, which includes announcements for the individual and team Fair Play Awards:

Chivas USA’s Zach Thornton Wins MLS Goalkeeper of the Year;
New England Revolution’s Steve Ralston and the Chicago Fire
Honored with MLS Fair Play Awards

NEW YORK (Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009) – Major League Soccer announced today that Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton was voted the 2009 Goalkeeper of the Year. New England Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston was named the winner of the individual MLS Fair Play award, and the Chicago Fire earned the MLS Team Fair Play award as the MLS club with the fewest disciplinary points during the 2009 regular season.

The Goalkeeper of the Year and the Individual Fair Play award winners earned the most votes in polling of MLS players, general managers, coaches, referees and members of the media.

Thornton, 36, had arguably his best season in his 13-year MLS career. He led Chivas USA to a 13-11-6 record and posted a career best 12 shutouts and 0.87 goals against average. His 12 shutouts were one shy of the club record and his goals against average ranks second all-time behind Pat Onstad’s 0.82 in 2007. Thornton led the League in goals against average, shutouts and ranked second in wins with 12.

Thornton took over the starting role for Preki’s club this season, after being acquired in 2008 and playing in eight regular season games last season. The 2009 season was his first full season as a starter since 2006, when he was a member of the Chicago Fire. He started 27 of the team’s 30 games during the regular season and led Chivas to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

This marks the second Goalkeeper of the Year honor for Thornton. He joins Onstad and Joe Cannon as the only players to win the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award twice. He received the honor in 1998, after being selected by the Chicago Fire in the expansion draft, Thornton led the first-year club to an MLS Cup championship. He finished the 1998 season with 16 wins and a 1.17 goals against average.

Thornton ranks second all-time in shutouts (70) and wins (125), behind only Kevin Hartman in both categories. He played collegiately at Loyola College in Maryland and was drafted by the MetroStars in the 7th round of the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft. He played two seasons with the club as a reserve behind Tony Meola before spending the bulk of nine seasons with the Fire. In 2004 he spent six months on loan with Benfica in Portugal. Thornton played with the Colorado Rapids in 2007 and New York Red Bulls in 2008. During the 2008 season, he was traded to Chivas USA, where he played seven games before earning the starting role to begin the 2009 campaign.

Thornton led the voting ahead of Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper Kasey Keller and Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts, the other finalists named earlier this week.

Ralston is claiming his third MLS Fair Play Award. The 35 year-old, MLS Original and New England Revolution midfielder from St. Louis, Mo., becomes the first three-time recipient of the award. Michael Parkhurst, Ralston’s former Revolution teammate, won the award in 2007 and 2008.

Ralston started 17 games for the Revolution this year and recorded seven goals and seven assists. In 1,543 minutes of play, Ralston committed only four fouls and received two cautions. The all-time leader in games played (378) and assists (135) Ralston helped the Revolution to an 11-10-9 record and the club’s eighth consecutive playoff appearance. Before joining the Revolution, Ralston spent six seasons with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, earning the Rookie of the Year award in 1996.

The Chicago Fire claimed the Team Fair Play award for accumulating the fewest disciplinary points (259.5) of any team during the 2009 regular season. Disciplinary points are assigned as follow: 4 points for each caution received, 10 points for each red card, 0.50 points for each foul committed and a reduction of 15 points for each game that a team completes without receiving any cards or action from the MLS Disciplinary Committee.


What do you make of Thornton's win? Was it deserved over the two other finalists?

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After five years of existence and a less than expected response from their connection to their Mexican cousins, Chivas USA finally squeezed a friendly out of Chivas de Guadalajara. Dubbed the "ChivaClasico", the game took placed last night at the Rose Bowl, with the Mexican giants defeated their American namesakes 2-0 on two late goals by Omar Arellano.

Yet, as with most high-profile friendlies, especially in light of the success of Soccer United Marketing's "Summer of Soccer", the results on the field matter less than the success in the stands and the exposure the clubs receive. While the game was probably still a win for both clubs, last night's friendly, especially in the context of others in 2009, was ultimately a disappointment.

The "ChivaClasico" drew 22,879, in a stadium that holds over 100,000, and in a city with a massive Mexican population. Chivas Guadalajara is one of the most well-supported Mexican clubs, and surely has enough passionate support in LA to attract what amounts to a sellout at the Home Depot Center. The two clubs, and Chivas USA in particular, being the hosts for the match, surely thought the game would do much better; I assume that if they knew the game would draw less than 27,000 (capacity at the HDC), they would have simply played the match there.

So who failed here? The Galaxy's friendly at the Rose Bowl, though admittedly involving star power on the MLS side as well as the visiting club side, drew a sell-out at the same stadium. Perhaps it's unfair to expect that sort of turnout for a game involving none of the world-renowned stars that AC Milan or the Galaxy possess, but the name "Chivas" has it's own particular pull; I'm at a loss to explain why a game involving one of the biggest clubs in this part of the world, and one with a strong fan base in the LA-area, wasn't able to attract a larger crowd.

Chivas USA will present Mexican-American striker Jesus Padilla to the press tomorrow at 12:30 PM PDT, after the club signed the twenty two year old on loan from sister club Chivas de Guadalajara.

Padilla was born in San Jose, CA to Mexican parents, a circumstance that allowed him to play for the Mexican-player only Chivas de Guadalajara despite his American background (something that was discovered and caused some controversy; the circular route to establishing Padilla qualifications as "Mexican" were interesting). The forward moved to Mexico at fourteen join Chivas as youth player; after graduating to the senior team in 2006, Padilla has appeared twenty four times and scored one goal for the Mexican giant.

Despite the close relationship of the clubs due to ownership and name, Chivas USA has seen few players move north to join them in MLS. With forward Ante Razov being added to the disabled list, Padilla will add more depth to a forward group that consists of Justin Braun, Eduardo Lillingston, and Maykel Galindo.

It's Friday, which means that my column for MLS Daily is up. Go check it out, for the love of everything that is good.

In Defense of Chivas USA

It seems like I just did one of these (because I did), but it's time again for MFUSA's ridiculous handicapping exercise.

Power rankings abound, and if you haven't seen my spin on them before, this is how it works:

I select the team least likely to win MLS Cup (the long shot) and the team most likely to win the MLS Cup (the odds on favorite or "short") based on overall results and current form. It's inane and means nothing, but that makes it no different than any of the power rankings on the web.

All the nonsense, after the jump.

POST-WEEK 7 LONG SHOT
FC Dallas/New York Red Bulls

A new wrinkle in the long shot spot: a dead heat. FC Dallas remains because I saw them in person this weekend, and they truly have nothing going forward outside of Van Den Bergh and Cooper. Shut those two guys down (which United did for the most part) and Dallas is a depressingly impotent team. The Hoops lone goal came off a set piece, something which they are going to have to rely on for goals until something changes. New York is truly sad, and I wouldn't be doing my fake job if I didn't give the Red Bulls a shout for the long shot as well. The Osorio sack-watch has to be on now; I can't imagine the team's corporate owners are going to be too happy with recent form, and a last place finish just won't do going into Red Bull Arena's opening next year.

MFUSA ODDS: 100-1
RUNNER UP: Columbus (not really, but they are stinking up the joint)

POST-WEEK 7 FAVORITE
Chivas USA

Broken record time at the favorite spot. Chivas continues to roll along, racking up points and separating themselves from the mediocre pack. I somehow doubt things will continue this way for the entire season, but who else has really shown themselves to be a dominant team? Exactly. The playoff system means that the MLS Cup winner could be anyone from the top eight, of course, so giving Chivas this spot doesn't necessarily mean I think they'll win it, just that they've played the best and seem capable. All this for Chivas, and we still haven't seen the best out of Sacha Kjlestan.

MFUSA ODDS: 10-1
RUNNER UP: Seattle Sounders (this isn't just a shout to Dave, it's a acknowledgment that Seattle's resiliency is finally impressing me)

Do you disagree with my choices this week? My ridiculous odds?

On a chilly night BMO Field, Toronto FC defeated league leaders Chivas USA 1-0 to earn their first home win of the young MLS season.

Chivas USA had the better of early play, including a close-call chance for Alecko Eskandarian in the opening minutes. The striker was unable to get on the end of a low cross, however, and an offside flag negated his efforts completely. Unfortunately for the Goats, the inability to take advantage of that early push would prove fatal.

Toronto took back the game almost immediately, and appeared to have a legitimate claim for a penalty in the 17th minute when Danny Dichio had his legs swept out from underneath him in the corner of the box. No call was made, and the home standing Reds continued on with their push for goal.

Toronto would get the breakthrough in the 36th minute, when a poor clearance attempt by Chivas' fell perfectly to the head of striker Danny Dichio. Dichio's flick caught Amado Guevara perfectly in stride, and after fighting off two defenders, the former MLS MVP calmly hit the ball past Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton. Toronto was off and running at home, a lead in their pocket heading into the closing minutes of the first half.

Danny Dichio followed up his excellent offensive efforts with a poorly timed tackle in the 38th minute, which earned him the games first card. The color was yellow, though the tackle was rash enough that it could have easily earned a straight red.

The half had a bit more to offer, with Toronto's Chad Barrett getting through the Chivas defense in the 45th minute. The mercurial striker's low hit shot was not enough to beat Thornton, however, and Chivas remained only a goal down going to the second half.

The second half opened with neither team asserting themselves, though Toronto eventually settled things enough to gain the majority of possession. Action remained at premium until the 57th minute, when Chivas' Eskandarian earned a yellow card for a rash tackle. Eskandarian was taken off shortly thereafter, as Chivas manager Preki inserted Michel Lahmoud, a clear sign of frustration with his anemic attack.

TFC began to assert themselves after the first fifteen minutes, finding ample room on the wings through runs by outside backs Wynne and Brennan. Chivas looked listless, never truly threatening a solid Toronto back line. Strong play from Adrian Serioux led the Reds defense, and Chivas found it difficult to penetrate. Attempting to play through midfield, the Goats were stymied by an interchanging TFC formation that enabled the Canadian club to keep constant pressure on the ball.

The last fifteen minutes saw the leaders pull back, as Chivas searched for the equalizer. Frustration boiled over in the 79th minute when Chivas midfielder Sacha Kljestan earned the third card of the match, a yellow for rough play. Toronto dropped more men behind the ball, throwing up a defensive wall in front of the visitors. Pablo Nagamura created created Chivas' best late chance, a run to the end line that ultimately ended with a weak shot that TFC keeper Stephan Frei handled easily.

A final salvo from Chivas came to naught when veteran midfielder Jesse Marsch hit a long shot high and wide. More strong work from Adrian Serioux closed out the match, frustrating the Goats once again.

The referee blew the final whistle, and Toronto FC's first home victory of the season was in the book. The win vaults Toronto to second place in the Eastern Conference on eight points, while Chivas remains on thirteen, still four points clear of second place Seattle out west.

Scoring:
TOR -- Amado Guevara 3 (unassisted) 36

Discipline:
TOR -- Danny Dichio (caution; Reckless Tackle) 38
CHV -- Alecko Eskandarian (caution; Reckless Tackle) 57
CHV -- Sacha Kljestan (caution; Reckless Foul) 79

MFUSA's Man of the Match: Amado Guevara

This was my first attempt at a fairly straight match report; seeing as it's my first, please feel free to critique the quality. I have many more thoughts on this match that I may espouse later, specifically on the differences between TFC's attack with DeRosario and without DeRosario (and the problems it may cause if TFC continues to play well until he comes back).

Wednesday night soccer anyone?

Chivas USA travels to BMO Field tonight, to take on a reeling TFC club in front what is sure to be the customary rowdy Canadian crowd (no mid-week attendance excuses for the Reds).

The game is not being televised, so I'll be watching via the magic of the internet. As Chivas is the early season pacesetter and TFC is, well, TFC (a.k.a. intriguing because people up there really care), I've decided to preview the match. I'll also be attempting my first true match report after the game, so look for that as well.

On to the preview after the jump.

Chivas USA comes into tonight's match riding high, leading the Western Conference and the Supporters Shield standings by an enormous early-season buffer of four points. Manager Preki has seemingly worked magic in the early weeks, getting strong performances out of lineups that are far from first choice. Injuries have kept out several players Chivas expects major contributions from, chief among them Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo. Neither has made an appearance yet in 2009, a fact which only serves to make more impressive the Goats fast start. Leaning on Sacha Kjlestan, Jesse March and a strong defense, Chivas has proven they have a recipe that works regardless of the crucial players missing.

Toronto has underwhelmed to this point, and after a disappointing (and controversial) loss to previously winless FC Dallas last week, the Reds will look to turn around their fortunes against the league leaders. That effort will be made all the more difficult by the absence of midfield maestro Dwayne DeRosario, who will miss tonight's match with a hamstring injury. The bulk of the creative responsibilities will then fall to former MLS MVP Amado Guevara, a fact that may actually help Toronto: To this point in 2009, DeRosario and Guevara have yet to find an understanding while playing together, and Toronto's attack has suffered for it.

Typically, road teams struggle in MLS, regardless of support; Chivas might normally be expected to sit back, absorb Toronto's pressure, and attempt to catch the Reds out through counterattacks. However, both Chivas head man Preki as well as Toronto boss John Carver could mix things up; the former because his team is riding a wave of confidence and the latter because a home victory is imperative to stop the bleeding. Without DeRosario pushing the attack, a slightly more defensive posture might carry the day for Toronto. Chivas will likely attack as the situation dictates, though it's unlikely they'll commit too much forward regardless of their recent form.

Tonight's is a crucial match for both side: Toronto desperately needs a home win to kick start their season, while Chivas needs to consolidate their early season success with a road win in a hostile environment. More than likely these competing elements will cancel each other out. It might be an ugly, if still entertaining, match at BMO Field.

Match Fit USA Prediction:

Toronto FC 1, Chivas USA 1

Just a vibe, but I think we're going to see a red card in tonight's match. I don't know which side, and I don't know if it will be a straight red or for a second yellow: it's just a gut feeling.

The second installment of MFUSA's MLS Cup odds after another week of action. A couple of teams improved their chances drastically, while a few others fell off. Last week's favorite, Chicago, saw a sure home win turn into a disappointing draw and loses their top spot. Longest shot on the board (my imaginary one), FC Dallas, put in an impressive home performance against TFC and has catapulted themselves from the ignominious longest odds position. All the flux and parity leads to two new teams occupying the Long and the Short this week.

WEEK 5 LONG SHOT
LA Galaxy
I realize that L.A. got a road draw against San Jose this weekend, but with FC Dallas' impressive performance, someone has to take the long shot spot. L.A. has managed three points in five, a record which has them tied with Columbus (whom I can't in good conscious put in this spot) at the bottom of the league. While L.A. has a better goal differential, Columbus receives the benefit of the doubt as defending MLS Cup champs. Donovan and the ten dwarves have holes all over the field, the impending revival of the Beckham saga, and a head coach that always appears as though he'd like to be elsewhere. Those ingredients don't make for a good MLS Cup bet, so longest shot the Galaxy become. Unlike last week, when I told you that a longshot bet on Dallas might actually be worthwhile, I can't see the same value in the Galaxy.

MFUSA ODDS: 150-1

RUNNER UP
FC Dallas 85-1


WEEK 5 ODDS ON FAVORITE
Chivas USA
Top of the table and havin' a laugh, Chivas USA is clearly Major League Soccer's top team five weeks into the season. The Goats have found several different ways to win games, and are leaning on a stingy defense that has given up a league best two goals. All of that despite being shorthanded; attacking players Maykel Galindo and Ante Razov have yet to return to the lineup, as well as defensive contributors Claudio Suarez and Ante Jazic. Chivas has been notoriously streaky in the past however, so their status as favorites is hardly solidified. A poor run of form could bring them straight back to the pack. While Chivas is clearly the choice for shortest odds on the board, Chicago is so close that I'm tempted to make this a tie. Chicago's defensive collapse against Kansas City drops them just below Chivas, at least for the time being.

MFUSA ODDS: 10-1

RUNNER UP
Chicago Fire 12-1

It turns out that HVS, a sports and entertainment consulting firm, put a nice little presentation on MLS finances together for the Portland 2011 bid. There are some interesting tidbits in there, and I thought I'd share a few that interested me.

Stadium Revenue
Total projected stadium revenue is less than $15 million; now, I'm sure that's a conservative estimate, but it seems shockingly low. Of course, I'm certainly jaded by the type of money made in big time American sports.

Ticket Price
Portland's projected average ticket price is $33.65, significantly higher than the 2007 league average (cited in the presentation) of $22.47. Not sure if that really means anything, just an interesting note.

Chivas Season Tickets
If you needed more evidence that Chivas is the most poorly marketed team in the league, here's a kicker for you: in both 2007 and 2008, season tickets sales for Chivas USA were less than 900. Wow. They need to do something out there, and I think re-branding the club would be a good start. That, or move them (St. Louis?).

Kansas City Season Tickets
Unlike Chivas, the Wizards seem to be making progress. While the number of season tickets sold for Kansas City is second worst in the league, they saw a 232% percent increase between 2007 and 2008. Pretty damned impressive, and certain to rise again when the team moves into their new digs in a couple of years.

Portland's Projected Ticket Sales
Now, I don't know a thing about sports venue consulting, but it just seems odd that HVS would assume a decline in total tickets sold from 2011 to 2015. Isn't the goal to make the team more popular, thereby increasing ticket sales? I guess that's just part of the overly conservative outlook these type of things have to take when it comes to public financing issues. Oh, and if Portland is averaging less than 12,000 in 2015, I think it would be safe to say at that point that giving them a team was a bad idea. Not going to happen, of course. I have faith in the soccer fans out there.

TFC Fans Like Their Beer
The report says that Toronto fans spent more on average than an other team in the league, at a rate of $11.00 per game (I'm assuming that's USD). Think they were spending that $11.00 on hot dogs and nachos? I doubt it. If TFC charged for bathroom access, they could probably bring in another couple mill a year.

Both Kinds of Football at PGE Park
Listed as a source of "other event" income in the report is Portland State football. Now, I guess it would be naive to think that the renovated PGE Park would be used for nothing but Timbers games, but I was certainly unaware of Portland State playing their other kind of football there. High school games? Fine. Concerts? If you must. College football? No thanks. Guess you just have to take the good with the bad. Maybe we'll never be able to separate soccer in this country from American football, no matter how many soccer-specific stadiums we build.

I was made aware of the report by Footiebusiness, and you can read the original report in .pdf form here.