Even while I disagreed vehemently with the comments of Union head coach Peter Nowak in the wake of their inaugural loss at the hands of Seattle, I reveled in them. I loved Sigi Schmid hitting back, and found myself riveted by the defensive posture taken by the Sounders faithful in the wake of the criticism.


MLS too often lacks this kind of off-field intrigue, the kind that spawns a slew of blog posts, keeps fans interested during breaks between games, and adds new plot lines to what happens on the field. The Union's remaining match with Seattle, set for June 27th in Philly, is now a must watch game, and all thanks to a coach who shot off at the mouth in the heat of the post-match moment. Whether Nowak was right or wrong doesn't really matter; what does is that people are now talking up bad-blood between the Sounders and Union (who don't the Sounders have bad blood with?), a dynamic which makes them that much more interesting to the casual fan.


Meanwhile, Dave van den Bergh labelled FC Dallas as moral-less bastards (okay, I'm paraphrasing), criticizing the club for the treatment he received when they kicked him to the curb after last season. I don't know that FCD is particularly evil, or that Schellas Hyndman likes to sacrifice goats in his Dallas-area home, but now I wonder if it might in fact be true. Van den Bergh said what? Hmm...maybe FC Dallas are soulless creatures of the night!


Again, in the end it doesn't matter, and it's impossible to know right now if van den Bergh was screwed over by Hyndman or if the club simply chose to part ways with the Dutchman and he's taking it a little hard. Either way, I'm anxious to see van den Bergh sign elsewhere so he can play against his old club, hopefully put on a clinic, and stick it to them in spades. The dynamic just got a whole lot more interesting.


MLS needs the intrigue.


In that vein, it's really too bad that DC United head man Curt Onalfo chose not to speak ill of his former employers before the club's season opener in Kansas City. It's too bad Preki has behaved himself, it's too bad no coach has chosen to declare themselves favorites outright, or been cornered into something we can take out of context. It's too bad no one in Houston will go on record that the Western Conference final power outages were a conspiracy on the part of the league or the Galaxy.


Would that be completely off the wall, deserving of criticism and give the person that said it a tinfoil hat reputation? Of course, but it would make things much more interesting.


It's not that MLS is boring, or that there isn't enough to see on the field to make the league compelling; it's just that there's something missing from week to week, when the only way to fill the time is to review the previous weekend's matches, create power rankings that mean nothing, and look ahead to the next set of games.


Where are the crazy quotes, the withering criticisms, the bigger-than-life personalities stirring the pot with over-the-top statements that draw our interest and add a new depth to the competition on the field?


Without the standard arena of soccer scuttle, the rapidly moving transfer rumor mill, on the level of leagues abroad, MLS has a deficit of nonsense. Nonsense is an integral part of the game the world over, and as our little league grows, I hope we see more of it.


So come on! Who's next? Any player or manager want to call Preki a maniac or take a shot at the LA Galaxy for playing ugly soccer? Anyone?

On Friday, I wrote that perhaps the Columbus Crew missed Sigi Schmid more than they would like to admit. Early results have been disappointing, the club is certainly not performing on a level befitting a defending league champion.

Robert Warzycha may not be the reason for the slow start, but it's clear that his inexperience as the head man hasn't helped. Despite having a squad almost unchanged from last year's cup winner, the Crew have played inconsistent soccer. Good play is followed up by poor play, and the effects are clearly seen in the Eastern Conference standings.

Last night, the Crew were less than ten minutes away from what could be a turnaround victory.

Instead, the Crew's two goal evaporated, and Columbus could only manage a home draw with undefeated Chicago. Despite dominating play for most of the match, even after being reduced to ten men by a Gino Padula red card in the fifty-seventh minute, Columbus folded in the face of a furious attack by the Fire.

So how much blame for the lost victory should fall to Warzycha?

Hard to say. Columbus is still a good team, that much is clear. They still have ample time to turn around their season. They're still, despite the poor start, likely to make the playoffs (in my opinion). Warzycha's job seems safe for the time being, though he can't be entirely comfortable. MLS is not typically the place for rapid fire coaching changes, and the Crew's improvement this week should be enough for him to enjoy a stay of execution.

Still, four points from six matches is bordering on disaster; if the Crew go more than one or two more weeks without a win, Columbus may be looking for a new manager before long.

Good teams close out two goal leads at home with ten minutes to go. Good managers put their teams in position to hold on to that victory. Warzycha may yet become a good manager, but floundering with a team that has all of the necessary components to be successful makes it seems as though he doesn't yet grasp the job.

Perhaps the club would be better served by a more experience coach.

I can't help it, it just keeps popping into my head:

What would Sigi do?

Those of you that are regular readers of MFUSA know that I contribute a regular column to MLS Daily every Friday. As the owner of that site is currently on vacation in Seattle, I've decided to post my column here instead. As always, comments are appreciated.

Take a look at the MLS standings. Specifically, look at the Eastern Conference table, where Kansas City now sits on top thanks to a victory over the New York Red Bulls last night. Scan down the page, making sure to take note of the mediocrity that seems to reign early in the 2009 season.

See that team at the bottom? The one that plays in a town that starts with "C" and ends in "S"? The one that just last November hoisted a shiny new trophy over their heads after a rousing triumph in the MLS Cup final? The one that most of us were sure would make the playoffs, make another run, and possibly repeat as champions of Major League Soccer (don't lie and say you didn't)?

What's up with that?

The obvious question, both for Crew fans looking for answers and for MLS fans around the country noting the slow start of the Columbus club, is whether Sigi Schmid's departure for Rave green pastures is the reason for the disappointing start. Nothing seems to be going right for the Crew, and new head man Robert Warzycha has yet to find any answers. Three points from five matches isn't exactly a death sentence in the highly competitive MLS, and a top four finish is all it will take for the Crew to have a chance in the playoffs. If they get hot at the right time, the poor early form will just fade into oblivion, an unpleasant memory forgotten by July.

An out of form Eddie Gaven. An injured Robbie Rogers. An ineffective Alejandro Moreno. Usually solid Will Hesmer has struggled, captain Frankie Hejduk has missed time while away on national team duty, and promising youngster (and Olympic silver-medalist) Emmanuel Ekpo has failed to impress. Only 2008 MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto has continued the championship form, and he can't carry the club alone. Reason upon reason jumps to mind for the Crew's ills. Each is valid. Each, by itself, might hamstring a club. Together, they become a perfect storm of handicaps, working together to hold the club down. They also might all just be temporary. Columbus might turn it around before you know it, and be back where we all expected them to be by the time we realize what has happened. Still, there's one large piece missing from the Crew puzzle that makes you wonder if a turnaround is likely, or even possible.

He's accomplished, he's rotund, and he likes to wear a scarf. Sigi!

It's times like these that Crew fans just might be asking themselves: What would Sigi do?

WWSD Crew fans. WWSD.

With Warzycha struggling in his first head coaching job, and Schmid working more magic with the expansion Sounders, it's a truly relevant question. Sounders fans might ask it with a exultant smile, Crew fans with a painful grimace. Just how important is the man in charge anyway? Can a change at the top be so important that 2008's best team, winners of the double, rightful and deserving champions, become a last place disappointment in the course of one off-season?

Parity reigns in the frugal MLS. Any team is capable of beating any other, and on any given day. The gap between the best and the worst teams is fingernail thin. Matches turn on things like tactics and substitutes. The ability to properly manage shallow rosters and inexperienced contributors comes at a premium, and can make or break a club's fortunes. Good managers, ones that have the ability to consistently put their sides in a position to win, are worth their weight in gold.

Columbus is finding that out quickly. Schmid's departure, a contentious event that left bitter feelings on all sides, seems to be have serious ramifications for the defending champs. Crew fans will continue to believe that the turnaround is shortly coming (and rightfully so), and fans of their rivals will continue to hope for the opposite. But is doesn't seem a stretch to think that the reversal might not be coming, at least not anytime soon. The pressure's building for Warzycha, the fans are becoming restless, and the playoffs are getting just a little farther away with every lost point.

Of course, it's not about Sigi for Crew fans. Sigi's gone, if not forgotten, and there's nothing that can be done about that now. It's all in the Polish Rifle's hands, and there certainly is ample talent for him to mold back into a top club. Good teams don't turn bad overnight, and the faithful have every reason to believe that things will get better.

I certainly expect them to, just as I expect Columbus to be there at the end, fighting it out in the playoffs for the right to raise that shiny trophy over their heads once again.

But right now, it's just so hard not to ask the obvious question.

What would Sigi do?