Note from JD: I was unable to watch most of the MLS action this weekend, so Matt Acconciamessa from US Soccer Daily is filling in with this week's "The One Thing".

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Since I haven’t been contributing here nearly as regularly as I once did, I decided to help Jason out this week and write up MLS Week 4’s “The One Thing” post. As is the case with the previous editions, this isn’t meant to be comprehensive (the game reports are linked, if that’s what you’re looking for), but is instead intended to focus on the one thing that had the biggest impact on the match. Enjoy:


Toronto FC 2, Philadelphia Union 1
Recap – Goal.com
Highlights

The One Thing: Roger Torres

TFC gave me two chances this weekend to point out their lackluster play, so for their midweek match, I’ll instead talk about the Colombian gem that Piotr Nowak has found. Once again, 18 year old Roger Torres turned in a very strong performance in the midfield, distributing well and floating a gorgeous ball behind the defense to set up Philly’s lone goal just before halftime. Despite being a man down, the Union actually fared quite well in the opening 10 minutes of the second act, largely thanks to the hard work of Torres. But this all changed when the America de Cali loan player was subbed off in the 55th minute. Without their minute maestro, the Union soon found themselves on their heels and eventually on the losing end of a 2-1 final score.


New York Red Bulls 2, FC Dallas 1
Recap - Goal.com
Highlights

The One Thing: Bouna Time

A week after making being featured in “The One Thing” for all the wrong reasons, Bouna Coundoul redeemed himself with a game-changing save in the second half of NY’s comeback win. Trailing 1-0, the Red Bulls very nearly fell into a deeper hole, but Bouna came to the rescue, robbing David Ferreira from point-blank range with a great reaction save. The diving stop was just enough, pushing the ball into the post, after which it was cleared by the defense. Just 30 seconds later, Juan Pablo Angel leveled the score, and NY went on to add a second in the final minute of regular time to record their second home win of the season. Without Bouna Coundoul’s crucial save in the 56th minute, the outcome likely would have been a lot different.


Seattle Sounders 1, Kansas City Wizards 0
Recap – Goal.com
Highlights

The One Thing: Playing until the final whistle

The Wizards had gotten off to a good start to their 2010 campaign, and they very nearly added a result at the unfriendly confines of Qwest Field to their growing list of early season accomplishments. They played well enough to earn a draw and very well could have walked out with win with some better finishing, but instead they got back on the plane to KC empty-handed. Their strong 90+ minutes of play were wiped away because of a defensive lapse in second half stoppage time, where substitute Michael Fucito was able to sneak behind the defense on a throw in and fire a shot from 10 yards out into the back of the net. If the Wizards are really going to be one of the league’s elite this season, they’ll have to learn how to close out games like this one. Seattle was almost guilty of the same offense, but fortunately for them, Kasey Keller made a fantastic save on Chance Myers just a minute after Fucito’s tally to preserve the clean sheet and secure a victory.


Houston Dynamo 3, Chivas USA 0
Recap – Goal.com
Highlights

The One Thing: Lovel Palmer

After losing Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark in the winter window, there were some questions about how the Dynamo would replace the all-star duo. On Saturday, Lovel Palmer did his best to fill that void, helping Houston to a 3-0 victory in his first career MLS start. His solid midfield play in the opening half was capped off by a spectacular 30 yard bomb into the far side-netting beyond the outstretched arms of Zach Thornton, doubling his team’s lead en route to a shutout victory. It was Palmer’s first MLS goal, and the stunning strike should earn him Goal of the Week honors.


Chicago Fire 2, DC United 0
Recap - Goal.com
Highlights


The One Thing: Brian McBride

Carlos de los Cobos looks like a pretty smart guy after bringing on Brian McBride as a 75th minute substitute in a 0-0 game on the road. Four minutes after coming on, the USMNT and Fulham legend made his presence felt, setting up the Fire’s opening goal with a delicate flick to a trailing Marco Pappa inside the box. 10 minutes later, he doubled the lead by adding a goal to his stat line, muscling off Carey Talley to get his head on a long free kick from Andrew Dykstra. There wasn’t a lot behind the header, but it had just enough to sneak by Troy Perkins at the near post and secure three points for the visitors. Overall, McBride’s 15 minute appearance was a super-sub performance in every sense of the word.


San Jose Earthquakes 2, New England Revolution 0
Recap - Goal.com
Highlights


The One Thing: The Earthquakes’ Defense

With all due respect to Chris Wondolowski’s goal, this game was decided by the SJ defense. Joe Cannon turned in a fantastic performance in goal, recording six saves along the way, including a couple of point blank stops late in the second half. The one shot that did manage to beat Cannon was kept out by a Bobby Convey goal line clearance, which proved to be a pivotal point in what was then a 0-0 match. On the other end of the field, it was Ike Opara creating havoc on set pieces, nearly burying one in the first half before heading home his second goal of the year in the 72nd minute.


Los Angeles Galaxy 2, Real Salt Lake 1
Recap – Goal.com
Highlights


The One Thing: Edson Buddle

Another game, another couple of goals for Edson Buddle, who brought his season total up to seven with a brace in LA’s victory. This latest performance has some claiming he should be in South Africa, while others are trying to hold off on jumping on the Buddle bandwagon. Regardless of his national team status, Buddle continues to rack up the goals in bunches. DC United Director of Marketing Communications Kyle Sheldon put it best with this tweet: “At this rate, Edson Buddle is going to score 52 goals this season. Is that good?” Yep, it’s been that kind of start for the Galaxy striker, whose production has helped the Galaxy take all 12 points from their first four matches.


Colorado Rapids 3, Toronto FC 1
Recap – Goal.com
Highlights


The One Thing: TFC’s defensive miscues

As I alluded to earlier, the Reds didn’t exactly do a lot to instill confidence in their fans this weekend, with their Sunday match against Colorado having a lot to do with that. All three Rapids goals came as the result of a poor play from the Toronto defense. Conor Casey converted a first half penalty after an overzealous slide from Adriann Cann led to his handling the ball in the area, while Jeff Larentowicz scored on a direct kick from 20 yards out thanks to a huge hole in the wall created by a jump to the side from Julian de Guzman. To cap off the defeat, Maxim Usanov pulled down Conor Casey inside the box on a long ball, sending him to the spot once again for another PK goal. TFC has given up 10 goals in four games; only DC United (11) has allowed more. Yikes.

I'm unveiling a new feature for MFUSA; instead of the standard power rankings (of which there are thousands out there), I'm going to focus on who I believe is the single best team after a given week's action (the odds on favorite), and the single worst team (the long shot). I'm playing handicapper here; if I was setting the odds, these would be the shortest and longest odds on the board, respectively.

This is completely subjective, though I'd love to work in the actual odds; if anyone knows where I can find odds for winning MLS Cup (all I can seem to find is game odds), let me know. You'll win a fabulous imaginary MFUSA t-shirt (which one day will hopefully be real), a big thank you from me, and your named mentioned on the blog (WOO HOO!).

The long and the short for the week after the jump.

WEEK 4 LONG SHOT
FC Dallas

A spirited tie on the road makes some feel better, but it doesn't change my mind that FCD is the longest shot on the board; there's so much wrong with the team, from top down, that it's almost inconceivable to think they'll turn it around and make the playoffs. Still, a couple of bucks on Dallas might actually be worth the risk: the odds will be long, which means the payout could be big, and a coaching change or something like it could actually turn the team around. There is some talent for the Hoops, and a break or two might make the season. In a league that thrives on parity, even the longest of shots is a relatively worthwhile bet.

MFUSA ODDS: 100-1

WEEK 4 ODDS ON FAVORITE
Chicago Fire

Remember, this is all about who you would put your money on to win the whole thing if you were forced to make a bet; while Seattle and Chivas have more points than Chicago, I'm not convinced that either is actually better than the Fire. There's an awful lot to like about the club, and if they can get contributions from McBride and Rolfe on a semi-regular basis, I still expect them to be there in the end. But, just like with Dallas' long shot status, Chicago is far from a sure thing. Just because they look great now doesn't mean that injuries or a poor run of form at the wrong time won't derail their MLS Cup train. Think of Chicago as the Yankees; they're enticing because they should be good enough to win, but they might have some issues that will keep them from filling their full potential.

MFUSA ODDS: 5-1

Unfortunately, I'm not set up to actually take you bets; I'm sure I could make some cash if I was...

That was fun. Maybe I'll extend it to more teams next week.

Easter weekend is not the most relaxing weekend, especially when it involves multiple visits spread across wide areas.

As I never got around to a weekend preview (partly because of the pushed up podcast schedule, partly because of weekend preperations), things are just all out of whack around here. I've got multiple irons in multiple fires, and they all require attention; Easter just gets in the way.

It's also not the best weekend for watching soccer; I was only able to see a fraction of the action (rhyme unintentional), which means that my impressions are incomplete.

Still, since I'm opinionated and have a blog, I'm going to share some thoughts anyway.

Less is More

Before my first family obligation pulled me away from Ginge's epic live blog, I tuned in to Toronto-Dalla via MLSnet. Let me just say, I love the feed without an announcer. It does make it a little tough to follow the action if you're computer multi-tasking (as I was), but it's so refreshing to be able to watch the game for what it is, without the overbearing nonsense that so many MLS broadcasters throw at you.

While I'd love for ESPN to experiment with this (I know it was tried with an NFL game years ago), I can't see most casual fans enjoying the effort it takes to truly pay attention.

It is just about as close as you can get to actually being there in person though.

Only one complaint, and this applies to all MLS broadcasts: mic the crowd better, PLEASE. It always seem like the atmosphere doesn't translate on TV as well as it should because ESPN or FSC is too worred about their "talent" getting their obnoxious points across.


Seattle Fans Get Crazy

Came across a blog post this morning that describes some unruly Sounders fan behavoir (link from Twitter); not a good thing, though I don't want to overreact. While I'm not forgiving things like beer-throwing and spitting, I don't think a few isolated incidents are an indication of any real problem. Only when these things become the rule more than the exception should we really worry that the fan culture in a particular town is taking a bad turn.

I'm also of the opinion that soccer gets a bad rap when it comes to this stuff; it certainly happens in other sports. Because soccer is connected to the gang violence and hooligan activities that occur in other countries, the non-soccer media is biased against the sport's fans. There's also the issue of organization; soccer is the only sport on the American scene with cohesive fan organization playing a part in support. It's a concept that is alien to a lot of American, and it causes a suspicious net to be cast over soccer fans; the fact that the majority of fans (in MLS and otherwise) are simply passionate fans expressing themselves is often overlooked. As the blog I linked to said, a few bad apples...


FC Dallas Fans Don't Know What To Do With Themselves

The Hoops got a point (sorry FCD marketing department that is obviously filled with short-sighted dummies, I'm calling them the Hoops until that uniform changes)! Okay, so it's not a win, and it doesn't necessarily turn the season around or give FCD fans a reason to get overly optimistic, but it is a point. And a point earned on the road in a hostile environment no less.

An aside: TFC doesn't seem to have the home-field advantage I (and many others) thought they would. Wonder what that's all about?

Head on over to Ginge Talks the Footy (two plugs in one post, you'd think he was paying me) to get the reaction of FC Dallas fans; it's amazing the range of reactions a struggling team engeders when they get a "positive" result.

While I highly doubt it, let's hope that the road tie helps attendance at Pizza Hut Park when the Hoops next play at home.


Attendance Thoughts

Bloggers, oberservers, and interested fans watch MLS attendance numbers like they're the stock market; often, our moods are affected by good or bad numbers. If you ignore the admitted fudging that MLS teams are guilty of, and take the numbers at face value, there was an uptick this week. Not sure if it really means anything, and it is still early in the season; so many factors come into play that getting too high or too low about attendance if fairly stupid.

It does bear watching, of course, but the context is important; the economy is going to hit MLS fairly hard, and it doesn't necessarily mean that the league is regressing.

I rail about marketing, stadiums, atmosphere and the like entirely too much, so I'll spare you any more.


Not-So-SuperClasico

That was ugly. I don't recall one moment of impressive play, though I haven't gone back to look at the "highlights" yet. Card after card ruined the flow of the match, and neither team was able to mount enough of an attack to truly threaten the other. A few long balls in to Donovan that he got turned around on is just about all I recall out of the Galaxy. Chivas didn't do much better.

It's unfortunate due to the "derby" nature of the match and the ESPN cameras that the two Los Angeles teams put on such a weak show.

I wish I had more probing analysis to give you. The game was just so bad that it sucked the life out of my review.


Back later, perhaps (have to see how the real job goes) with the next installment of the USL Project.