MLSPR: Stars square off in New York

Two biggest games in MLS

The L.A. Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls are the two biggest teams in MLS and this weekend all eyes will be on them as they clash at Red Bull Arena.

With the likes of Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez, Juan Pablo Angel and Landon Donovan on display, it has all the making of a one of the games of the season, but while you tune in to FSC to watch this epic clash, spare a thought for two other teams playing on the same day.

MLS: June 23-25

 

Thursday, June 23
Home		Road
Seattle	4-2	New York	Recap
Saturday, June 25
Home		Road
DC United	2-2	Houston	Recap
San Jose	0-0	LA Galaxy	Recap
Philadelphia	3-2	Chivas USA	Recap
FC Dallas	4-0	Portland	Recap
Sporting KC	2-1	Vancouver	Recap
Real Salt Lake	3-1	Toronto	Recap
Sunday, June 26
Home		Road
Chicago	1-1	New York
Seattle	2-1	New England	Recap
Columbus	4-1	Colorado
MLS Scores | Table | Fixtures

 

Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake have between them won the last MLS Cups and are both in fine form again this season.

They may not possess the star power of New York and Los Angeles but Jason Kreis and Robert Warzycha have both put together teams that work hard for each other and are very difficult to break down.

MLS needs star players to continue to attract fans and help the league to grow but it is also refreshing to see two teams go a very different route and still be successful.

New York and L.A. is the final that the MLS office wants to see, but don’t be surprised if RSL and Columbus Crew are the last two teams standing in November.

Spencer the man for Portland

Two seasons ago John Spencer turned down the head coaching position at the Chicago Fire because he felt they were not offering him enough money to take over the club.

It was a bold move by an assistant searching for his first head coaching role, but it did show that Spencer was confident enough in himself to know that there would be other offers coming.

This week the long-time Houston assistant accepted one of those offer and will now be the man to lead Portland Timbers into MLS.

The success of the Sounders means there will be added pressure on Spencer to build a competitive team quickly and I’m sure that challenge is one of the main reasons the Scot accepted the job.

With Vancouver also entering the league, the Pacific Northwest rivalry will be renewed and Spencer will be relishing the opportunity to be involved in huge battles, with both the Sounders and the Whitecaps.

Spencer may not have been the head coach in Houston but he certainly played a huge part in their success over the years, and Steve Ralston now faces the unenviable task of replacing him on the Houston bench.

The Dynamo’s loss is the Timbers gain and Portland has made a wise choice to lead them back into top-level soccer in America.

Don’t read too much into Brazil loss

The U.S. didn’t play well in their los to Brazil but we shouldn’t read too much into a loss to one of the World’s best teams.

SAMBA STOMP

Just a month after the conclusion of the World Cup, the U.S. takes on Brazil at the New Meadowlands in New Jersey.

Bob Bradley quite rightly used the game to give some fringe players an opportunity to shine and while they might not have been at their best, the likes of Omar Gonzalez and Alejandro Bedoya will be better for this experience.

Brazil may not have won the World Cup but they are still one of the most technically gifted teams to grace the field and would have beaten most international countries with the performance they produced in New Jersey, so the criticism of the U.S. team is a little unjust.

Friendly games are nice to win but it is more important to use these fixtures to experiment and find a formula to be successful in the matches that really count.

The U.S. proved at the Confederations Cup and the World Cup that they can compete at the highest level and a meaningless friendly loss to one of the best sides in the World will not change my opinion on that.

Beckham returns to training

On a day when England played its first game since its disastrous World Cup, its former skipper David Beckham returned to training with the L.A. Galaxy.

Becks is a full month ahead of schedule and his return to fitness is further proof of what the game really means to the former Real Madrid and Manchester United midfielder. With all the money he has made on and off the field, David Beckham no longer relies on his paycheck, but he continues to tackle every practice and game with the passion of a player who does.

Beckham may be past his prime but he still has a lot to offer MLS on the field. Becks was never blessed with pace so he doesn’t have to worry about losing that as he continues his career, and his intelligence on and off the ball means that we could conceivably see him play on for a further three years.

Young players like Omar Gonzalez will benefit from playing alongside him and seeing how a professional takes care of himself to help maximize performance on the field.

David Beckham’s England career may be over but his best years in MLS may very well be ahead of him.

On to this week's Power Rankings ...

1. Columbus Crew: The signing of Andres Mendoza adds depth to what is already one of the strongest squads in MLS.

2. Real Salt Lake: RSL may be unbeatable at home but a record of only three wins from nine on the road is not good enough for a team that has designs on winning the Western Conference.

3. Los Angeles Galaxy: Bruce Arena will look to build on his side’s first half performance against Real Madrid as the Galaxy look to regain their early season form.

4. FC Dallas: Jeff Cunningham finally returned to form with a clinical display against the Union and if he can maintain this kind of form Dallas is a real contender in the west.

5. Seattle Sounders: Fredy Montero has returned to top form and if he can continue to play at such a high level he will be a candidate for MLS MVP.

6. Chicago Fire: The Fire has improved dramatically in recent weeks and will be a force to reckon with once Nery Castillo and Freddie Ljungberg fully settle in the side.

7. New York Red Bulls: The Red Bulls have the chance to show us just how good they really are as they welcome league-leading L.A. Galaxy to New York this weekend.

8. Toronto FC: Ten straight home wins has put Toronto in contention for a playoff spot but their squad is simply not as good as the other top teams in the east.

9. Colorado Rapids: The Rapids picked up a much-needed win against San Jose last weekend but they are simply not good enough in the final third to last the pace in the race for the playoffs.

10. Chivas USA: Chivas had been on a good run of form but their loss to Toronto means they cannot afford another slip-up if they are to keep their slim postseason hopes alive.

11. Kansas City Wizards: The Wizards pursuit of Omar Bravo shows that this team is actively trying to get better, but they have left it too late to compete for a playoff spot.

12. San Jose Earthquakes: The Earthquake’s just don’t have enough attacking quality to keep pace with the top teams in the Western Conference.

13. New England Revolution: Nobody can excuse the Revs of not battling for every point on offer but when you compare their squad to the other top teams, it is easy to see why their playoff push will ultimately come up short.

14. Houston Dynamo: The Dynamo continued their recent struggles and I expect a major squad overhaul in the summer to help turn this team into a contender again.

15. Philadelphia Union: The Union showed some promising patches of play but are still two or three players short of having a good enough squad to compete with the likes of Dallas and Columbus on a regular basis.

16. D.C. United: Does Ben Olsen really want this job on a permanent basis? This is a squad that needs a major overhaul before they can even consider competing at the top end of the MLS table.

Keith Costigan is a writer for FoxSoccer.com covering Major League Soccer.