THE POWER RANK

MLS Preview for July

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British invasion
It’s MLS versus the world
Enjoy this July

You can tell it’s July when you starting hearing about top European soccer clubs playing matches in America. Most foreign leagues start up in August so this is the time when teams in those league are having their pre-season tune-ups. The US has been a destination of choice in recent years for these clubs because of the improved quality of MLS sides, and of course, the money factor: top European sides can sell out stadiums over here. American soccer teams will face three of the top four English teams, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal, as well as Spanish runners up Real Madrid. It all culminates at the end of the month when the MLS All-Stars try their luck again against Man U. after getting dominated last year.

Of course, the British invasion is reminder that the MLS season is rapidly approaching it’s halfway point, with some teams having already played more than half of their games. With so many games, The Power Rank is getting a good measure of each team’s relative quality. The rankings demonstrate that the West is yet again the dominant conference as it occupies the top four spots. That means you can expect another ranting blog post about the foolishness of the seeding process for the playoffs in a few months. However, the league has quite a bit more parity this year with no team having as high a value as Real Salt Lake ended last season with (to see what a league with less parity looks like, check out the top of the MLB rankings).

One of the most interesting things to note at the top is that teams 2 through 4 have each suffered a long-term injury to a key player. Now that LA will be without goalkeeper Donovan Rickets for the next month or so, we’ll see if they can cope as well. Of all these injuries, Real Salt Lake have suffered the most. They ended last year’s rank as clearly the best side and started this season just the same, but after suffering a tough defeat in the Champions’ League finals followed by a devastating injury to midfielder Javier Morales, they have fallen to third in The Power Rank. It will be interesting to see how well they continue to contend through the rest of the season in a loaded Western Conference.

Looking east, Philly is giving hope to this year’s expansion teams (both ranked in the bottom four) by moving into the top third. New York has had a bit of bad luck in that they have the second most number of ties. A break here or there and they would be comfortably in charge of the lesser conference. Also keep an eye on Kansas City who had to start the season with 10 consecutive road games while construction was completed on their new Livestrong Stadium. They are ranked number 7, but have a whole lot of home games in front of them. This year, the last four playoff spots will be based on standings in a unified table, and if the season ended today the West would claim three of them with Sporting KC squeaking in for the fourth.

Gold Cup Edition

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This week we pause from our regular MLS coverage to get up to speed on the Gold Cup. Not only is this the most important international soccer tournament in North America, but with 32 MLS players participating, it says a lot about how important the league has become to player development. Expect it’s importance to increase as the league grows and teams increasingly use the academy system to identify and hone talent.

Each region of FIFA has a tournament every several years to determine regional champions, and the Gold Cup is the North American (CONCACAF) championship. The competition is held every other year, before and after the World Cup. Most importantly, winning the cup following a World Cup year earns the winner a spot in the FIFA Confederations tournament. This event takes place in the next World Cup host nation as a warm-up prior to the World Cup the following year. Team USA’s runner-up performance in the 2009 Confederations Cup is one of the high water marks of American soccer. Because so much is riding on it, every team in CONCACAF has sent their best, making this the toughest tournament for the US Men’s National Team until either the World Cup or the next Confederations Cup.

The Gold Cup tournament is already considered to be somewhat of a disappointment for Team USA. For the first time, the American’s failed to win their group stage because they suffered their first ever group stage loss to Panama. However, for fans of the American team there have been some positives. The defense has long been a source of problems, but in four games only one goal has been allowed in the run of play (a second was scored on a foolish penalty, both against Panama). While Guadaloupe and Jamaica each had a good chance early on, the American defense was much tighter overall and less vulnerable to speed and defense-splitting through balls. Jamaica in particular brought this game to the Yanks, but they were ready for it and recorded a clean sheet against a good side.

Another significant improvement has been the play of the midfield. Unlike during the World Cup, coach Bob Bradley has sent out a consistent midfield in each game with each position having clearly defined roles. Jermaine Jones has emerged as the defensive midfielder we have long been lacking, while Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan continue in their roles as attacking wingers. However, they have been doing a much better job of moving the ball to the central midfielders and outside fullbacks instead of relying on long-balls over the top. Most impressive, though, has been the continued improvement of young midfielder Michael Bradley. He has dropped back from the attack somewhat to emerge as the player who possesses and distributes the ball. It’s refreshing to see American soccer players move the ball forward with intent, and yes, even pass the ball backwards if that is the best option. Bradley will even track back to the defense to pick up the ball and start the attack. (The US tried this during the World Cup with Jose Torres, but abandoned it after one half. I guess when it’s the coaches’ kid running the show, there’s more patience.)

Perhaps the best change that’s manifested itself during the Gold Cup is that Team USA finally has sense of itself. The game plan is clear and doesn’t change as substitutions are made. This allows the players to anticipate where their teammates will be and how they’ll move; something absolutely critical in soccer as there’s no time to call plays. During the World Cup, every game had a different game plan and different personnel, resulting in no coherent soccer and almost always an early substitution to try to right the ship. In this tournament, there’s only been one substitution before half-time, and it was as a result of injury to forward Jozy Altidore. Which brings me to the main deficiency of the current US squad….

While the midfield and defense have played well (aside from one half against Panama when they looked tired), the finishing ability of the squad has been lacking. In four games, they have only had two real quality strikes: Clint Dempsey against Canada and Jozy Altidore against Guadaloupe. Landon Donovan has been more involved in ball movement than striking, and the other attacking players have misplaced shot after shot. Against Guadaloupe, we could have scored more than 5 goals, and even after a miserable half against Panama, we missed two easy scoring chances that would have won the game. This has to be the biggest area of concern for American soccer with a rematch against Panama in the Gold Cup semis on Wednesday, hopefully followed by a final against a Mexican side that has no trouble finding the back of the net. So until next time: USA! USA! USA!

The possession receiver in soccer

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Power play up top
Quite important in soccer
Think Keyshawn Johnson

Since soccer is not as well known by American athletic enthusiasts as are other sports, from time to time I’ll devote this space to going a little more in depth on some of the positions and strategies of the game. After all, it is execution in these areas that separate the bottom feeders in The Power Rank from the top teams. This week I’ll be talking about hold-up forward play, as demonstrated by Steven Lenhart of the San Jose Earthquakes this week (and yes, I’m from the bay area, of course I’m a ‘Quakes supporter).

After starting the season at the bottom of the The Power Rank, San Jose has risen to 8th riding a 6-game unbeaten streak. The past two games they have had to make do without last year’s Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski, currently on duty with the US national team. In these two games, they’ve outscored their opponents 6-2 to finally bring both their goal differential and Power Rank score into positive territory. A big part of the reason has been the play of Lenhart in his role as the hold-up forward. This particular position is easy to understand because of the many similarities it shares with a position in football: the possession receiver.

The possession receiver distinguishes himself from other types of receivers by trading speed for size, and usually having the softest hands on the team. Keyshawn Johnson, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is always who I think of in this role. His big body allowed him to screen defensive backs and make plays when oriented towards the inside of the field. Possession receivers aren’t going to blow by a corner and score, but by keeping a drive going, they can put other players in the position to do just that.

In a similar way, a hold-up forward will use his body to screen defenders. While soft hands obviously don’t come into the picture, the same basic idea of being able to trap an incoming ball, either with feet or chest, does. This allows the forward to possess the ball and keep it away from the defense while his back faces the opponent’s goal. By holding up the ball, the forward gives his supporting players a chance to get forward, which is particularly important in transitioning from defense to offense as the midfielders and outside backs need time to run up the pitch. After they arrive, the forward can distribute the ball to them.

Of course, this being soccer the analogy isn’t perfect. After distributing the ball back to his teammates, the hold-up forward is still a forward, so it’s his responsibility to get into the other team’s 18-yard box and put the ball in the back of the net. Lenhart’s second goal of the match exemplified this style perfectly. He was able to gently one-touch a ball into the path of fellow forward Khari Stephenson. This let Stephenson strike the ball with both precision and power, so the goalkeeper could only punch the ball away rather than holding onto it. But Lenhart had already pushed forward and was rewarded with an easy finish by being the first player to the loose ball.

I’ll conclude with a programming note. The US Men’s National Team is currently playing the North American Gold Cup. This is the most important tournament the USMNT will play in until the 2014 World Cup, so do yourself a favor and check it out on Fox Soccer Channel.

Los Angeles Galaxy have a new look in the midfield

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New York and L.A.
A spectacle to behold
See what money buys

There was a lot of money on the pitch this past Saturday night as the New York Red Bulls traveled to face the LA Galaxy.  Between these two teams, they have five of the six most expensive designated players in the league.  Both occupy first place in their respective conferences, with the Red Bulls ranked #2 and LA #3 in The Power Rank.  MLS has been hoping for a strong New York-LA rivalry for many years to help electrify the country’s two biggest markets.  So with all that hype, did the match live up to it?

Unequivocally, yes!  Both teams played hard and with passion in what was an open and exciting game.  There were many good attacks, many shots on goal, and quite a few great saves.  The match ended at a 1-1 draw with each team capitalizing on one of the very few mistakes made by their opponent.  This is what the fans wanted, a competitive match decided by skill rather than by lucky bounces.  In the end, a draw was probably fair, although I think if there were to be a winner, LA deserved it more.

So let’s look in a little more detail at the Galaxy.  A 4-1 drubbing at Real Salt Lake not withstanding, the stars have shown brightly in LA this year.  While they finished last season as winners of the Supporter’s Shield for best regular season record, they fell to 3rd in The Power Rank by the end of the playoffs, and yours truly was critical of the over-reliance on the Beckham long-ball which dragged them down at the end of the year.  This season, however, they look like they could even be more dangerous… and could the reason be because Beckham is starting to get older?

Throughout his career, David Beckham has played predominately as a right-winger, which is a position that requires speed.  Speed is one of the first things go as one ages, so this season Galaxy coach Bruce Arena has moved Becks into the center of the midfield where he doesn’t need to be as fast.  What this has done has allowed Beckham to be more involved in the passing game, partnering with Juninho to move the ball around the midfield.  It has also gotten him closer to LA’s playmakers since he can deliver the ball more directly to striker Juan Pablo Angel, and most importantly, Landon Donovan has moved to the right side.  This is a more natural position for Landon and let’s him and Beckham connect with short, accurate passes.

All of this is not to say that David Beckham no longer bends it like, well, Beckham.  He is still capable of delivering a masterful long ball.  The difference this year is that he doesn’t always have to, and rather can pick and choose when to go over the top and when to maintain possession.  Both he and Donovan are now also looking for more through balls to the strikers, giving the Galaxy a more dynamic attack.  All of this can be illuminated with a simple analogy with football.  If Peyton Manning threw deep every play, most NFL defenses could shut him down because the Colts offense would become one-dimensional.  By mixing up different passes and having a good run game, Manning can keep his offense balanced and defenses off balance.  The Galaxy look to have found the same mix.

Real Salt Lake, US and Regional Power

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Oh Real Salt Lake
So close yet so far away
Much more to come though

Welcome back to a new season of MLS here at the The Power Rank. This year promises much excitement with the addition of two new teams in the northwest, great friendlies against some of the top clubs in the world, but most importantly, nine matches of made in the USA soccer every week until the fall. Already the haves and have nots are starting to become clear, both in the standings and The Power Rank. There are already a few surprises, but this blog will focus on a team that is not a surprise: Real Salt Lake.

RSL has picked up where they left off from last season. They’re currently in 2nd place in the Western Conference, but first in The Power Rank. TPR doesn’t care that they’ve played 3 games less than LA and Seattle, so in a prediction that will surprise no one, expect them to be best in the west when they have the same number of matches as these other teams under their belt.

So why have Real Salt Lake played the fewest number of games of any MLS club so far? The answer is CONCACAF Champions’ League. Soccer is one of the few sports that boasts many quality leagues throughout the world, and so in each FIFA region (CONCACAF is the North American and Caribbean region) a tournament is held among qualifying clubs from each nation’s professional league. In this tournament, RSL has set a new benchmark for American soccer by being the first MLS team to win its group stage last fall.

The knock-out stages began in February, and Real Salt Lake dispatched fellow MLS side Columbus with a convincing win at Rio Tinto. Next up was Saprissa from Costa Rica. This time, RSL played the first leg at home where they built up a 2-0 advantage in a dominating performance. The next game in Costa Rica was more evenly matched, and despite the 2-1 loss, the outcome of RSL advancing on aggregate was never much in doubt. In doing so, they became the first MLS club to make it to the Champions’ League final.

The final against Mexican club Monterrey took place over the past two weeks, starting with a tie in the heat and humidity just south of the Rio Grande. Typically, Mexico is where American soccer teams go to die, but RSL came out and played aggressively, making for a very exciting and contested first half. The environment and travel took their toll in the second half, but just as it looked like Real would leave down 2-1, Javier Morales turned out an amazing individual effort to make four defenders look silly and get RSL back to the states on level terms.

Unfortunately, soccer can be a fickle sport. Real Salt Lake played much better at home in Rio Tinto, moving and possessing the ball well. They just couldn’t find the back of the net, while Monterrey was able to put one away and win the tournament. However, the achievement by RSL is significant, given the number of MLS firsts they registered in international play and the fact they were in the final until the bitter end. While they’re prohibitive favorites for winning MLS Cup this year, they’re also demonstrating the talent available on the MLS pitch to the rest of the world.