A look inside the MLS after 3 weeks

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 03:29:11 -0500

After 3 weeks of intense MLS action, it becomes clear who is on top of their game so far. So lets start off the the 7 top teams of the MLS.

1. Chicago Fire 2-0-1

In week one the full squad was trying to get comfortable with eachother's ability on the field against Real Salt Lake. The second week saw a strong group of fowards and midfield putting the ball in play perfectly for a scoring chance. They finished with 4 goals against a tough but injured New England Revelution. With key addition F Tomaz Frankowski and M/F Blanco playing a whole season, not to mention a healthy F/M Chris Rolfe and M Justin Mapp; The Fire should be putting away lots of goals. Unlike last season. The lead scorer for the men in red, F Chad Barret had only 9 goals in 2007. The unsung hero in the defence is the fearless D Gonzalo Segares, who has shown no matter who he plays against he will rough you up. D Wilman Conde needs to stay in Chicago if they want any chance of winning a cup.

2. New England Revolution 2-2-0

The Rev's are the league's biggest enigma so far. They always find a way back on top and within reach of the MLS Cup. Without F Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston the rev's will need some offence off the bench. D Chris Albright the former Galaxy helps the defence with lots of expierience in the back. despite the 2-2-0 record and 1-0 loss to Colorado they still can play without their star players with a good bench including F Sainey Nyassi. The kid has great speed and can finish if given the opportunity. I dont see the momentum of the rev's slowing down at all they can dominate with and without the ball. This saturday they will have to deal with The New York Red Bulls but i believe they can win with whoever is on the field.

3. Kansas City Wizards 2-1-1

Winless week raises serious questions about the Wizard's attack. In week two they took on the Rapids at home and secured their second win of the season with a 3-2 victory. Stellar defence kept the Wizard's alive for a point against the defending champions the Houston Dynamo in a 0-0 draw. G Kevin Hartman has proven to be one of the top goalkeepers posting his MLS best 69th shutout. Key addition F Claudio Lopez, former America of the Mexican League has shown he too can play in the MLS. D Chance Myers is a good playmaker with the ball next to his feet and has D Jimmy Conrad to lead the way. F Ivan Trujillo off the bench provides a spark to the offence when needed up front. The next game against the men in red will be difficult this comming sunday. But, if they show their colors the Wizard's can prove to be the top Eastern Conference team.

4. Colorado Rapids 2-1-0

This is no fluke. Fernando Clavjo's unsung cast has got it going on. The Rapids are out there playing with the best in MLS and seems to have everything under control to this point. They did a great job picking up F Christian Gomez former DC United Striker. But even without him in the lineup the Rapids remain solid pushing for goal opportunties. Credit the defence for remaining focus versus New England in the last game. The 3-2 loss to Kansas was something they wanted to forget. They lacked the defensive skills to stop the attack and i believe they wont be lucky when the rev's have Twellman and Ralston back in the lineup. The Rapids sit atop of The Western Conference and is tied with Chivas for the highest scoring team in the league, with 7 goals.

5. Chivas USA 1-1-1

What is there to be said about this great franchise team that sees only their forth MLS season. They rely heavily on The Goalkeeper of the Year Brad Guzan, who is having a nightmare so far. There is a chance of Guzan leaving for a european team but if he stays in California we might possibly see a MLS Cup hoisted up in Carson. Columbus scored 4 goals to take a 3-4 victory in which goals were scored by M Jesse Marsh, M Sacha Kljestan and M Paulo Nagamura. These players will need to put the ball in play and give the fowards chances. New member D Jim Curtain needs to step up his playing skills on defence or Chivas will see more goals against then goals for. F Ante Razov is injured once again but the team has to get the youngster out there now just in case it happens again come playoff time. The expectations are high for this team.

6. FC Dallas Hoops 1-0-2

M Arturo Alvarez had a masterful performance that made Dallas fans say championship. They did lose F Carlos Ruiz but he got injured in the second game of LA's season and will be out for sometime. M Juan Toja and M Pablo Riccheti are the ones that need to help create scoring chances with the smarts they posses. F Kenny Cooper has returned to help the Hoops win some games, he will be needed no doubt. Against the Red Bulls, Cooper scored a goal to help his team take a 2-0 vctory at home. D Alex Yi decides to retire at the age of 26 due to injuries in his left hamstring. So D Duilio Davino brought in to help out the back needs to have a solid year if they want to have a chance to win it all. The Hoops have a great goalkeeper in G Dario Sala who has played 3 years with the team. Each year proving to be one of the best in the MLS, he plays to win. This team had lots of up and downs years but this year looks to be like a winner should they make it to the Western Conference Finals.

7. Columbus Crew 2-1-0

Two early wins at home will go far in keeping Sigi Schmid employed. He needs to keep his team motivated and hope that this for real. Everything starts with one man and that man is M Guillermo Barros Schelotto. After and impressive 4-3 win against the Chivas this past week was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week scoring one goal and tallied 2 assist. The attack is strong with F Alejandro Moreno and F Nicolas Hernandez up front leading the charge. Other talents include 21 year old M-F Eddie Gaven and M Robbie Rogers who can move the ball well and open up the defence. M Brian Carrol was brought in from DC United to help out the defence that continue to struggle at times. Much is to be said about the other players helping out the team but only time will tell. If they make another move for an international star they could very well become a great franchise in the years to come.

The MLS after week 3

A look inside the MLS after 3 weeks