Yanks Soccer

What a day.  Three shutouts, teams who we predicted were contenders at the beginning of the season showing why they were so highly touted.  After watching the three games this saturday, I’m 100% certain that MLS is getting better and better.  There were wonder strikes by Patrick Nyarko and Brad Davis, not to mention a great goal by Brian Ching.  I can safely say my MLS direct kick package was totally worth it.

Chicago Fire 1-0 Chivas USA

Say hello to Patrick Nyarko.  The 22 year old Ghanian born striker announced he’s ready to shine in MLS with an absolute golazo.  He also had another goal taken away from him on a questionable offside call.  This boy is the real deal.  Once McBride comes back, Chicago is going to take the league by storm.  The defense is rock solid, the midfield is great, and the situation at forward is looking really good.

Chivas USA is suffering from what I like to call a bit of “Sacha Kljestanitis”.  When Kljestan doesn’t play, Chivas isn’t anywhere near as good, add to that the fact that Ante Razov wasn’t playing, you have a bad situation.  Once the Olympics are over, expect Chivas to be strong again, for now however, the goats are missing Sacha.

Houston Dynamo 2-0 Columbus Crew

A certain Thin Lizzy song might be appropriate for Houston now.  After being plagued by inconsistency at forward all year, Houston is “back in town”.  With the additions of Kei Kamara and Nate Jaqua, Houston was dangerous.  They had plenty of opportunities which the scoreboard failed to show, and the goals they scored were both beautiful.  With Houston playing a familiar foe for the Superliga final this tuesday, they could really show how far they’ve come since the early part of the season.

Just as Chivas USA is suffering from the absence of Sacha Kljestan, so is Columbus suffering from the absence of Robbie Rogers.  Rogers freed up space for Schelotto and the two worked well together.  Without Rogers, Schelotto has more men near him, and less time to make a pass or a move.  The crew could really use somebody to step up and give Schelotto some help, he certainly needs it after the way the Crew performed last night.

DC United 2-0 Kansas City Wizards

After going on a club record four game losing streak, DC showed they were still legitimate contenders even without Marcello Gallardo.  Luciano Emilio got back to scoring and Jaime Moreno scored with his head.  Also, you get to decide which is more amazing and unlikely.  A rain free DC game, or a Zach Wells shutout? (his first of the season)  Maybe the additions of Joe Vide and Ivan Guerrero made the difference?  I guess we’ll see down the road.

And we thought they were on a roll.  Kansas City was stopped in its tracks by a rejuvenated DC.  KC hadn’t lost in five games, but a sputtering attack was evident in DC.  Kansas City definitely need to get some new strikers in because Claudio Lopez and Josh Wolff may not cut it in a tight Eastern Conference.

What did you think of last night’s action?  There were some great goals.  Which one was the best?  The Brad Davis blast or the Patrick Nyarko shot to the top corner.  Your thoughts on a great day of MLS action below.