Soccer By Ives

Playoff dreams end early for four MLS teams

                                                                                Photo by ISIphotos.com

Four teams saw their MLS playoff dreams buried last weekend, leaving four groups of fans disgusted and four clubs searching for answers heading into the off-season.

San Jose, Los Angeles, Toronto FC and FC Dallas came into the season with post-season dreams, and each of them had the look of a playoff squad at varying times this season (some for more brief periods than others). Unfortunately for each of them, stretches of poor form, bad signings and costly mistakes left them chasing the pack and ultimately falling short of the playoffs.

Here's a quick look at each of the Finished Four, their seasons, and their prospects for the future:

San Jose Earthquakes at FC Dallas: Your Running Commentary

The battle for the MLS playoffs continues in Frisco, Texas tonight, where the San Jose Earthquakes take on FC Dallas in a batle for a Western Conference playoff lifeline (9pm, ESPN2).

San Jose had its nine-match unbeaten run snapped by Real Salt Lake last week while FC Dallas posted another victory to push closer to the post-season. You have newly-minted MLS player of the month Darren Huckerby leading the Earthquakes against everybody's favorite U.S. national team outcast Kenny Cooper. How can you miss that?

If you will be watching the match, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the match.

Real Salt Lake at San Jose Earthquakes: Your Running Commentary

The San Jose Earthquakes are at home tonight, taking on Real Salt Lake in an important Western Conference clash with major playoff implications.

The Earthquakes, currently riding a nine-game unbeaten streak, will look to keep RSL's road woes going with a win tonight. Real Salt Lake has just one win on the road all season, but will need a point or three tonight to avoide being passed in the standings by the red-hot Quakes.

If you are watching the match, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the match.

Recapping the week: Catching up on MLS news and some recommended reading

                                                                           Photo by ISIphotos.com

Good afternoon folks. With another week in the rearview mirror, and another weekend upon us where we can relax and enjoy some soccer, here is a look back at some stories I missed during the week, some hot topics I wanted to touch on and some recommended reading:

The San Jose-Houston Dynamo match set for this weekend has been postponed as Houston recovers from Hurricane Ike. The match has been rescheduled for Oct. 15.

Rumors are swirling that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has his eye on U.S. national team prodigy Charles Renken. That's all well and good but some people need to realize that Renken can't sign a professional contract outside the United States until he turns 18. For those unfamiliar with Renken's story, here is a great piece on Renken by ESPN.com colleague Justin Rodriguez.

Although you can't watch Clint Dempsey play for Fulham these days since he's been glued to the bench, you can read all about him in this amazingly in-depth piece on Dempsey by fellow Designated Player Adam Spangler of This Is American Soccer. It's a must-read.

Houston Dynamo at San Jose Earthquakes : Your Running Commentary

Good evening folks. The red-hot San Jose Earthquakes are playing host to the first-place Houston Dynamo in the first of two meetings between the two in consecutive weeks. Can the Dynamo stop the Earthquakes freight train, or will the Earthquakes keep on rolling all the way to second place in the West?

If you are watching, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

D.C. United at San Jose Earthquakes: Your Running Commentary

D.C. United is in California tonight to try and stop the hottest team in MLS, the San Jose Earthquakes.

With the Red Bulls loss tonight, D.C. can move three points ahead for fourth place in the East while the Earthquakes are looking to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot in the West.

If you will be watching tonight's match, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Earthquakes 4, Revolution 0: A Supporter's View

You wouldn't know that New England has spent most of the season as the class of the league and San Jose has spent most of the year as the worst team in the league based on their meeting on Saturday. The revamped Earthquakes thrashed a short-handed Revs side 4-0 to serve notice that their drive for a playoff spot isn't an exercise in futility.

Ronnie O'Brien awoke from a season-long slumber to notch two goals (one more than he had all season beforehand) as the Earthquakes overwhelmed a Revs side missing Shalrie Joseph (suspension) and Michael Parkhurst (returning from Olympics). The win pulls San Jose within four points of the pack chasing the final MLS playoff spots.

SBI correspondents Kevin Matthiessen and Andrew Karl took in the blowout and shared their views on the match with us:

Earthquakes 3, Galaxy 2: A Supporter's View

It was easiest the biggest win in the history of the NEW San Jose Earthquakes.

When Ryan Cochrane scored the last-minute winner to give San Jose a 3-2 triumph against hated rivals Los Angeles Galaxy, the team celebrated like it was releasing weeks and months of frustration, which is what it did. Yes, it is still a steep climb to the playoffs, but the revamped Earthquakes generated some hope on Sunday.

It was a far different look on the Galaxy sidelines. Going two months without a win will crush any team's spirits, but through in the sideshow associated with rumors about president Alexi Lalas and head coach Ruud Gullit being in jeopardy of losing their jobs and you have a club on the verge of a meltdown.

SBI correspondents Kevin Matthiessen and Nathan Henderson-James took in the action and gave us their takes on

West Coast Update: FC Dallas adds Sikora, Cooper earns MLS honor and San Jose's playoff hopes still not dead

Good afternoon to the folks on the West side of the country (and the MLS standings). Here are some news items and notes for you to peruse as your day winds to a close:

FC Dallas signs Sikora

FC Dallas said goodbye to Colombian midfielder Juan Toja over the weekend, but have already replaced him. The Hoops agreed to terms with forward/midfielder Victor Sikora on Monday, and should have the former Dutch national team player on the roster soon.

Sikora last played for Dutch club NAC Breda (whose general manager is none other than former U.S. national team star Earnie Stewart), and also had stints at Ajax and Vitesse Arnhem. Sikora is expected to play on the wings for FC Dallas.

Sikora joins recently acquired midfielder Bruno Guarda, who made his FC Dallas debut in the team's 2-0 win against Toronto FC on Sunday.

Los Angeles Galaxy at San Jose Earthquakes: Your Running Commentary

Good afternoon folks. The Los Angeles Galaxy has made the trip north to face the San Jose Earthquakes in a true grudge match (3pm ET, Telefutura).

Frank Yallop's men will look to post its first win against LA this year while the Galaxy tries to end its winless skid.

If you are watching today's match, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the match.

D.C. United lands Guerrero from San Jose

                                                      Photo by ISIphotos.com

D.C. United made its first major move of the summer this morning by acquiring Honduran midfielder/defender Ivan Guerrero from the San Jose for a partial allocation, the club announced on its team blog this morning.

The acquisition is a bold one for a D.C. club that could certainly use the spark that Guerrero can provide. Equally capable of playing on the left flank as well as at left back, Guerrero's speed and versatility will be a very good addition to a D.C. squad that has struggled in recent weeks. He won't come cheap though. He is set to earn $147,000 this season, a price tag that helped lead the Chicago Fire to include him in the waiver draft last winter, and probably helped lead to his departure from San Jose, which added Darren Huckerby on the left flank last week.

Earthquakes 1, Red Bulls 1: A Supporter's View

What does a match between two last place teams look like? It looks like what we saw on Sunday in San Jose. The Earthquakes dominated play but couldn't finish while the Red Bulls looked absolutely awful in a 4-5-1 that set attacking soccer back about 10 years.

The performance would have been consider promising for San Jose if not for the huge mountain still to climb in the West standings. Playing well is all fine and dandy but every game San Jose failes to record three points is another shovel on the coffin of the Earthquakes' 2008 season.

The Red Bulls are still very much alive in the East, if by pure math only. The Red Bulls just had no attack as the absence of Dane Richards left Juan Pablo Angel begging for some offensive support. None came though, well unless you count Eric Denton's header own goal.

SBI correspondents Andrew Keh and Kevin Matthiessen took in the action and shared their thoughts with us.

Morning Ticker: Alvarez dealt to San Jose, Tottenham chases Bentley and Barca might keep Eto'o

Good morning all. The transfer and trade activity both in Europe and MLS is starting to pick up plenty of steam, giving us plenty to discuss. Let's get the day started with some of the deals of the past 24 hours.

FC Dallas deals Alvarez

Remember when FC Dallas started the season singing the praises of the attacking trio of Kenny Cooper, Juan Toja and Arturo Alvarez? Well, all three could be gone by the end of this week after the Hoops traded Alvarez to San Jose for an allocation and a first round draft pick in 2009.

New York Red Bulls at San Jose Earthquakes: Matchday Commentary

The New York Red Bulls are in San Jose today to take on the San Jose Earthquakes in what amounts to a must-win for the Red Bulls (okay, so losing won't eliminate them, but a loss or even a draw would drop them even further back in the loaded East).

It's a match-up of teams showing off new faces as San Jose will feature Darren Huckerby, Francisco Lima and Scott Sealy at home for the first time since all three were acquired. The match will also mark Jorge Rojas first road start and Juan Pietravallo's first start for the Red Bulls since officially joining the team a week ago.

I will be providing a running commentary of the match so please feel free to follow along. Share your thoughts and opinions on the match in the comments section below.

Let's get started with the lineups and enjoy the match:

Toronto FC 0, Earthquakes 0: A Supporter's View

The San Jose Earthquakes had to figure another loss was coming when Amado Guevara stepped up to take a penalty kick on Saturday. The Toronto FC midfielder is known for being as close to a lock at converting penalties as anyone in MLS so his kick seemed like a foregone conclusion. At least before Joe Cannon saved his attempt on Saturday.

Cannon's save helped San Jose salvage a 0-0 tie, a result that continued Toronto FC's struggles. TFC has struggled badly on the road, but now scoring goals anywhere is becoming a problem for the Canadian club.

San Jose knows all about goal-scoring struggles. The worst offense in the league failed to score yet again, even though new attacking additions Darren Huckerby and Francisco Lima made their debuts for the Earthquakes on Saturday.

SBI correspondents Duane Rollins and Kevin Matthiessen took in the action and shared their thoughts on the tie with us:

Earthquakes 1, Rapids 1: A Supporter's View

(Apologies for this post getting up several days late. It was supposed to run in mid-week but a technical glitch caused it not to be posted.)

What happens when a team that can't win two in a row faces a team that can't win?

You get a tie.

That's what happened when the San Jose Earthquakes faced the Colorado Rapids last weekend. San Jose took a rare lead but couldn't hold on while the Rapids, coming off a 4-0 thrashing of the Red Bulls on July 4th, looked flat yet again. There may not be two more tortured fanbases in MLS this season (Red Bulls fans get the all-time nod.)

SBI correspondents Kevin Mathiessen and Craig de Aragon watched the match and gave us their very unique takes on the match.

Afternoon ticker: Carson to West Brom, San Jose signs Lima and other news

(Good afternoon all. Apologies for the lack of afternoon posts today but non-SBI duties called me away. Here is a rundown of some stories to catch you up on some of the day's activities.)

Carson to West Brom

So much for that eight-figure transfer fee.

English goalkeeper Scott Carson was supposed to help Liverpool fetch a big transfer when this summer's transfer window opened. At least that was before he struggled with the English national team and with Aston Villa late in his loan deal.

The result is Carson being moved to newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion for the modest price of $6.34 million. Yes, it's still four times more than what Aston Villa paid for Brad Guzan, but not nearly as much as was expected for him earlier this year. West Brom beat out fellow promoted squad Stoke City for Carson's services (And if you're wondering why I led with this, I started to post this in the AM before other things happened).

The PM roundup: Jaqua rejoins Houston, McBride deal looks dead and is Parkhurst headed to the Olympics?

                                                             Photo by ISIphotos.com

Good evening folks. I spent a large part of the day dealing with the Red Bulls so I wasn't able to get to a handful of stories that made the rounds today. Here is a recap of several stories from the weekend and Monday that you may or may not have heard about:

Jaqua returns to Dynamo

We mentioned last week that Nate Jaqua might return to the Houston Dynamo and he has done just that. Jaqua has agreed to a new deal with the Dynamo, a deal that could see him leave Houston for expansion Seattle in 2009.

I don't know about you but I see the Dynamo suddenly being the title favorites again. No, not because Nate Jaqua is a goal-machine, but because Houston was already starting to regain its championship form (as evidenced by its 4-0 whooping of Mexican champions Atlante) and now they add a strong forward who looked pretty good tearing things up in Austria earlier this year.

San Jose signs Darren Huckerby

FIRST ON SBI

The San Jose Earthquakes have reached an agreement with English striker Darren Huckerby after completing a trade with Toronto FC for his rights, sources with knowledge of the deal told SBI on Thursday. Huckerby will join the Earthquakes when the MLS transfer window opens on July 15th.

The 32-year-old former Manchester City and Leeds player had been in talks with Toronto FC for some time but will now join an Earthquakes squad that has scored a league-low 10 goals this season. Details of what San Jose traded to Toronto FC for Huckerby's rights were unavailable, but one source believes allocation money was involved. Toronto held Huckerby's rights via the discovery process.

Huckerby scored 34 goals in five seasons for Norwich City, playing both as a striker and a left winger. If you haven't seen him play, here is some footage of him in action:

What do you think? Will he be enough to spark San Jose's putrid offense? Is this another mistake by Earthquakes GM John Doyle? Share your thoughts below.

Chivas USA 1, Earthquakes 0: A Supporter View

It took a lot longer than some might have expected, but Chivas USA has made the rugged climb from near the West basement to first place in the conference. Sure, the gap between first place and sixth place is only three points, but for the Goats, the climb was a victory of sorts.

Moral victories is all the Earthquakes seem to have these days, and even those are hard to come by. The expansion club figured to struggle this season, but things are starting to get ugly.

SBI correspondents John Sandate and Kevin Matthiessen took in the action last Saturday and shared their thoughts with us.