Soccer Buzz

Thanks for all of the comments about the Eddie Johnson story, both here and on Big Soccer.

Now, I suppose I should review the previous week’s action before the All-Star Game tomorrow. Don Garber will actually be addressing the media shortly, and as always, MLSnet.com should have it up for streaming.

EDIT: To quote Kent Brockman, “Once again, I’ve been had.”  They didn’t stream the address.

Houston Dynamo 4, Chicago Fire 0 (My prediction 2-0 HOU)

Not the start that new Fire coach Juan Carlos Osorio was hoping for. Houston even decided to rest Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario, and they still had enough to clobber the struggling Fire. Stuart Holden continues to impress for Houston, and even worse for Fire fans, former Chicago forward Nate Jaqua scored his first goal for the Dynamo. Finally, what a great goal from Joseph Ngwenya, who is born anew since being traded to Houston.

New England Revolution 1, New York Red Bulls 0 (My prediction 2-2)

A solid game for New England with Andy Dorman scoring a nice goal in the first half. The Red Bulls, who started the season so well, have struggled recently, and Juan Pablo Angel in particular is starting to look frustrated after his MLS career like a ball of fire. He missed several great chances, and in the dying moments of the match, he gets sent off for a flying elbow to Shalrie Joseph. If there’s any good news for New York, at least Jozy Altidore is returning from the U-20 World Cup.

DC United 3, FC Dallas 3 (My prediction 1-1)

A wild one at RFK. DC looked like they would go back to the top of the East after taking a 3-0 lead early in the second half, but Dallas, behind a flu-ridden Juan Toja, comes all the way back to grab a point. Dallas may have dropped a couple more points behind Houston in the West, but this almost has to feel like a victory. DC, meanwhile, are hoping that this isn’t a sign that the early season defensive woes are returning.

Kansas City Wizards 1, Real Salt Lake 0 (My prediction 4-1 KC)

Eddie Johnson really does make this Wizards attack work. He expertly controlled a great ball from Jose Burciaga, and after hitting the post, scored off the rebound for the game winner. This game could have been much worse for Salt Lake if Nick Rimando didn’t make some key saves in the first half, but the Wizards play fell off in the second half, giving Salt Lake a chance to steal a point.

Chivas USA 2, Columbus Crew 1 (My prediction 2-1 Chivas)

Chivas continues their dominant play at home with an Eddie Gaven own goal giving Chivas the victory. For Columbus, this snaps a six game unbeaten streak, but even in Saturday’s loss, they have shown the past month that they are capable of doing damage in the Eastern Conference, especially with Guillermo Barros Schelotto getting settled in and adding the creative spark this team needed.

Houston Dynamo 0, Toronto FC 0 (My prediction 2-0 Houston)

Houston was all over Toronto throughout the first half, and it only got worse when Maurice Edu was sent off for bloodying Brian Mullan in a mid-air collision. Mo Johnston decided to play for a 0-0 draw at that point, and to his credit, that’s what his team accomplished despite Houston laying siege to the Toronto goal. The goalless draw also allowed Houston to set the MLS record for most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal, which was fait accompli the moment Johnston brought on defender Chris Pozniak for Danny Dichio after Edu’s red card.