Down one at the Half
So, we have four one-goal games leading us into the second legs of the conference semifinals in the MLS Cup playoffs. That's as good as a fan can ask for.
Describing each series in a sentence:
Colorado (1) vs. Columbus (0): The Crew have to feel fortunate to not be down more, as the Rapids had a number of first half opportunities to widen that margin.
New York (1) vs. San Jose (0): Red Bulls are in firm command of this series and the fact that they're 14-0-1 when scoring first this year seems to make them a lead pipe lock.
Dallas (2) vs. Salt Lake (1): The most exciting game of the four, by a wide margin, but the job for Salt Lake got harder after the sending off of Javier Morales.
Los Angeles (1) vs. Seattle (0): The Sounders couldn't crack the Galaxy defense at home in front of the league's best fans, so it's not likely they'll find answers on the road.
What's to Talk About?
Edson Buddle's goal will be hard to top for degree of difficulty. About 35 yards out, Buddle simply decided to, as they say, have a go. Probably 99 times out of 100 the ball ends up in the mezzanine, but this time Buddle caught it just right, and Kasey Keller was simply ill-prepared (though it's hard to blame him). "Sometimes, you just have to hold your hand up and applaud the effort of the guy who scored," Keller told reporters.
Salt Lake keeper Nick Rimando could say the same thing about Eric Avila's 87th minute tracer in Frisco. Having just come on as a substitute, Avila's two getaway touches and strike were as clean as they come. What's still to be seen is if a Dallas defense that's dealing with injuries to George John and Heath Pearce can make one goal stand up.
The Crew were the Eastern Conference's highest-scoring team with 40 goals in the regular season, but showed little in the way of attacking play in Denver. I'm left to wonder if coach Robert Warzycha's decision to take off both Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Steven Lenhart in the 68th minute of the first game was a sign of frustration with the way they were playing, or just a way for the coach to keep their legs fresh for the return encounter.
Thierry Henry isn't ruling out a return to the pitch in Thursday's second leg between the Red Bulls and San Jose, but before New York flew cross-country last week, coach Hans Backe did not sound convinced that the French star would be ready to play. San Jose is going to need to find an early goal in this match or things will play right into the hands of the Red Bulls, who are as organized a side as there is in MLS this season.
Speaking to New York's fine rookie defender Tim Ream the other day, he said that the first year wall that all college players seem to hit in MLS is more mental than physical. "The level of play demands much more concentration," Ream said. "And that's been harder as the season's worn on than the physical part of it. But I'm feeling good right now."
Seattle's fan support is by far the best in MLS history, but the playing surface at Qwest Field is a problem. Listen to Galaxy coach Bruce Arena. "Tough game, tough conditions," he said in the post-match press conference. "This field isn't easy to play on for either team. I guess they watered it down before the game, so it was just going to be slick. The field did not allow for normal play. It's difficult to have a short passing game because everything is happening so fast, your footing isn't perfect, the balls slip. It's not easy."
With that being said about Qwest, it needs to be pointed out that of the eight MLS playoff teams, six (Columbus, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Salt Lake and Colorado) have their own stadium. That's quite a tribute to the growth of this league.
Eddie Lewis only started four times in all competitions this year for the Galaxy, but he turned in a sterling performance at left back Sunday evening. Lewis has already announced that this is his final season, but he showed he's still a player who can show up for the big game. Filling in for the injured Todd Dunivant, Lewis' positioning and tackling were superb throughout the match.