By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (Nov 22, 2011) US Soccer Players -- In today’s 5 Questions, Tony questions the Galaxy, ponders Houston, and wonders why it's so hard to see a silver soccer ball on television.
How complete was the Galaxy’s performance on Sunday evening?
You could maybe point to needing better finishing, but Los Angeles was better in every facet of the game. Omar Gonzalez and A.J. DeLaGarza did a fantastic job on Bring Ching, giving him very little room to operate. LA’s wide midfielders combined well with their fullbacks to limit Houston’s wide options and create chances almost at will. There's no fair way to downplay what LA did on the night on the biggest stage this League has to offer.
What could Dominic Kinnear have done differently?
Defensively, Houston dropped far too deep, which left Corey Ashe and Calen Carr with very few options when the Dynamo did try to break. Maybe go to three in back (four defenders against Keane and Cristman left Houston too exposed further up the field) and five in the midfield, to not only get the extra player in midfield, but to keep Todd Dunivant and Sean Franklin at least in their half of the field.
That said, realistically asking a successful team already missing a key player and to change its style of play in two weeks is a stretch. Hopefully, this wasn’t Geoff Cameron’s last time in an MLS Cup final. He's a player with a lot to offer MLS fans.
Was it just me, or was the ‘special MLS Cup Final ball’ hard to see on television?
Maybe it was my TV, but a white or yellow ball would have been nice for an evening event. Instead, the weather and the choice of equipment collided to make it tough to watch. That was especially true on the Donovan goal, where the sliver ball seemed to blend in with the background on its way to the far post.
Who was the first person selected in the first-ever MLS expansion draft?
We know Brian McBride was the first choice overall in League history, but in the first expansion draft, on November 6, 1997, the Fire took Galaxy defender Danny Pena at #1. Miami took DC’s David Vaudreuil for their first pick. In late 2004, Chivas USA selected Arturo Torres from the Galaxy, while Salt Lake opted for Andy Williams.
What’s to like about next year’s MLS schedule?
A lot, especially the conference finals going to a two-game set, the emphasis on conference rivalries, and the reduced travel. Dispensing with neutral site hosting for MLS Cup, keeping Houston in the East, and the four-five play-in game? The arguments against those ideas are clear, but we’ll at least acknowledge MLS doesn't have its head in the sand.
