By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (Nov 15, 2011) US Soccer Players -- Five for Tuesday, where Tony looks ahead to a busy 2012 for the Galaxy, looks back at record goal scorers in MLS, and ponders the 34-game schedule.
Which player in MLS history has scored the most goals at home?
Surprisingly, not Jeff Cunningham, who leads in away goals and game-winning goals. Instead, it's Jaime Moreno with 83. Number 99 also leads in penalty kicks with 52 taken and 44 scored - both numbers are MLS records. Moreno has also suffered the most fouls in MLS history, with 703 in 340 games.
Who is second all-time, in MLS, in hat tricks?
National Team alum Cobi Jones with four, tied with Edson Buddle and Mamadou Diallo. Stern John and Diego Serna top the table with five, and it's worth pointing out that John only played in 55 MLS games.
Is next season shaping up as the being Galaxy’s most challenging season ever?
With success, and designated players, comes expectation, but look at what Bruce Arena faces next season. Losing key players at different times to Euro 2012, the London Olympics, and World Cup Qualifying, all while negotiating MLS, the CONCACAF Champions League, and the Open Cup. Add in LA’s usual budget-boosting friendlies, and we've got a new definition for fixture congestion.
This is an opportunity for the Galaxy to extend their dominance and to show MLS that just because you’re involved in multiple competitions doesn’t mean retreating into a tactical shell or using the usual excuses about roster management.
Does a 34 game unbalanced schedule create enough meaningful regular season games?
We won’t know until we find out the playoff qualification requirements, but theoretically, yes.
For all the uproar about a non-balanced schedule, the NHL, for instance, plays an unbalanced schedule and there doesn’t seem to be too much talk over the Rangers only showing up in San Jose every few years. Why? Because it means more games against Anaheim and Los Angeles, the Sharks' rivals and frankly, an easier ticket sell. If you work for Chivas USA, is it easier to sell Seattle and San Jose or Columbus and DC?
At some point, MLS has to look at the history of Major League Baseball, where the expansion in 1969 was accompanied by a shift to two six-team divisions per league. As the story goes, “you can’t sell tickets for a 12th place team.” After adding one more expansion team, four divisions of five would allow three games against your divisional opponents (12 games), two games against the conference opponents in the other division (10 games), plus 10 games against the other conference (one season the game against DC is in San Jose, the next year its in DC).
Has anyone besides Bruce Arena won MLS Coach of the Year at more than one club?
Yep. Arena, named Monday as Coach of the Year, has won the award three times, once with DC United and twice in Los Angeles. Sigi Schmid won in Los Angeles and Columbus and Bob Bradley took honors in Chicago and at Chivas USA.
