Galaxy Hamstrung

It's hard to determine the severity of the injury that Landon Donovan suffered while warming up for the Galaxy's 4-1 exhibition loss to Mexican side Cruz Azul, but Landon is the first major casualty of an MLS team playing exhibition games in the midst of its regular season schedule. This ought to add punch to the argument that the exposure and marketing of MLS isn't worth risking the health of its top players.

Feel free to let me know how you feel on that issue. Are these exhibition matches sensible or just plain hazardous? Does the good outweigh the bad?

Looking ahead for the Galaxy, Los Angeles will have to take on Roma F.C., the amateur side that is riding high after a win over Chivas, in the U.S. Open Cup on August 1. It's not like the Galaxy lit up MLS while Landon was in Germany, so could the Roma rampage continue?

End of an Era

First, it was Claudio Reyna. Now, Brian McBride, the second most prolific scorer in U.S. Soccer history, has announced his retirement from international soccer. Unfortunately, neither were able to walk off into the sunset after a successful World Cup run.

Happy endings aside, though, this was the right time for both Reyna and McBride to call it quits. At age 33 and 34, respectively, both would be much too old to be a factor in World Cup 2010. Consider that Brazilian defender Cafu was almost 36 this World Cup and received plenty of criticism for having lost a step. Reyna and McBride, who, unlike Cafu, have never been seen as a one of the world's best players, would both be older than the Brazillian by the time World Cup South America rolls around.

The timing is right for the men's national team as well. The team Bruce Arena brought to Germany was stockpiled with youngsters and McBride's retirement will free up minutes for the likes of Josh Wolfe, Eddie Johnson and maybe Taylor Twellman - a particularly good development if the U.S. sticks to its 4-5-1 formation for the long haul. One college coach I talked to a few weeks ago said that part of the reason the U.S. attack stalled in Germany was because McBride was too slow to play as the lone striker. This wasn't an indictment of McBride as a player, just an observation that he was the wrong man for the job as the lone man up top. With the international game adopting more and more of a "play not to lose" style, though, the lone striker formation may turn out to be more than a fad. Wolfe or Johnson could fit that role nicely, with speed to run through balls and long balls down and allow the U.S. midfielders to get forward.

The replacement for Reyna, on the other hand, is about as clear as wood. In the past, Bruce Arena was reluctant to play Landon Donovan as the number 10. He often opted to put him on the wings and, at times, allowed him to roam about the middle of the park. Even when Donovan came into the middle, though, the offense still ran through Reyna. It had to. Landon pulled his famous disappearing act far too often. I wasn't one to put total blame on Donovan for the U.S. debacle in Germany (I think it would've helped if Bruce had given him a more defined role), but I don't think Landon proved that he's the one to fill Reyna's shoes.

The end of the McBride-Reyna era means a couple guys are going to have to step up and take control of this team. And because a team's creative midfielder and striker are the most publicized positions, whoever does will define the next era of U.S. Soccer.

Tonight's MLS Action

It's a good Wednesday in MLS with Houston taking on Colorado and Chivas matched up against Real Salt Lake. I see both games being pretty even, not only because each match pits two squads with fairly similar records against each other but also because the better team in both tilts (Houston and Chivas) is the visitor.

The other day, I made note of the fact that every team except D.C. has struggled on the road this season. Even Houston (8-3-7) have won only twice on the road in eight tries. Chivas (6-6-7) is 1-5-4 away from Home Depot Center. So RSL should have an advantage against Chivas away from L.A., right?

Who are we kidding? Real is 2-3-4 at home. Only injury-plagued Columbus has won fewer games as a host. Chivas should take care of business with league-leader (11 goals) Ante Razov returning to an attack that pocketed three netters last weekend without him. And it will be interesting to see what Bob Bradley does with Jonathan Bornstein. The rookie, who has played in the back all year long, tallied two goals in a start at striker last weekend. Needless to say, Real's back line, anchored by Eddie "I'll put up my hand and hope" Pope, could be in for a long night.

I'd say pick 'em in the Colorado-Houston match-up. Houston's the better side but it's tough to win at Mile High. If they pull out the win, though, Houston would separate itself from the rest of the pack in the West.

Funny how you have to win on the road to do that.

More MLS Exhibitions

D.C. United is now scheduled to face Real Madrid on August 9 in Seattle. MLS officials have scheduled numerous games against clubs from around the world this season in an attempt to showcase the quality of MLS to the rest of the soccer world. That makes it crucial that D.C. gives a good performance against the Spanish powerhouse.

Though certain columnists have spoken out against the placement of exhibition games in the heart of the MLS season, the scheduling of this game makes sense. D.C. has a match against Columbus on August 1 and then does not play another league game until August 16. Granted, about half of United's usual starting eleven will play for the MLS All-Stars against Chelsea on August 5 (another game in which the MLS must perform admirably in order to boost league growth). But with no games for two weeks, D.C. will have plenty of time to rest its players before their MLS schedule resumes. In fact, D.C. will likely benefit from playing during their break as it will help the squad retain its fitness and sharpness on the ball.

United-Real also makes good business sense for MLS as D.C. gives the league its best chance for a good showing. Even though the Spanish side may not play all its guns for the full 90, MLS needs its best team to hang with a blend of Real starters and bench players. This, after all, is the club that just added Cannavaro and Emerson to an already talented mix of players.

I reiterate: For the MLS to continue to grow in popularity, it's very, very important that MLS teams fares well against the rest of the world. Wouldn't it be nice to counter the arguments of MLS skeptics by pointing to the result D.C. got against mighty Real Madrid?

Stewart and Simmons to the Rescue?

Since the World Cup garnered impressive ratings in the U.S., plenty of us have wondered whether soccer's popularity will continue to grow in America and eventually grow into more than a niche sport. An article on the Yanks Abroad website argues that the media ought to exploit two men, Jon Stewart and Bill Simmons, in marketing of the MLS and the USMNT.

It's an interesting idea considering the popularity of these two individuals among young men. After all, young men tend to double as sports fans. If the media truly shapes public opinion, then Simmons and Stewart speaking to the positive aspects of the beautiful game could well convince some skeptics that soccer is more than a low-scoring bore.

Plus, people like funny. We've all sat on the couch with friends during the Super Bowl making fun of stupid plays and bone-head ballplayers. That's what Simmons does on paper. He could make it cool to sit around watching soccer and making fun of headbutts and overpaid underacheivers (he'll find the A-Rod of the EPL).

In a recent column, Simmons revealed plan to throw his support behind Tottenham Hotspur this season. If his comedy translates to soccer, and it should, he will certainly attract his fans to watch a game or two. And maybe someday they'll enjoy watching the Champions League final like watching the Super Bowl.