Do U.S. Soccer a Favor

I'll be on a vacation without the internet until Monday (and I'll let you know if it's possible to pull that off when I get back). But while I'm gone, be sure to watch the MLS All-Stars take on Chelsea on Saturday at 6:30 pm on ESPN. Even if you have a life and you won't be around your television, DVR it on the off-chance that "they" factor in the amount of times the match is recorded when determining the game's T.V. ratings.

Even without Clint Dempsey, who is to my mind the best talent that MLS has to offer, the All-Stars should be able to hold their own with Gomez and Mastroeni in the middle and Moreno and Ching up top. The back four doesn't look terrible, either, with Chris Albright having a strong, aggresive year and Conrad having strutted his stuff in Germany.

The team should be fine and a result is sure to give our young league a shot in the arm. But T.V. ratings dictate sports coverage in this country. And if we want soccer to be a major player in the American sports market, we've got to show television executives that America is watching

Which MLS Team Finishes Best?

In a recent entry on the Houston Chronicle's player blog, Brian Ching voiced his frustration with the Dynamo's lack of a killer instinct over the past three games. After scoring three goals in two consecutive wins at the beginning of July, the Dynamo have since struggled to find the back of the net, tying the Revolution and Red Bulls 1-1 and losing to the Rapids 1-0.

"We are tying or losing to teams that only get one or two shots on goal a game and are scoring on those opportunities," Ching wrote. "On the other hand, we are getting 5 to 10 shots on goal a game, which ends with either a single goal or no goal at all."

Ching went on to write that the team need not panic.

"It is highly important that as a team we do not let this frustration result in anger. It is then that people start pointing fingers and teams fall apart," he said.

Neither Ching, nor any of his teammates, should lose much sleep over this recent dry spell. They are still one of the league's best when it comes to finishing, pocketing 30 percent of their total shots on goal. Only FC Dallas is more efficient with its shots on frame.

Below is the percentage of times each team scores when it hits a shot on goal. (I figure this percentage gives you a more accurate perception of the amount of solid chances each team converts because shots on goal tend to develop out of clear, open chances. I didn't include shots that missed the frame because plenty of those come on wild blasts from outside the area. Yes, I am aware that guys sky wide-open chances from the six or send open headers wide of the goal, but I would argue that by eliminating the number of shots that not put on goal, I have eliminated more half and quarter chances than I have eliminated legitimate opportunities to score).

Here's the list:


1. DAL - 33.3%
2. HOU - 30.3%
3. COLORADO - 29.7%
4. CHI - 27.7%
5. CHIVAS - 27.1%
6. D.C. - 27%
7. RSL - 27%
8. N.E. - 26.8%
9. N.Y. - 23.2
10. K.C. - 20%
11. L.A. - 19.5%
12. COLUMBUS - 19%

Kansas City Fizz

Not much has gone well for the Wizards this season (breaking news, I know). They haven't won since June 17 (a stretch that cost Bob Gansler his job) and they blew a chance at earning three points last night at home in front of a crowd that was sparse enough for them to introduce to the crowd to the players before they played the national anthem.

(A side note: If anyone needs a soccer-specific stadium, it's the Wizards. They drew 7,710 last night and have averaged more than 10,000 per game over the course of a season just five times since their inception. Missouri is a soccer hotbed, with strong youth soccer clubs like Busch which competes with the top clubs from around the nation. There must be plenty of folks that would buy tickets to watch the home town team in a more soccer friendly environment. I don't blame them for not buying tickets to watch the games at Arrowhead -- seven thousand at that place makes it resemble Hartford on a weekend. Plans are in the works for a new stadium, but they need to move quickly as the franchise can't survive on such poor attendancee. Philly appears to be the clear destination for the team's relocation if a deal cannot be reached.)

Back to the game. K.C. dominated all night, capitalizing on the sluggish, sloppy play of the Revolution midfield and back line. The Revs rewarded K.C.'s high pressure with plenty of misplaced, lazy balls that gave fuel to the Wizards' counterattack. The 99 degree temperature at game time slowed the visitors early on, but the Revs paced themselves well, and by the end of the match, were having their way with the Kansas City defense.

The Revs shouldn't have even been in the game at that point, though. The Wizards failed to capitalize on a number of dangerous crosses in the first half and hit the post on one occasion in the opening minutes. For all the good movement Eddie Johnson made off the ball, and all the good touches he mustered to keep possession for his side, he was unable to find the back of the net. (Another side note: I know it was against MLS opponents, but Johnson looked like what the U.S. will need now that McBride is gone. He was strong on the ball and quick to beat the rest of the field to plenty of long balls. He gave the Wizards the ability to posess the ball from side to side and then spring a quick attack downfield. The added bonus: He played creative crosses of his own, though none of his teammates were able to capitalize. His only shortcoming was that he didn't score. Kind of a major detail, I admit)

Again, back to the game. The Wizards failed to kill the game with an insurance goal and, when you do that against a team with as much talent as the Revs, it's not likely to end in victory. Credit the Revs for keeping their composure and focus after surrendering an early goal to Josh Wolff. Even after Pat Noonan was stymied by goalkeeper Oshoniyi and Clint Demspey put an open header wide of the net, the Revolution contined to pressure K.C.'s back line and eventually reaped a one-point reward.

Might a bigger home-field advantage have helped the Wizards prevent the late New England surge?