Is Blanco the best DP MLS has seen so far? (Getty Images)

I’ve had this thought for a little while, on the surface the Designated Player rule is good as it brings quality players into Major League Soccer that do help in more areas than just on the field itself. We know the cons against it like teams spending so much money on one player but I started looking at all the past and present DPs and started wondering if this rule really is worth it.

Now first of all I’m not going to advocate for or against this rule today. I just merely want to point out who’s done well with it and who’s not. We’ve seen this rule in place for a couple seasons now and so far only a few clubs have ventured out with this rule. Now it seems like most clubs are going away from the rule, currently only five clubs have a DP (Toronto, New York, LA, Seattle and Houston).

Also, so far five clubs (or six if you count Philly too) have yet to use their DP slot. RSL won MLS Cup 2009 without one so maybe they aren’t worth the money.

So let’s take a deeper look into each DP. What worked about it and what didn’t work on and off the field. We’ll go from worst to best in this instance. I’d also like to note that two fo the DPs on this list have only played a little under a half season with their clubs so grading and discussing them at length seemed unfair at this time. If you are wondering about who I am talking about here those two are Houston’s Luis Angel Landin and Toronto’s Julian De Guzman. (For the record I like De Guzman but don’t care of Landin…but saying that I am very curious about their upcoming seasons.) Continue Reading…

Expect a new look Fire in 2010. (Getty Images)

The 2009 season for the Chicago Fire was expected to be a big one. Talks of MLS Cup and Supporter’s Shield were all the rage to begin the season. Early on this year it looked like the expectations were being met as the Fire lost a single game in the first three months of the season.

Then came the summer where sometimes good teams go to waste. The Fire found some injuries got in the way of a dream season as Brian McBrdie went out with a shoulder injury while head coach Denis Hamlett struggled to keep a locker room happy. The Fire defense, which was once one of the best in the league started to come up short and even more so once Bakery Soumare left town.

Down the stretch the Fire kept coming up short as injuries piled up and their home play was anything less than stellar. In the final 12 games the club only won four games while never really finding any sort of consistent play.

In the end PKs did the club in against Real Salt Lake in the eastern conference finals. Their home play at Toyota Park was still a weakness and now they head into an offseason with a load of questions.

What Went Right In 2009:
When things were clicking and all parties involved were healthy this was one hell of a club. The depth early on was there for this bunch but towards the end even that depth wasn’t enough to push them towards a MLS Cup. McBride and Blanco were still a force to deal with and guys like Wilman Conde in the back were still some of the best in the league. On any given day the Fire could beat you any way around the field they wanted to with Blanco leading the attack.

What Went Wrong In 2009:
Let’s just say expectations were not even close to being met in the Windy City. Sure they reached the conference final but this bunch had better things expected out of them to start the year. The injury to McBride was a real killer in the middle of the year as the offense really never found it’s punch even though guys like Chris Rolfe were still tough to hold up around net. Once the word got out about Hamlett and Soumare and the locker room issues there the club really never was the same again. Questions surrounded whether or not Hamlett would return and they still will for the coming weeks.

What’s Next:
A lot of changes are going to take place over the next few weeks. Blanco is going to Mexico as we know. Rolfe is out to Europe and I’d expect a few more changes to come after that. No word yet on if McBride is coming back for another year and I would imagine a lot of that comes down to who will be coaching this club next year. Hamlett may still come back for the 2010 season but one has to wonder if he really is the right man for the gig. I’d imagine we will hear about his status over the next week or so before the expansion draft. After that expect some moves to happen and some player to leave.

Who to protect and who to expose is the guessing game for the Fire. (Getty Images)

This year unlike the last couple the expansion draft caught up with me here. I almost feel like I am a little late getting these lists out for the draft which is a couple days after MLS Cup. Starting today I will release a team-by-team list of who I think will be protected and who I think will be left exposed.

Now I know I don’t have connections to every club but I will say this year seems to be a little easier to do than in year’s past. Maybe it is because I’ve been doing this for a couple years now and I am starting to get how clubs do this sort of thing.

Today I am starting at the top of the alphabet with the Chicago Fire. I know they are still in the running for MLS Cup here but they too will have to make a decision or two about who to keep and who not to keep.

Chicago is an interesting group that should see plenty of changes this winter. The two I go back and forth on are Blanco and McBride. We know Blanco has signed in Mexico for next year but has an option to return to Chicago if he wants after the World Cup. So do you protect a guy that may not come back? Or protect a high salary of an older guy who’s future is also a bit uncertain?

The one guy I could see go in place of McBride is Justin Mapp, but even his higher salary seems like a gamble to take in this draft so for now I have him unprotected. Also keep in mind Rolfe is gone after this year is up so no need to protect him.

See anyone you think I missed on the protected list? Let’s hear it.

Blanco is headed back to Mexico after the playoffs. (Getty Images)

Like we didn’t see this news coming at the start of the 2009 season. Chicago Fire designated player Cuauhtemoc Blanco stated he would not return next year after his contract ended this season and he has made good (for now) on that word.

Reports out of Mexico say that the Fire star has signed with his old club Veracruz for the 2010 season with an option to return to Chicago after the 2010 World Cup.

He stated a while back that he could return next year to the Fire or even another club in the league but with his recent play for the national team in Mexico most figured those comments were just him being nice.

This will be the first of many moves that will effect the Fire this winter. With Blanco gone to Mexico and Chris Rolfe to Europe along with the expected departure of head coach Denis Hamlett we will certainly see a new look to the Fire in 2010. I just wonder where this club goes from here as far as their designated player slot goes, do they go young or try to make another big splash?

What do you all make of Blanco going home to Mexico next year to a division two team?

Just a few bits and pieces tonight. I’ve gotten a couple thoughts on some club’s playoff chances along with some info on Blanco’s future in the Windy City and some thoughts on an interesting interview with Peter Wilt.

First up the playoff talk. Most of you know I mention Sportsclubstats.com when I talk about playoff chances for each club. I followed that site regularly last year and again this season, so far it’s been pretty good at showing how each club is doing and what they need to do to get in the playoffs.

Well, another interesting site has popped up. Playoffstatus.com has an interesting MLS section on a few different things including playoff chances. They break things down a little differently and probably not as flashy as the other site but still worth looking at if you get the chance.

Below is what they have for playoff chances.

I know the font is a little small towards the bottom so I will explain it a little more.

The red X means the club has no shot in hell at making the playoffs (New York), the numbers in red with a percentage mean the club has no control over their own destiny at reaching a certain playoff spot, while on the flips side a number in green means the club does control their own destiny. One would argue every club controls their own fate no matter what but we will go with what they have for this time for argument sake.

Most interesting thing that I gathered from this is Chivas’ chances to crash the western conference automatic bid party this year. They were a lock the first months of the season to do so before their summer decline but now they could be back on the way up. It also doesn’t hurt that they have a real easy schedule from here on out (home games against New York, San Jose, KC; and a road trip to Chicago who owns one of the worst home records).

Still plenty of soccer to be played and nothing is really locked up except for New York’s elimination from the playoffs this year.

Continue Reading…

We’ve had a full day of interesting news with the UEFA Champions League draw, the US Men’s National team roster announcement that took four hours to do, and random news here and there. Time now to close down the day with some links and thoughts on what’s going on.

I wanted to get into some MVP race discussion. I mention earlier that I felt Colorado’s Omar Cummings deserves to be in the discussion, well I have a few other names that are right up there with Cummings.

- Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy): Aside from his 10 goals and five assists, Donovan is the cog that keeps the Galaxy going. When he is on his game the Galaxy are a tough team to beat. You will see that when he is gone with the National team in the coming weeks, LA just doesn’t look the same without him.

- Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids): Current leader in goals in the league with 11 (and one assist). Casey will probably get more mentions than his teammate Cummings due to the number of goals. One thing is certain though, Casey has stepped his game up in a big way this season and the Rapids are finding out just how good he can be.

- Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders FC): Some may say that there are better candidates on the Sounders’ roster but Montero gets my nod. His 10 goals and six assists is more than enough for me to place him here. We know just how dangerous he can be and when he is on it is something else to see.

- Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew): Before he went out with an injury GBS was the clear favorite in this race but his injury made it worth watching again. He still is up there in the top of the league leaders in goals with 10 and isn’t doing too bad with three assists on the year. If he returns to even half the form we saw out of him early on this season he still has a great shot at another MVP award.

Others to mention:

Shalrie Joseph (New England): Without him the Revs would be dead in the water.

Brad Davis (Houston): While Brian Ching scores all the goals it is Davis who does the dirty work that sets him up.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago): While I’m not a fan of his work he is second in the league in assists.

Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto): The Reds wouldn’t even be near playoff contention this year if it weren’t for DeRo.

Got any other names that I am missing?

Continue Reading…

Blanco and Wilman Conde look to shutdown the Galaxy tonight. (Getty Images)

Week 23 in Major League Soccer gets started a little early. Tonight we get a primetime clash on ESPN2 as the Chicago Fire host the LA Galaxy. Now of course this game has lost a little appeal with David Beckahm (and Eddie Lewis) being suspended for a red card in last week’s game against Seattle. But it should still promise to be a good game between two of the league’s upper level clubs making a push for the Supporter’s Shield.

The Fire are on good form right now as they have only lost once in their last seven matches. LA on the other hand as we just mentioned stumbled a bit last week at home in the loss to Seattle, but even that was their first loss in a while.

Tonight’s game will be without David Beckham and Eddie Lewis but the Fire will also be missing Bakery Soumare.

I think tonight’s game will get bogged down a bit in the midfield but look for Chicago to control the pace there. LA will get a little lucky as the weather has been raining there today in the Windy City from what I’ve been told. If the rain can slow down things it could be to the visitor’s advantage.

Chicago will do well to slow down Landon Donovan and company. All the Fire need to do is get on the board and camp on the lead. They do well with the lead and holding teams to little offense. I look for them to do just that as Blanco and company look to inch their way up the standings. Chicago wins a nasty midfield battled game tonight thanks to Chris Rolfe and Blanco.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, LA 1