Landon Donovan’s curtain call?

By: Jamie Trecker

Carson, Calif.

Landon Donovan went from goat to hero in the space of an hour Saturday afternoon, rescuing what had been a lackluster performance with a game-defining penalty kick. For long stretches of the match, the American star had played with his head down and what seemed like a heavy heart, summed up in an atrocious 13th minute miss. With time and space, and off a fine ball served by Robbie Keane, Donovan inexplicably missed the target with a chance that it would have been easier to simply put on frame.

The final months of this season have been strange for Donovan, a player once considered the golden boy of the American game. So much had been heaped on his shoulders over the years – the endorsements, the responsibility of winning big games for the national team, and in many ways, the spirit of the modern American game itself. This year, the toll that pressure took surfaced in a series of interviews Donovan gave late this MLS season, where he indicated he was considering walking away from the game entirely.

Dec

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MLS Cup Final 2012

Dec

FOX Soccer sits down with Major League Soccer’s commissioner Don Garber to discuss the MLS Cup Final and what the future holds for MLS.

Nov

According to an EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13 video game simulation, the Los Angeles Galaxy will win its second straight MLS Cup with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo in front of a sold-out crowd at The Home Depot Center on Saturday afternoon.

Galaxy captain Landon Donovan scored in the 21st minute to give the defending champions an early 1-0 lead over Houston. The Dynamo leveled the score when forward Will Bruin headed home the equalizer past the LA defense in the 65th minute.

Yet the Galaxy later secured their second consecutive MLS title as striker Robbie Keane punched the winner at the during minutes of the second half.

Nov

Are you hyped for the MLS Cup yet? The LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo face off this Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. It’s also David Beckham’s final game with the Galaxy and in MLS, so you definitely don’t want to miss it.

In case you haven’t started getting pumped up for this clash yet, this video should do the trick.

Nov

Five Points to Watch: MLS Conference Championships 2nd Leg

By: Kyle McCarthy

Two teams will book their places at MLS Cup by the end of Sunday. Houston and Los Angeles hold the advantage heading into the pair of second-leg affairs, but D.C. United and Seattle will hope to overturn their current deficits on home soil. Here are five points to watch ahead of the decisive affairs:

1. Health concerns create questions: A stretch of four or five games in the span of three weeks takes its toll. D.C. United is in the worst shape at the moment (Chris Pontius’ groin injury is a bitter blow, while Brandon McDonald and Marcelo Saragosa must also recuperate quickly), but there are also concerns in Houston (Calen Carr, Ricardo Clark, Adam Moffat and Jermaine Taylor), Los Angeles (Edson Buddle, A.J. DeLaGarza and Juninho) and Seattle (Leo Gonzalez and Mauro Rosales). A season-ending encounter isn’t the ideal time to test depth, but the circumstances afford few other choices at this juncture.

Nov

Five Things to Watch: Eastern Conference Championship 1st Leg

By: Kyle McCarthy

D.C. United travels to Houston to kick off the two-legged Eastern Conference championship on Sunday afternoon. Here are five points to watch as the two sides prepare to duel at BBVA Compass Stadium:

1. Mitigating the damage: United suffered two defeats in the Oven this season. Ben Olsen and his players would probably take a repeat of the stadium-opening 1-0 setback on May 12, but they simply cannot afford another 4-0 thumping as they did on July 15 if they want to secure a berth in MLS Cup.

2. Maintaining the necessary energy: In order to avoid a repeat of that July debacle, United must somehow find a way to avoid the common second-half fade most teams suffer in Houston. This gritty group won’t back down (as evidenced by the ridiculousness in Harrison on Thursday night), but it must find some way to grind through a match that will prove even more difficult as it enters the late stages.

Nov

Five things to watch: Sporting KC vs. Houston Dynamo

By Kyle McCarthy

Sporting Kansas City visits Houston this afternoon to start their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Here are five points to watch when the two sides meet at BBVA Compass Stadium:

1. Traveling a difficult road: No MLS side has entered BBVA Compass Stadium and left with a victory since the venue opened earlier this year. Sporting would like to break that drought, but it must focus first and foremost on securing a decent result to avoid creating a difficult task in the second leg at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Wednesday.

2. Is Roger Espinoza fit?: Espinoza drives Sporting’s high-pressure approach from his usual spot in central midfield. He declared himself available after recovering from an ankle injury and Sporting manager Peter Vermes said he expects him to start. Espinoza must influence the game in his usual manner in order to give the visitors a chance to snatch the points.

Oct

Five things to watch: Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo

By Kyle McCarthy

MLS starts the journey toward MLS Cup next month Wednesday night when Houston visits Chicago in a Knockout Round match. Here are a few points to watch ahead of the one-off game at Toyota Park:

1. Where will Chris Rolfe find his space?: Rolfe loves to get turned and run at opposing defenses on the counter and operate between the lines when the Fire has possession. He will find Ricardo Clark and Adam Moffat in his usual operating spaces. He may have to push into a more advanced role to find the necessary room to roam.

2. Picking up the slack: Chicago has struggled in the past month or so when Rolfe isn’t actively influencing the game. If he isn’t causing trouble Wednesday night, the onus falls on Alvaro Fernandez and Patrick Nyarko to provide plenty of service to Sherjill MacDonald from midfield.