The clash between FC Dallas and Los Angeles deserved top billing for its meaning at the top of the Western Conference table, but New York-Real Salt Lake (storyline: two supposedly fallen powers trying to return to the straight and narrow) and Seattle-Sporting Kansas City (storyline: two searing-hot teams meet at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park) also merited plenty of attention.While those games will receive some scrutiny in due course, the only place to start the review of this wild weekend is the place where most of the crazy events occurred.
No prizes for guessing Dwayne De Rosario and Toronto FC were at the heart of those peculiar occurrences. The headline-grabbing club and its former captain – plus Bill Hamid, Ben Olsen, the beleaguered referee crew and a few other assorted actors – combined to conjure up one of the most chaotic and ridiculous matches of the season in a 3-3 draw at RFK Stadium.
Oddly enough under these circumstances, the first half didn't provide too many talking points. Hamid made a disastrous decision to rush off his line with defensive cover available and procured a thoroughly deserved dismissal for a thumping challenge on Eric Avila after seven minutes. De Rosario scored the first of his three goals after 19 minutes with a long-distance drive from a quick free kick, while TFC flailed around fruitlessly in possession until halftime.
(Note: For a side that predicates its success on a possession-oriented 4-3-3 approach, TFC often lacks purpose and sharpness on the ball. The spell between De Rosario's goal and the interval showed an infuriating dearth of ambition and imagination. TFC's possession came without any discernible purpose whatsoever, which is a crime given the circumstances. D.C. United isn't managed by Helenio Herrera, it doesn't defend particularly well and it didn't even have the full complement of players on the field. Needless to say, Aron Winter took corrective measures by early in the second half and matters improved as the match progressed. Unfortunately for Winter, it took all three of his substitutes when he really needed to use one later in the match. But more on that later.)
Even in the period after halftime, the match proceeded along a normal course. TFC took heed of its presumed hairdryer treatment at halftime and drew level after Peri Marosevic's timely intervention punished Steve Cronin's continued preference to punch instead of catch in wet conditions. The visitors may have even gone in front soon after if not for a tidy piece of play from D.C. and a terrible error from Andy Iro in the 64th minute.
United did particularly well to pass out of TFC's high pressure in the middle third. Chris Pontius collected the ball in space and played a diagonal ball toward De Rosario's run through the middle. Iro found himself in the right spot, but he muffed his clearance and permitted the ball to fall into De Rosario's run. De Rosario made no mistake and Iro's night changed irreparably from that moment onwards.
(Note: Iro deserves flak for his error, but it's hard to say whether the gaffe or Winter's excoriation in the following minutes, per TSN, served as the primary impetus for his collapse over the next 25 minutes. Iro completely lost his composure after those events and made several errors before giving away the penalty for United's final tally. The situation cried out for a substitution well before Iro made that fateful lunge, but Winter had none left to make.)
If those events weren't wild enough, the sequence in the buildup to TFC's second goal plunged the match into something resembling a farce. United wanted to send Ethan White into the fray for the injured Brandon McDonald (more on that in a moment) as TFC prepared to throw the ball back into play. Referee Jasen Anno obliged the substitution, but refused White the proper amount of time to get into his defensive position.
TFC played it quickly through Ashtone Morgan (a fine night for the youngster, by the bye) for Julian de Guzman to lash home his first goal as a Red and send Ben Olsen running onto the pitch in fury. In a season filled with refereeing debacles, this moment – one easily avoided by simple match management and unencumbered by the need to make a judgment call – stands out as the potential nadir.
(Note: Although Anno deserves all of the scorn heaped upon him for this inexplicable error, Olsen may just wonder if he could have avoided the scenario entirely. McDonald is an important cog in the back line, but his hamstring injury required an ample stoppage in play and seemed to point toward an immediate withdrawal. D.C. had an opportunity to insert a substitute on a subsequent TFC goal kick, but United didn't pull the trigger and played 11v9 instead. There are plenty of reasons for holding off for a few extra moments – getting White ready, for example – but McDonald was down long enough to prepare a substitute and send him on straight away.)
One minute of madness led to two more goals and ramped up the incredulity. Iro seemingly salvaged his night after 86 minutes as he put the final touch on Danny Koevermans' sidefoot attempt, but he subsequently bundled over Austin da Luz when TFC imploded after the kickoff to give away a penalty. De Rosario slotted home the penalty to grab a share of the spoils – indeed, he could have claimed all three points if not for an errant attempt and a Torsten Frings tackle on two subsequent opportunities during stoppage time – on this wild evening.
The peculiar circumstances mean there really isn't too much to take from the game – United's resolve is probably the biggest talking point – on a macro basis. Those facts, however, do not obscure the fact that this particular game deserves a place among the most memorable of the campaign simply due to the number of notable and ridiculous occurrences contained within it.
Five Points – Week 21
1. Instant impact from 16-year-old Fagundez: New England midfielder Diego Fagundez wasted no time announcing his arrival on the MLS scene. The homegrown player drew a penalty two minutes after his arrival as a second-half substitute and tacked on his first MLS goal in the late stages of the Revolution's 3-2 home defeat to Chivas USA. Fagundez's progression through the ranks – plus his confidence and skill on the ball in tight spaces – represents a bright beacon for the future as the Revs meander through their disappointing campaign.
2. It probably won't be the best of weeks for Omar Bravo: The former Mexican international controversially saw red for a two-footed challenge on Pat Noonan early in the second half of Sporting Kansas City's 2-1 home defeat to Seattle, but the problems arrived for him after referee Jair Marrufo (who hadn't exactly endeared himself to the home side before this point) decided to dismiss him. Bravo fell to the ground theatrically in an attempt to get Pat Noonan sent off, stormed around in anger for a few moments and then took his time to depart the field. The entire scene – including the leaping, studs-exposed challenge at the heart of it, ball-winning or not – will probably earn Bravo a hefty dollop of Disciplinary Committee scrutiny this week.
(Note: Bravo should have expressed more of his anger toward Birahim Diop's absolutely dreadful square pass that put him in the position to make a tackle in the first place. Sporting isn't paying Bravo to tackle properly, after all.)
Here's the kicker for Bravo and his Sporting teammates: Seattle put together yet another late show – thanks in large part to Mauro Rosales' skill and some shoddy tackling from a group of tired players – in stoppage time to snatch three points at the death and snap the home side's 14-match unbeaten run.
3. Speaking of Mexican internationals having a bad night...: …Rafa Marquez should go home and erase any digital copies handed to him of Real Salt Lake's comfortable 3-0 victory over New York at Rio Tinto Stadium. Marquez found himself fortunate not to give away a penalty after seven minutes, turned the ball over in the buildup to the opener (from yet another set piece) six minutes later and presented Kyle Beckerman with another gift a minute before halftime in the buildup to Luis Gil's killer second. Marquez's first half performance (and his inability to cope with RSL's wise decision to apply high pressure) was so disastrous that Hans Backe had to bring Stephen Keel into the match at halftime and move Marquez into midfield.
(Note: In Marquez's defense, his shift to midfield also marked an attempt to fill the gaping hole created by Teemu Tainio's absence through illness. New York had a few OK spells in the first half, but it couldn't match RSL's energetic start or present problems to the home side in possession. When Tainio doesn't play, the Red Bulls look mighty ordinary. Or, on this night, like a team that has logged too many miles over the past week to play in a meaningless tournament.)
4. Rare Hartman error shifts the game in Carson: Everything about FC Dallas' 3-1 defeat at Los Angeles favored the visitors in the early stages: Marvin Chavez provided a delightful early goal, FCD offered plenty of slick combination play through midfield and Los Angeles failed to really find its footing. The calculus changed from the moment the usually steady Kevin Hartman misjudged the flight of a David Beckham set piece and handed the Galaxy an undeserved equalizer when Omar Gonzalez bundled home after 32 minutes.
5. A few healthy defenders and Vancouver might be somewhere: When the Whitecaps offense gets going, it really troubles opposing defenses. Chicago would have struggled to stop a lesser attacking group with its litany of defensive errors and its generally substandard performance on the evening, but Vancouver showed its attacking teeth in a 4-2 victory at Empire Field. Eric Hassli scored twice – including a first-minute laser and excluding a tame penalty miss – and Camilo submitted yet another enterprising display to show why this Vancouver side could have improved upon its meager point haul (particularly at home) with a firmer foundation at the back.
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSsoccer.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com
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