MLS Major League Soccer

The Pitch: MLS Weekly

Published on May 5, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


MLS Week 7: May 8-11, 2008

Thursday, May 8

Chicago Fire at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2, Deportes)

Chicago has been United's playoff nemesis, going 4-0-2 against the four-time champs. The Fire have the League's best road record (2-0-1) thus far, outscoring their hosts 5-1. Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch leads the league in saves (34) and save percentage (94.4). United Coach Tom Soehn played four seasons in MLS, mostly with Chicago (48 of 87 games; the rest with Dallas). He started his coaching career with the Fire, serving as an assistant for three seasons (2001-03) alongside current Fire Head Coach Denis Hamlett.

Saturday, May 10

Colorado Rapids at Houston Dynamo, 8:30 p.m. (FSC, FSE)

Two-time defending champion Houston is surprisingly still in search of its first win (0-2-4). In 2006 through six games Houston's record stood at 4-2-0, and in 2007 their record stood at 2-3-1. Colorado's star midfielder, Christian Gomez, is coming off a two-assist performance in an emotional victory over his former club, D.C. United.

FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake, 9 p.m. (CH-52, DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

RSL playmaker Javier Morales is tied with Guillermo Barros Schelotto and David Beckham for the League lead with four assists. Morales has been fouled 21 times, more than any MLS player this season. FC Dallas has dominated the series going 8-2-1 versus the 2005 expansion side. RSL's last win over FC Dallas was a 3-2 victory on September 16, 2006 at Rice Eccles Stadium.

Columbus Crew at San Jose Earthquakes, 10 p.m. (CLBSN, CSN-Bay Area, DK, MLSLIVE.tv)

Earthquakes forward Kei Kamara and Crew midfielder Brian Carroll were traded for each other before the season. The Crew, currently holding a four-game winning streak, have won five straight games five times in club history, but the last time was during the 2001 season.

New York Red Bulls at Los Angeles Galaxy, 10:30 p.m. (MSG, FSN-West, HDNet)

The last time the Red Bulls played in LA (Oct. 19, 2007), they put a major dent in the Galaxy's playoff hopes by earning a 1-1 draw thanks to a Jozy Altidore goal. It was the last regular season game for New York, whose playoff position was already set, but the Red Bulls played all their usual starters and held the hosts to one point in the standings. The Galaxy has the League's best offense with 13 goals in six games, with 11 of those goals coming in their four home games.

Sunday, May 11

New England Revolution at Chivas USA, 3 p.m. (TeleFutura)

The series is as evenly matched as possible (2-2-2) with each team recording six goals against each other. Both teams look to get back into the win column, as each went scoreless last week, NE lost to Chicago, 0-3 and FCD tied San Jose, 0-0. FC Dallas has not scored in two games after opening with eight goals in their first four games.

All times Eastern, live broadcasts in parentheses; schedule subject to change

Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham wins Player of the Week for Week 6

Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 6 of the 2008 season. Beckham scored two spectacular goals in succession to bring the Galaxy back from a 2-0 deficit to tie Real Salt Lake on the road. The honor is the second of the season for Beckham, who has helped lead Los Angeles to a 2-2-2 record, 8 points and second in the Western Conference. LA leads the League in goals scored with 13 and Beckham has played a part in seven of them (3 goals, 4 assists). Donovan and the Galaxy are back in action on Saturday, May 10 when they host the lethal forward tandem of Jozy Altidore and Juan Pablo Angel, and the New York Red Bulls at 10:30 p.m. ET. For more information, click here.

The Major League Soccer Player of the Week is selected each week of the MLS regular season by a panel of journalists from The North American Soccer Reporters (NASR). The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media. More information and membership information can be found at http://www.soccerreporters.com/.

Crew halfway to a playoff spot?

In 2007, no team that made the playoffs had fewer than 10 wins (all eight had 10 or more) and the Columbus Crew is already half way there with five wins through the first six games of the season. The Crew went 9-11-10 with 37 points in 2007 and were out of playoff contention by a mere three points. The Crew plays 11 more games before the All-Star break, and if they keep up the pace they could be applying some playoff pressure to other Eastern Conference contenders by mid July.

The Crew's start at 5-1-0 with 15 points is tied for the fifth best after six games in MLS history.

YEAR TEAM W L T PTS

1996 Galaxy 6 0 0 18

1998 Galaxy 6* 0 0 16

2000 Wizards 5 0 1 16

2005 Revolution 5 0 1 16

1999 Fire 5 1 0 15

2008 Crew 5 1 0 15

* Won game in shootout after tied in regulation.

Holding the Lead

Through 39 contests in 2008, no team has lost after scoring the first goal. Teams that score first have gone 32-0-7 in 2008. Last year, the teams that scored first went 134-21-34 overall.

Perennial Powers Searching for Solid Ground

Back-to-back MLS Cup Champions the Houston Dynamo and back-to-back Supporters' Shield winners D.C. United sit in last place in the Western and Eastern Conferences respectively. Houston has yet to win a game and has scored only five goals this season, which ranks 13th out of 14 clubs. Although they've lost only two games, an anemic offense has another tough test in the Colorado Rapids who sit tied for first place in the Western Conference. D.C. United has allowed 12 goals and ranks 12th out 14 clubs in goals-against average, and has another tough test in the Chicago Fire this weekend who sit in second place and rank second in goal scoring average.

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 5, 2008


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