Chivas just keeps on keepin’ on. They are six points clear of Seattle, although the Sounders have a game in hand.

Last weeks injury list for Chivas USA read like this…

OUT:
DF Bobby Burling (sports hernia surgery);
FW Alecko Eskandarian (R hamstring strain);
DF Ante Jazic (concussion);
GK Dan Kennedy (R knee sprain);
FW Ante Razov (R ankle surgery);
DF Claudio Suárez (L calf strain);
DF Lawson Vaughn (L ankle surgery);
QUESTIONABLE:
MF Bojan Stepanovic (left leg contusion);
MF Sasha Victorine (L knee surgery);
PROBABLE:
FW Justin Braun (R knee sprain);
FW Maykel Galindo (sports hernia surgery)

Galindo, Victorine and Braun played, in fact, Braun scored the game’s only goal.

The rest of the league must be very wary of this club when players come off the injury list and attain ‘game fitness’.

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After 54 games, here are some comparisons to the first 54 in 2008.

  2008 2009
  Pts GP Pts GP
Chivas USA 8 8 19 8
Seattle NA NA 13 7
DC United 6 7 13 8
Toronto 11 7 12 8
Colorado 12 8 11 7
Chicago 16 7 11 7
Kansas City 11 8 11 8
RSL 8 8 10 7
New England 16 9 8 6
Houston 7 7 8 6
Los Angeles 8 7 8 7
Columbus 19 8 5 7
Columbus 19 8 5 7
RBNY 12 7 5 8
San Jose 4 7 5 7
FC Dallas 9 7 4 7

Note that Houston won the west last year.
RBNY, San Jose and RSL have yet to score on the road. RBNY are home to San Jose this week, while RSL is on the road this weekend.

New England has the highest shots to shots on goal ratio, 53.5%, but have taken the fewest shots, 43. It may be an irrelevant statistic as Seattle has the 2nd lowest ratio at 33.82% on 68 shots. RSL tops the league with 112 shots taken. They led the league in shots in 2008.
Last year the final shots on goal percentage ranged from 38.8 to 48.7 while so far this year the range is 33.7 to 53.5.

Chivas USA is scoring a full goal per game more than their opponents. Last place Dallas, conversely is allowing a full goal per game more, as is New England thanks to its being blown out at RSL two weekends ago. Both 4th in table Toronto and 11th place LA have scored and allowed the same total of goals.

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Of the remaining original MLS teams, Dallas and New Jersey/York are the only ones not to have won the Supporters’ Shield, the MLS Cup or the Lamar Hunt US Open.

No team has won the treble(Supporters’ Shield, MLS Cup, US Open). DC United lead the way with 10 titles.

Manchester United, by making the semifinals of the FA Cup and the finals of the Carling Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Champions League plus the regular season will play 67 games. Were an MLS club make it to the finals of the MLS Cup, the US Open and the CONCACAF Champions League, they would play 50 games.
If my arithmetic is wrong, please let me know.

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I’m a big fan of the CONCACAF Champions League. And last night Canada began its championship, aka the Voyageur’s Cup or the the Nutrilite Canadian Championship, to determine who will represent the nation in the next CCL. By now you all know the great success that the Montreal Impact had in this year’s competition and now Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps will try to wrest the cup for themselves. The round robin tourney opener saw TFC defeat the visiting Whitecaps at BMO.