Earl Reed

Houston pulled ahead of Red Bull New York in the Eastern Conference, in a 4-1 rout of DC United as Will Bruin scored three times. The Dynamo fielded an attacking diamond 4-1-3-2. Geoff Cameron was the distribution midfielder, with Will Bruin and Cam Weaver getting the start up front. Colin Clark got a start in […]

I hate to be the pessimist in the party, but guess what? The hype surrounding tonight's CONCACAF Champions League match is being overplayed. Don't get me wrong, a Real Salt Lake win (or a tie conceding one goal or fewer) would be a great testament to the advances that the domestic league has made in […]

In scientific analysis, there is a relationship called inverse proportionality. You see this in the case of gas properties, for instance, where pressure inside a constant temperature container must rise as the volume of the container shrinks. In other words, pressure and volume have an inverse proportionality. In much the same way you could say […]

Editor's note: We're trying out a new feature on EPL Talk that we want to get your feedback on. It's a new segment called Chalk Talk, which takes a close look at the tactics and formations featured in Premier League matches and brings them to you in a totally different format, video. While we don't […]

In the early stages of tonight's MLS match between the Rapids and Sounders, young Seattle star Steve Zakuani suffered what appears likely to be a tibia fracture after an extremely clumsy challenge by Rapids midfielder Brian Mullan. Here is a link to the video of the incident: WARNING – VIDEO IS GRAPHIC AND SHOWS SLO-MO […]

I am a football convert. Being in my mid-30's, I actually remember being exposed to the second season of the English Premier League. That's not because I cared, but because in my sophomore year at University of Rochester (NY), I roomed with a fellow who reffed for travelling youth leagues during the summers in Western […]

Now that the English teams have pretty well fleshed themselves out in Europe, as well as the Premier League title race, I think it's time to take a look at some clubs who made personnel moves on the pitch. The January transfer window was as active as ever, and now that mid-April has approached we are […]

(NOTE: This is a tactical analysis of Saturday's match. For a Red Bull perspective on this match, see my colleague Daniel's post found here) The Philadelphia Union played host to Red Bull New York on Saturday evening, with the home squad nicking a goal midway through the second half to regain their early claim on […]

The first rematch of MLS Cup 2010 saw F.C. Dallas blank Colorado 3-0, as MVP David Ferreira opened his 2011 account with two tallies at Pizza Hut Park. Dallas, struggling to find their form in the early part of this season, at least temporarily halted the experiment that moved Brek Shea to central defense. Schellas […]

Philadelphia picked up their first defeat late Saturday night, as Leonardo headed home a free kick from David Beckham and the Galaxy withstood a man deficiency for over a half an hour to make it happen. In the first half, the Galaxy carried most of the offensive force. They were able to consistently get pressure […]

The 2011 Pioneer Cup began with the first leg at Columbus Crew stadium. In a match that may have been perfect for April Fool's Day, a red card and a penalty fell to Columbus' benefit, as they dispatched F.C. Dallas, 2-0. The Crew played as a rigid 4-2-3-1 squad, an exact clone of that played […]

Spurs' quest for another UEFA Champions League appearance took a detour yet again, as West Ham United held onto a scoreless draw at White Hart Lane in their London Derby. Formations The home squad was assembled in their familiar 4-4-1-1 formation. Jermain Defoe played the front. The most notable change from their normal squad was […]

The 2011 Major League Soccer season opened with a rainy affair at Qwest Field. The LA Galaxy got the best of Seattle in this meeting, 0-1, to christen a new season in front of a national audience. While ESPN's coverage claimed 4-4-2’s for both teams, in reality Seattle fielded what was more of a three […]

TEAM: Sporting Kansas City (neé Wizards) COACH: Peter Vermes (USA) 2010 RESULTS: 39 points, 3rd Place, Eastern Conference (missed playoffs) Casual fans of the big-league Kansas City soccer franchise may perform a double-take when they turn on their sets and hear "Sporting KC" for the first time. Owners OnGoal, LLC, decided that a new direction would […]

Allow me start with some nuts and bolts. When I first embarked on writing tactics-flavored match reports, I planned to focus on mid-to-lower table clubs, like my initial report on Wigan v. WBA. This was because Michael Cox of Zonal Marking (a participant in a tactics interview accessed with a subscription to EPL Talk Pro) already […]