In political parlance, the “laugh test” is the method to determine the reality of a proposal or idea, as in if a person laughs when you tell them your solution to a problem, it both unrealistic and ridiculous. &nbsp;A few weeks back on the MLS Talk podcast (<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/major-league-soccer-talk/id257051047?mt=2&amp;ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">subscribe on iTunes today</a>) I suggested that Chivas USA could make a playoff run, a suggestion that I almost made without&nbsp;chuckling&nbsp;to myself. &nbsp;In fact, if you look at the standings, Chivas is in a position to make a playoff run as they are ten points behind fifth place (and slumping) Vancouver but have four&nbsp;games in hand over both the Whitecaps and Dallas, the two teams ahead of them in the standings. &nbsp;Doing the math, a hot streak could spark the Goats into the playoff conversation and, based on their mid-season acquisitions, that is exactly what the team is aiming to do.
Yet the words “Chivas” and “playoffs” outright fail the laugh test, and the reason why was shown in yesterday’s game. &nbsp;Despite the ability to pick up three valuable points at home the team was run over by the Seattle Sounders. It is certainly no disgrace to fall to Seattle, maybe the second best team in MLS, but it was the way they lost that epitomizes the foolishness of the playoff dreams. &nbsp;Despite mounting a decent comeback after going down 3-0 in the first third of the game, they simply had no answer defensively for Fredy Montero and his teammates. &nbsp;Again, not a disgrace necessarily until you look at the starting XI. &nbsp;Shalrie Joseph started in midfield and while he can play a little offense, he made his name in New England as a defensive presence in front of the back four. &nbsp;Starting center back John Valencia was a heralded international signing and right back James Riley was a veteran presence from… Seattle. &nbsp;Bobby Burling, who was the other starting center back in place of recent acquisition Danny Califf, was another veteran who just looked old in the game.
While schedule congestion plays a role in the sluggish play, the way Chivas has built itself is the real reason this team is failing to live up to a promising off-season. &nbsp;Remember, last season Chivas made a late playoff run and keeper Dan Kennedy was a revelation in net. &nbsp;A playoff push was not out of the picture in the preseason analysis. &nbsp;But instead of looking to build on a system or having &nbsp;a plan (ala Frank Yallop in San Jose), Chivas and Robin Fraser pretended to play Football Manager and grabbed the biggest names out there. &nbsp;Besides the aforementioned Burling, Joseph, and Riley, the Goats has also picked up Juan Agudelo to bolster an absolutely anemic offense. &nbsp;But as you look through the roster and starting XIs, there is little rhyme or reason.
The reality is that in the offseason, Chivas’ management needs to take a hard look at this team and decide how it wants to proceed. &nbsp;The dumping ground for failed designated players and trade partner for recognizable but&nbsp;middling&nbsp;MLS players is a failed system for&nbsp;Chivas&nbsp;and has set them up to be pretty good, but not good enough to be consistently&nbsp;relevant. &nbsp;It beats being, say, Toronto but it is eerily familiar to how other “second city teams” in other sports are viewed, such as the pre-Blake Griffin Clippers. &nbsp;If the Goats are committed to remaining in LA, and there seems to be no suggestion that they are not, they need to build a team that can actually win at the Home Depot Center (where their 2012 goal difference is -13!). &nbsp;With its wide field, the Goats should look not to their cross-city rivals but to the north to San Jose to see how a fast, aggressive teams can succeed in this league and in a unique home venue.

Loss to Seattle Shows Fallacy of Chivas Playoff Hopes

Loss to Seattle Shows Fallacy of Chivas Playoff Hopes - World Soccer Talk

For the first seventy minutes of yesterday’s First Kick match-up between the Galaxy and RSL, the predictions about the amazing 2012 Galaxy season looked like they were more than just hype.&nbsp; Only the crossbar and some timely RSL defending denied the Galaxy a multi-goal lead and the defense looked&nbsp;shaky&nbsp;but solid.&nbsp; When Edson Buddle converted a David Beckham pass into a goal in the 71st minute, fans could be forgiven for switching off the game and assuming it would spiral out of control from there.
But a funny thing happened at The Home Depot Center last night, and it was an intangible that we sometimes forget affects soccer games.&nbsp; The Galaxy had played in Toronto on Wednesday night and with an older team, the travel visibly began to affect the team in the second half.&nbsp; In addition, they needed a two goal comeback to get a draw from their CCL match.&nbsp; Those watching closely could see how the Galaxy defense began to sag in the middle of the field and, when losing a step on an RSL player, committed more fouls (fourteen for the game).
Two minutes after the Buddle goal, new RSL midfielder Sebastian Velazquez created some space down the right and put in a cross towards goal.&nbsp; Brian Dunseth on the&nbsp;MLS Live&nbsp;feed noted earlier that the pitch at Home Depot Center gets a little damp as the temperature drops, and Sean Franklin possibly fell victim to this.&nbsp; He threw his leg out to deflect the bouncing cross but ended up stabbing it into his own net.&nbsp; At that point the game changed as Real Salt Lake had the momentum and the home side looked deflated.&nbsp; Adding to this momentum was key substitutions by Jason Kreis who brought on banged up Javier Morales and Alvaro Saborio midway through the second half, substitutions that gave RSL a more confident and attacking line-up. &nbsp;In the 80th minute, Morales scored his first goal since his injury last season when he poked a loose ball in the LA box into the net. &nbsp;Fabian Espindola, who had a big second half, put the exclamation point on the win with a nice drive down the left that saw him juke a few defenders before finishing with a goal.
Even though this was the first MLS game for both teams, the impact cannot be understated. &nbsp;For the visitors, scoring the first away win against the Galaxy since 2010, especially when down a goal, is a major momentum boost for this side. &nbsp;Nick Rimando had an excellent game and while LA put RSL under a lot of pressure throughout the game, the Reds held the high-flying Galaxy to only one goal. &nbsp;The negative this game revealed is the team’s depth. &nbsp;With Morales and Saborio sitting, players like Paulo Jr., Louis Gil, and Sebastian Velasquez got the start. &nbsp;Despite Velasquez setting up the first goal, these players were&nbsp;shaky&nbsp;in the midfield and Espindola lacked any consistent quality passes from the midfield. &nbsp;LA gave the visitors some good chances at counters, but they failed to take advantage of them for the first part of the game.
As for the Galaxy, this game was a bit of a wake-up. &nbsp;Coming back to force a draw with Toronto is a confidence booster; this result should show them that they can’t play the entire season by wasting chances. &nbsp;Looking up at Real Salt Lake should help show this team that they won’t cake walk to another title and this is a good lesson to see early. &nbsp;That said, they could have easily gone home last night with a multi-goal win. &nbsp;Their offensive pressure was as advertised and the big names (especially Donovan and Beckham) were dynamic. &nbsp;Fatigue was a factor but that will be a factor all season. &nbsp;How they handle that will be a key to how far they advance this season. &nbsp;But this result should in no way lesson the impression that they are the most dangerous team in MLS.
A few other observations for you from the game:
<ul>
<li>The broadcast crew for RSL were pretty good, especially Brian Dunseth in the booth. &nbsp;That said, the unintentional comedy moment of the night was them hosting Don Garber in the booth. &nbsp;After introducing the Commish, there was about three minutes of play-by-play, with Garber finally interjecting that he felt like he was butting in.</li>
<li>I watched this game on the new MLS Live on my computer but about 10 minutes in hooked it to my HD TV. &nbsp;The picture was incredible and when MLS Live says it has an HD feed, it isn’t lying. &nbsp;I haven’t tried the phone or iPad feed but look forward to it.</li>
<li>I loved the LA Galaxy faux-Real Madrid shirts. &nbsp;They look great on TV with the&nbsp;sash.</li>
<li>The return match on June 20 will be fun to watch. &nbsp;This game got chippy midway through and it is obvious the players on these two teams don’t care much for each other.</li>
</ul>

Real Salt Lake Shocks Host Galaxy 3-1

Real Salt Lake Shocks Host Galaxy 3-1 - World Soccer Talk

Join MLS Talk this Sunday night beginning at 9 PM ET as we provide live analysis and insight into the match between the Houston Dynamo and the LA Galaxy. &nbsp;Join us for a discussion on the teams and tactics, as well as the&nbsp;occasional&nbsp;opportunity to sound off on ESPN’s coverage and the atmosphere at the Home Depot Center. &nbsp;We look forward to your thoughts and insights as well. &nbsp;Make plans to join us now, beginning with the pre-game at 9 PM!

The MLS Talk 2011 MLS Cup Live Chat

The MLS Talk 2011 MLS Cup Live Chat - World Soccer Talk

After a midweek tease, the MLS slate is full this weekend with all but two teams playing on Saturday. &nbsp;For those looking forward to a little Friday night soccer, there will be none so you’ll just have to wait for Saturday night’s glamorous TV lineup, which includes the renewal of the U.S. leg of the Cascadia Cup rivalry.
Now for the other stories catching our attention this week:
<ul>
<li>Marcos Mondaini <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/51802477-77/field-tackle-mondaini-morales.html.csp" target="_blank">received a four game suspension</a> and a $1,500 fine for his aggressive tackle on Real Salt Lake’s Javier Morales. &nbsp;The suspension is much less than Brian Mullan’s, but the league deemed the tackle as one to prevent a scoring chance, while Mullan’s “showed utter disregard for his opponent’s safety.”</li>
<li><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/struggling-with-crumbling-rfk-stadium-dc-united-is-desperate-for-a-new-home/2011/05/11/AFiiNb1G_story.html" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> ran a front page story this morning on DC United’s situation at&nbsp;Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. &nbsp;There were no great surprises to MLS or DCU fans, but the prominent placement may help the team in its efforts to build a new home.</li>
<li>Speaking of DCU, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/post/us-coach-bob-bradley-considering-dc-united-forward-charlie-davies-for-spain-friendly-and-concacaf-gold-cup/2011/05/12/AFnHuF1G_blog.html#pagebreak" target="_blank">Steven Goff of the </a><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/post/us-coach-bob-bradley-considering-dc-united-forward-charlie-davies-for-spain-friendly-and-concacaf-gold-cup/2011/05/12/AFnHuF1G_blog.html#pagebreak" target="_blank">Post</a> broke the news that Bob Bradley will be in attendance at the DC-Colorado match tomorrow night. &nbsp;While there are other American nationals like Dax McCarty and Anthony Wallace there, this is likely Charlie Davies casting call for a Gold Cup spot.</li>
<li>Speaking of Bob Bradley, over 50,000 tickets have already been sold for the <a href="http://www.ussoccer.com/Social/MNT-Blog.aspx?plckController=Blog&amp;plckScript=blogScript&amp;plckElementId=blogDest&amp;plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&amp;plckPostId=Blog%3a1a697a53-a181-4302-aa61-f454d97c88fdPost%3a4e350f30-c50d-47c3-8342-8c29fc4f29b1" target="_blank">USA v. Spain</a> friendly at Gillette Stadium on June 4, and organizers expect a record crowd for the region.</li>
<li>Our parent site announced the news a few days ago that possible FA Cup champion Manchester &nbsp;City will <a href="http://epltalk.com/manchester-city-expand-us-2011-summer-tour-to-face-la-galaxy-31539" target="_blank">extend their U.S. tour</a> to play the LA Galaxy July 24 at Home Depot Center.</li>
<li>The Colorado Rapids injury list grows, as the <a href="http://www.coloradorapids.com/news/2011/05/cummings-out-2-4-weeks-ankle-sprain" target="_blank">team announced</a> that Omar Cummings will be out 2-4 weeks with “an ankle”. &nbsp;Caleb Folan is also out this weekend, but Conor Casey is expected to return.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/05/12/mls-confirms-contact-over-possible-minnesota-expansion" target="_blank">MLS in Minnesota</a>? &nbsp;Don Garber’s considering it (sorry Miami/Cosmos/Las Vegas/San Antonio fans).</li>
<li>If you like fan bases tweaking each other and stirring up regional rivalries like I do, <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/05/11/new-billboard-stokes-fire-houston-dallas-rivalry" target="_blank">this billboard</a> in Dallas will make you laugh.</li>
</ul>
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Bob, Robert, and Omar: The Week in Review May 9-13, 2011

Bob, Robert, and Omar: The Week in Review May 9-13, 2011 - World Soccer Talk

Latest news from Home Depot Center. Find out about all the news related to Home Depot Center on worldsoccertalk.com

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Loss to Seattle Shows Fallacy of Chivas Playoff Hopes

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Real Salt Lake Shocks Host Galaxy 3-1

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The MLS Talk 2011 MLS Cup Live Chat

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Bob, Robert, and Omar: The Week in Review May 9-13, 2011