Davis: Watershed moments for two sides
Real Salt Lake's upset over Columbus could serve as clubs' turning point
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1. Watershed moments at two clubs: Some playoff losses are destined to reverberate more than others. You get the feeling that Columbus' downfall was a real watershed.
So too, perhaps, was it a organization-turning moment for Real Salt Lake. It looks like the kind of triumph that can serve as a club cornerstone in so many ways.
First and foremost, any talk of Jason Kreis' continued employment at Rio Tinto can now be safely stowed. The team stumbled around through the regular season, brushed by chronic whispers of "under achievement," barely tip-toeing its way into the playoffs. Two weeks ago, any objective observer would have to wonder if GM Garth Lagerwey would have to make a very tough call about the well-liked Kreis, the club's second coach and a man who surely helped get things pointed in a better direction.
Now, after overseeing what will surely be the first-round's biggest upset (no matter what else happens this weekend), Kreis has surely earned his keep. For it wasn't just that the men from Utah advanced, it was the convincing manner in which they did so. Only one other team had come and gone victoriously from Crew Stadium over the last 16 months, and yet RSL passed the pressure-packed test with verve.
We all saw the way RSL lost to the New York Red Bulls last year, thoroughly dominating the visitors but unable to find goal. We all knew to label that one under "freak," one of those games that has everyone muttering, "That's soccer sometimes."
Well, Thursday's win was nothing of the kind. It was well-managed all around, with heroic midfield industry from Kyle Beckerman and man-on-a-mission Will Johnson, as the pair helped atone for a couple of sloppy moments in the back. And are we watching Robbie Findley grow into elite striker status right before our eyes?
A team that didn't seem so terrifying just two weeks ago suddenly is bearing its teeth, and don't think that's going unnoticed around the league.
2. Suddenly, tough choices ahead at Crew Stadium: Meanwhile, in the Columbus camp, this one will be talked about for some time. It's the kind of shot that may ricochet around for a while, one that could easily claim some victims.
Robert Warzycha's decision to leave Guillermo Barros Schelotto on the bench in last weekend's first round is the kind of decision that he'll have to drag around indefinitely. It was a gamble that backfired with ferocity.
And we may see some personnel movement based on two matches in this series. That really is incredible considering how stable things seemed around Crew Stadium just a month ago, as Columbus claimed the Supporters' Shield and became the only MLS side to advance into elimination phase of CONCACAF Champions League.
Now, there are so many questions to ask, starting with Frankie Hejduk. He's been such a valued presence in Ohio and on the national team for so long that the truth is going to land with a harsh resignation. But if we're being honest, it can only be said one way: Hejduk fell apart at the worst possible time. His momentary inattention cost Columbus a huge goal in the series opener. Then, he had made some poor choices on the attack Thursday before a pair of immeasurably costly blunders in defense.
What Hejduk, the team's right fullback, was doing several steps behind his center backs on RSL's first goal, only he could say. And who could argue with the penalty decision awarded when Hejduk found himself so poorly positioned that his best option was to take his chances and wrestle down Fabian Espindola.
Jed Zayner's quality play as the primary backup at right back this year adds another layer to the discussion.
At the other end, Alejandro Moreno's reputation as one of the league's premier floppers probably affected some of the calls from Baldomero Toledo. How could they not? Even Crew fans have acknowledged as much, as the ire over his penchant for falling on contact might have reached critical mass in Ohio.
We all love seeing exciting young wingers, the guys who zip up and down and make things happen on offense. That's why so many people love Robbie Rogers. But at some point, the guy simply must be more productive. He has seven goals and eight assists in two seasons as a starter, which are hardly prolific numbers. And Warzycha's decision to bench Rogers for Thursday's contest says volumes.
Columbus was one of the clubs were "stability" seemed sure to be the buzzword heading into another offseason of league personnel flux, where the impending expansion draft will arrive as an early pressure point and have things shaking out quickly. Now, just like that, Columbus seems to be a club with meaningful and hard choices ahead.
3. Dealing with the gap: When at all possible, managers prefer to keep things as predictable as possible for their clubs. Well-worn routines are the way forward -- even if the quirkiness of MLS scheduling sometimes makes such patterns hard to come by.
So Dominic Kinnear and Sigi Schmid had to some thinking to do about how to handle a nine-day break between matches. Houston and Seattle opened the league's playoff season as ESPN2's feature match on Thursday, Oct. 29. But they don't resume the series until Sunday, which is the last day of opening round matches.
It worked out much better in Houston's case, as Kinnear's men finished the back end of a busy stretch with last week's scoreless draw on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. So for the Orange, the interruption could be spun into benefit.
Not so for Seattle, which had been in a nice little pattern of weekend matches before the schedule went a little pear-shaped. So Schmid said he did everything possible to make it feel like a normal week. He had the team come in last Friday for a light, recovery workout. Then he gave the players Saturday and Sunday off and resumed on Monday with a regular week of training.
"You've just got to make sure you work hard early in the week and them taper off just like always, so that the team is rested and ready to play on the weekend," Schmid said.
The days off weren't completely useless, as bumps and bruises from 18 Houston fouls had a chance to heal. Schmid wasn't particularly excited about officiating that permitted a physical approach. He noted that his difference makers, guys like Freddy Ljungberg, Steve Zakuani and Fredy Montero, were all smaller, faster guys. He knows that a lot of Sunday's outcome depends on how the match is called on the day. The more tightly officiated the better for Seattle. He says they'll just have to adjust as needed.
"I've talked about it a number of times, and it's not going to change," Schmid said. "It is what it is."
4. Goalkeepers' experience: Experience clearly counts in the playoffs. It does, at least, in the net. Did anyone else note that four goalkeepers in the postseason already had MLS titles on the resume?
Pat Onstad, in fact, has three of them. William Hesmer has one, collected just last year. Nick Rimando has one from his days at D.C. United. And Zach Thornton was an MLS Cup winner way back in 1998 with that spunky Chicago Fire expansion side.
"The fact that certain guys have been there before, I think that's a big part of why guys stick around," Onstad said. "Coaches like players like that, with goalkeepers especially, guys who have been in high-pressure situations before."
You may also note that every goalkeeper to win an MLS title since 2001 was still active in MLS this year. Tony Meola was the last backstopper to claim an MLS crown who is now out of MLS.
5. Changing of the guard, 2009 version: Does anyone else get the feeling that more familiar faces are in danger than usual this year? Seven clubs missed the playoffs (an all-time high due to expansion), so there are plenty of clubs already mulling the many options. Night falls on three more clubs this weekend, and none will be happy about starting the tough process of deciding who's in, who's out, who is getting reduced roles, etc.
We already know about several high-profile departures. Cuauhtemoc Blanco is off to Mexico at the conclusion of action around Toyota Park. And teammate Brian McBride could possibly decide he's had enough pro soccer, too.
A week ago, Guillermo Barros Schelotto seemed sure to return for another run at Crew Stadium. Now, who knows?
Of course, there's already ample coaching flux around MLS, with managerial hunts in play at Red Bull New York, D.C. United, Toronto FC and Kansas City.
In terms of players just south of elite status, it seems that important choices are all over the place. Emmanuel Ekpo started over Robbie Rogers, as noted earlier. What does that say about matters going forward at Crew Stadium? Dynamo midfielder Brian Mullan has been a presence on the right side for his club since the Reagan Administration, or so it seems. But his numbers have fallen, and he's no longer such a consistent supplier of service from the wing, so we could see something happening at Robertson Stadium. That's where we've already seen longtime incumbent Wade Barrett lose his long-time place at left fullback.
Jesse Marsch fell out of favor in Preki's Chivas USA camp late in the season, and that man has been around since 1996. Justin Mapp's career has been on a curious swoon for some time; Marco Pappa has clearly lapped him as the club's up-and-coming young attacker in Chicago.
Yura Movsisyan and Chris Rolfe are gone from RSL and Chicago, off to pursue European dreams.
In Dallas, manager Schellas Hyndman and some yet-to-be-chosen technical director will have to make a quick choice on David Ferreira, who performed so well over the back half of the season. His loan deal includes a purchase option and a potentially high salary, and that will have to be sorted out.
In Los Angeles, Chris Klein and Eddie Lewis represent key cogs in one of the league's oldest midfields; you can bet it won't stay that way forever.
The expansion draft is Wednesday, Nov. 25, three days after the MLS Cup is decided in Seattle. It will all start there.
Steve Davis is a freelance writer who has covered Major League Soccer since its inception. Steve writes for www.DailySoccerFix.com and can be reached at BigTexSoccer@yahoo.com. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
