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Hot, not, and what to watch in MLS
Latest: Friday July 28, 2000 02:57 PM
With the MLS All-Star game approaching, Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl is going with a special MLS All-Star break edition: Updates on the most important storylines of the season, who's hot and who's not, and some predictions for the second half.
D.C. UNITED'S DEMISE. Imagine the uproar in England if
Manchester United were to finish last in the Premier League next season. No MLS
2000 story is more shocking than the freefall of United, the three-time league
champ. In all likelihood, D.C. will have to win seven of its last eight games
just to make the playoffs. Not gonna happen, which leads to a few questions.
Will coach Thomas Rongen get canned? (Yes.) Will Marco Etcheverry
leave MLS? (After much grumbling, no.) And will president/GM Kevin
Payne clean house? (Doubtful -- look at all that talent.) At least D.C. has
one thing it won't have to worry about:
Relegation.
| |
| Playoff Race Logjam |
|---|
| Rank |
Team |
Pts. |
PPG |
| 1. |
Kansas City |
41 |
1.86* |
| 2. |
MetroStars |
41 |
1.86 |
| 3. |
Tampa Bay |
38 |
1.65 |
| 4. |
Los Angeles |
37 |
1.54 |
| 5. |
Chicago |
35 |
1.52 |
| 6. |
Colorado |
33 |
1.43 |
| 7. |
New England |
32 |
1.39 |
| 8. |
Dallas |
31 |
1.29** |
| ==== |
==== |
==== |
==== |
| 9. |
Columbus |
31 |
1.29 |
| 10. |
Miami |
26 |
1.13 |
| 11. |
San Jose |
23 |
1.00 |
| 12. |
D.C. United |
21 |
0.88 |
| |
|
PLAYOFF RACE LOGJAM. Great move by MLS to switch to a
format with five wild cards. With just six weeks left in the regular season,
only two wins separate the No. 4 team (Los Angeles) from the No. 9 team
(Columbus). In other words, look for a wild, wild stretch run to decide the
eight playoff teams. If the season ended July 26, the chart to the right shows how things would shake
out (point-per-game corrects for
games-in-hand):
METRO-CHAMPS? After finishing dead last a year ago, the
MetroStars are suddenly the favorites to win MLS Cup 2000. If they stay hot --
and it says here they will -- look for a few things to happen, namely 1)
Continued league-wide complaints about the fallout from the Luis
Hernández deal, which brought Clint Mathis and Roy
Myers in to save the Metros; 2) Increasing confusion over Lothar
Matthäus's role on the team; and 3) GM Nick Sakiewicz's ego
to increase to Steinbrennerian proportions.
BIG MAMA'S SCORING SPREE. If Tampa Bay's Mamadou (Big
Mama) Diallo scores 10 more goals in his last nine games, he'll break
Roy Lassiter's single-season MLS record of 27 goals set in 1996. Then stand
back and watch as European clubs come calling for the sturdy Senegalese
striker.
THE FUSION FOLLIES. The guillotine is being readied for the
Miami Fusion, whose possible relocation may be the subject of discussion as soon
as this weekend, when the MLS Board of Governors meets in Columbus. Why have two
teams struggling to draw fans in Florida when there isn't a single MLS team in
Houston, Philadelphia or
Rochester?
HOT
Carlos Valderrama. This guy's really 38? The hair may go gray, but the
skills are still
there.
MLS. No, Ronaldo isn't coming, but the fact that he even
mentioned MLS as a possibility is kind of
cool.
Bobby Convey. Waifish D.C. United teenager can really play.
Chris Henderson. Tony Meola isn't the only Wizards player who
should be joining the national team next
month.
NOT
DaMarcus Beasley. It's too early to panic, of course, but Beasley
should have taken his Silver Ball from the world under-17 tournament and headed
straight to Europe. Instead he's stuck riding pine in
Chicago.
CONCACAF. Name two countries that would least like to see the U.S. in
the final round of World Cup qualifying: Mexico and Jamaica. Now name the home
countries of the two referees who have screwed the U.S. this month: Mexico and
Jamaica. Any questions? It's time for CONCACAF to spend a few bucks and bring in
some zebras from South
America.
Octavio Zambrano. Lame favoritism toward his own players reaches new
heights with Zambrano's selection of MetroStars defender Dan
Hernández for East All-Star
team.
1. Ronaldo thinks twice about MLS. The Phenomenon changes his mind
about wanting to come Stateside on a loaner when he sees tapes of D.C.'s
Geoff Aunger scything down opponents left and
right.
2. New England will make the playoffs; Columbus won't. With six of its
last eight games at home (including two against the Crew), the Revs will squeak
into the postseason for the second time in team history. With a playoff spot on
the line, the Crew will choke to lose its last two games of the season, both
against rival
Chicago.
3. Three MLS coaches will get the sack. D.C.'s Thomas Rongen
and Miami's Ray Hudson will depart soon after their teams miss the
playoffs. Then watch as the Dallas's Dave Dir gets canned after the
Burn lose in Round 1 of the postseason. (Mysteriously, Columbus's Tom
Fitzgerald will keep his job despite not reaching the playoffs.) One of the
departed coach's replacements will be former U.S. coach Steve Sampson
-- in either Dallas or Miami.
4. MetroStars striker Clint Mathis will sizzle down the stretch. Along
the way, Mathis will average a goal a game and rally to be named Most Valuable
Player as the Metros take the Supporters Shield with MLS's best
record.
5. MetroStars over Chicago in MLS Cup 2000. Behind a resurgent
Hristo Stoitchkov, the Fire will roll to the final, only to be stopped by
MVP Mathis and the reincarnation of the Cosmos. Afterward, Lothar
Matthäus and GM Nick Sakiewicz will scuffle over who deserves
the most credit for the
championship.
Sports Illustrated staff writer Grant Wahl will keep you up to date on U.S.
soccer teams and players each Wednesday. To send him a question or comment click here.
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