Live The Pitch

With all of the World Cup excitement recently, it’s easy to forget about Major League Soccer here in the US.  Let’s try to get caught up, shall we?

STANDINGS

We are just under the midway point of the season for most teams, and it’s the Los Angeles Galaxy who have been the class of the league so far.  With 33 points in 14 games, and a stout defense only giving up four goals all year, LA is definitely setting the pace.  Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle are returning to the squad this Sunday at home against Seattle on ESPN2.  Will Donovan finish the season with the Galaxy, or will a European squad swoop in with a bag of cash?  We’ll see once the transfer window opens up…

Trailing the Galaxy in the West are the defending champions, Real Salt Lake.  Colorado is surprisingly in third, followed by three teams on 18 points in Houston, Dallas, and San Jose.  Seattle has been a disappointment so far with only 15 points and Chivas USA is on the bottom with only 10 points.  The road is only going to get harder for Chivas as they sold star midfielder Sacha Kljestan to Belgian giants Anderlecht last month.

The East is led by Columbus and New York with 24 points, although the Crew have a game in hand on the Red Bulls.  Toronto is chasing a playoff berth with 19 points.  Chicago is sitting on 17 points.  Kansas City and New England have struggled this season, Philadelphia is a tougher team than expected even in their first year.  It’s DC United that has been the biggest disappointment this season.  A promising run before the World Cup break was extinguished with a 2-0 loss in Columbus last week.

STARS

Edson Buddle’s early season tear earned him a trip to South Africa, he’s still leading the league with 9 goals.  Dwayne De Rosario (TOR) and Juan Pablo Angel (NY) trail him with 8.  Landon Donovan is leading in assists with 9, followed by the revival of Bobby Convey (SJ) who has 7.  San Jose has been one of the surprises of 2010, with Convey and Chris Wondolowski (7 goals) leading the way.

Sebastien Le Toux has kept the expansion Philadelphia Union competitive, showing the form that dominated the USL D-1 before the Sounders moved up to MLS.

The Galaxy’s Jamaican goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts has been the class of the league, only giving up four goals all year.  His defense, led by young American Omar Gonzalez, has been outstanding.

NEWCOMERS

Expect to see more additions as the transfer window opens on the 15th, but a few have started to be announced by MLS clubs.  Seattle made a deal to acquire Swiss international and World Cup player Blaise Nkufo.  He’s 35 years old and has starred with FC Twente for the last seven years, hitting double digits in goal in each of those seasons.  He started all of Switzerland’s games in South Africa.

DC United has made a pair of signings to try to reverse their fortunes.  Branko Bošković, a member of the Montenegro national team, and Pablo Hernandez, a young Argentine forward, will be joining United in the coming weeks.  Bošković played briefly with Paris Saint-Germain before settling at Rapid Wien in Austria.  Hernandez joins the team on loan from Uruguayan Club Defensor Sporting.

There is also the rumored signing of Thierry Henry to New York.  While nothing has been announced officially, Barcelona has let Henry out of his contract.  This paves the way for a free transfer to the Big Apple.

SCHEDULE

Highlights this week include an Eastern Conference battle in Columbus as the Crew take on the visiting Chicago Fire on Saturday night on Fox Soccer Channel.  ESPN2 picked up the homecoming July 4th match for Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle against Seattle.  Sunday also sees New York travel to Colorado in an interesting match between two of the league’s bigger surprises this season.

Check back with us Monday for a recap of the weekend’s action.