The Monday MLS Breakdown: Decision Time

By Kyle McCarthy

This is one of the few weeks during the year where taking a peek at the MLS transactions wire may not be such a bad idea.

For a certain few underachievers or a certain few players with outsized salaries for their contributions, today is a nervous day, one fraught with peril for their sporting futures.

Once July 1 hits, contracts around the turn permanent. Those non-guaranteed contracts that make up the vast majority of deals around the league turn into permanent assurances of six months’ worth of wages.

Needless to say, there are quite a few players around the league that have already succumbed to the ax.

Franco Niell won’t practice his particularly impotent brand of attacking soccer in D.C. any longer; apparently, $156,000 doesn’t purchase you much in Argentina when you’re after a pint-sized striker.

Guilherme So and Nicolas Hernandez went from permanent bench ornaments to free men in Columbus. Crew beat writer Shawn Mitchell captured Hernandez’s tale on his blog and noted Hernandez saw the writing on the wall and had planned his escape to Argentina.

Eloy Colombano’s $60,000 meant more to Kansas City in pro-rated and available form on the Wizards’ salary budget. Given the plight of strikers at the CAB these days, it speaks volumes about Colombano’s ineffectiveness in the league.

Others may join them in the next day or so as teams attempt to clear space and make room under the salary budget without chaining themselves to players that will chain themselves to the bench with their performances.

Then again, the contract guarantee date proceeds hand in hand with the transfer window for European and South American clubs.

Teams can carve out just enough space underneath the cap in order to go out and find the player(s) the team desperately needs in order to push for the playoff berth or the MLS Cup glory it seeks.

That means Los Angeles probably needs a defender (more on that below) and a left midfielder, Chicago probably wants Brian McBride, Kansas City probably covets anyone who can score, and Toronto probably hopes to sign a defender and a striker while being linked with any available player in the British Isles.

At the halfway point of the season, teams are starting to figure out what exactly they have on the roster and can identify foreign players, likely from South America or available on free transfers, who might fit the need. European-based, particularly English players, players can use the window to make a ludicrous statement or leak to the tabloids about a possible move to the States to drum up possible interest from clubs back home (see: Dickov, Paul and Ronaldinho as two recent examples).

No matter the outcome, the next two months will be rife with paper talk and possible additions as teams seek to make the necessary additions prior to the stretch run.

Changes pending in Los Angeles

Another weekend brought another dismal defensive performance from Los Angeles in yesterday’s 4-1 loss at D.C. United.

With the transfer window opening soon, Galaxy general Alexi Lalas said on Friday that his team needs to shore up its rearguard.

“It’s no revelation that given our defensive performance this season, we’re looking to bolster that side of the equation,” Lalas said.

The Argentine media linked Los Angeles with a move for veteran defender Eduardo Dominguez. Dominguez, 29, currently plays for Huracan in the Argentine first division and would expect to step into central defense alongside Sean Franklin.

Lalas would not confirm or deny the rumor, but said his team has identified a player who may join the team soon.

“We’ve spent a lot of time looking at players and we’ve settled on a guy who we think can help us,” Lalas said.

One player who may not end up helping the team is Carlos Ruiz. The Guatemalan’s name popped up in trade talks with Chivas USA this weekend after Ruud Gullit left Ruiz off the travel roster for Sunday’s match, according to The Washington Post’s Steve Goff

One pundit’s All-Star ballot

(A note: the selections are in rank order in order of preference. Example: Reis was the first selection in goal, Jon Busch was second and Will Hesmer rounded out the choices.)

Goal: Matt Reis (New England)

Others considered: Jon Busch (Chicago); Will Hesmer (Columbus)

Defense: Bakary Soumare (Chicago); Michael Parkhurst (New England); Gonzalo Segares (Chicago)

Others considered: Sean Franklin (Los Angeles); Nat Borchers (Real Salt Lake); Marco Velez (Toronto FC); Chad Marshall (Columbus)

Midfield: David Beckham (Los Angeles); Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago); Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus); Shalrie Joseph (New England); Steve Ralston (New England)

Others considered: Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA); Robbie Rogers (Columbus); Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake); John Thorrington (Chicago)

Striker: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles); Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas)

Others considered: Edson Buddle (Los Angeles); Alejandro Moreno (Columbus); Luciano Emilio (D.C. United)

Week Fourteen – Questions, Thoughts, and Answers

Goal.com Player of the Week – Steve Ralston, MF, New England

No one’s quite sure why Ralston gets better and better with age. Maybe the football IQ of defenders in the league has taken a nosedive. Maybe Ralston just puts himself in better positions than everyone else. Maybe Ralston’s move to the center of the field has allowed him to dictate the game. No matter the reason, Ralston’s two-goal performance boasted goals less aware midfielders wouldn’t score and showcased Ralston’s ability to orchestrate

What was he thinking? Tony Beltran, DF, Real Salt Lake

RSL had a point essentially in the bag before Davy Arnaud slung in a free kick in the waning moments. Nat Borchers looked like he had Jimmy Conrad well marked, but Beltran thought otherwise and tried to head the ball clear. Unfortunately for Beltran, his header powered past Nick Rimando and deprived RSL of a point they just about deserved.

Eleven observations to start the week

1. With the wasteful finishing on display in Saturday night’s 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake, Kansas City may just want to join the Carlos Ruiz sweepstakes. The Wizards created more chances than they had in past weeks, but the final touch is continually lacking. A scary stat: no Wizard forward scored in the month of June. An even scarier stat: no Wizard scored in June.

2. How does Wade Barrett (and the rest of the absent Dynamo defense) let Kenny Cooper ghost in and deprive the Dynamo of two needed points? Cooper is the only goal threat for FCD these days; leaving him unmarked inside the penalty spot can’t happen, especially when the game is well under control.

3. The sneakiest influential injury of the week: Logan Pause’s hip labral tear last weekend against Chivas USA. Pause won’t catch your eye, but he does a lot of the little things pretty well and holds some sway with a Fire team that needs his influence through a difficult stretch.

4. It was a nice run and finish by Emmanuel Ekpo to give Columbus a 2-1 win over Colorado, but is it too much to ask to have one of the five defenders floating around in the vicinity to step up and put him under some pressure as he winds up to shoot 19 yards from goal?

5. Bouna Coundoul’s one-handed, exaggerated save to deny Alejandro Moreno’s first-half header is one of the reasons why Coundoul is missed when he treks off to Africa for a week.

6. While Coundoul didn’t earn his team any points, late saves from Matt Reis and Joe Cannon earned their teams a win and a draw respectively and reminded us once again why the duo is amongst the upper echelon of MLS goalkeepers.

7. It may be a while before Andy Herron attempts another bicycle kick, but one hopes the Costa Rican will recover enough to further stake a claim for a place in the Fire lineup. Ten minutes doesn’t count as much of a statement.

8. Houston scored four goals in the month of June: three by Brian Ching and one by Dwayne De Rosario. Perhaps a striker or two needs to find their way to Houston during the transfer window.

9. Glad to see Ben Olsen return to the field this weekend for D.C. United for his first appearance since having surgery on both ankles last winter. The veteran winger will aid his team once he builds up his match fitness.

10. Wilman Conde’s reemergence in the Chicago lineup may hinder trade talks with Toronto FC as the Fire continues to purse Brian McBride. Chicago says Toronto wants too much; Toronto probably thinks they aren’t even asking for enough.

11. Give credit to Toronto FC head coach John Carver for his willingness and his honesty. The former Newcastle coach said his team wouldn’t come out and bunker in New England and they didn’t. Carver withdrew Danny Dichio after 60 uneventful minutes and then refused comment on Dichio’s performance afterwards, though a soliloquy about the little bit of quality lacking on the front end of the pitch tells you all you need to know about TFC’s plans during the transfer window.

Goal.com MLS Rankings

1. New England – That’s the performance the team has needed for weeks and weeks. (1)

2. Columbus – Perhaps a central defender needs to make its way onto the shopping list. (4)

3. Toronto FC – A central defender (and a striker) would likely fit here as well. (2)

4. D.C. United – Maybe United just wanted to spot the rest of the league a few points? (6)

5. Los Angeles – This defensive situation isn’t tolerable any longer. (3)

6. Chicago – Fortunate home draw against San Jose shows how far the Fire has fallen in recent weeks.(5)

7. Chivas USA – Remember when this team used to dominate at home? (7)

8. Houston – Apparently needs a lesson in killer instinct. (8)

9. New York – Improved performances need aid in the transfer window. (11)

10. Colorado – When will the next change occur? (9)

11. Real Salt Lake – At least RSL can still win games at home. (10)

12. Kansas City – There are some parts here, but they may need to be packaged and sent away for reinforcements. (12)

13. FC Dallas – Count the point in Houston as one for thieves. (13)

14. San Jose – Improved performances, impotent strikers. (14)

Kyle McCarthy's Monday MLS Breakdown appears each Monday on Goal.com. His regular blog appears here on Goal.com. He can be reached at: kylemccarthy@gmail.com.