Dynamo News

• Deric arrested after bar fight (Houston Chronicle)
• Rookie Rolfe here to improve (Houston Chronicle)
• Competition for Dynamo rookies about to take a major step up (MLS Soccer)
• Canetti takes you around BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston Dynamo)
• Cameron is back at Camp (Houston Dynamo)
• Monday Training Notes (Glenn Davis Soccer)

In Other News

• From the mind of The Ginge: The Galaxy, Parity, and Omar (WS Reader)
• Juninho coming back to LA (MLS Soccer)

Tweet(s) Of The Day

Soccer Matters Ironman @HermannHospital and @HoustonDynamo All Access tonight on @SportsTalk790 at 8pm cst

-@GlennDavisSoc

Why is our backup goalkeeper getting arrested for assault in a bar?

Being a professional has less to do with getting paid, and more to do with the proper attitude and approach. The adjustment for young professionals making a jump to the next level from college normally starts with how quickly they can apply that approach, and adapt to those demands.
Craig Merz of MLSsoccer.

The Quakes had 3 picks in the 2012 SuperDraft. In their first pick they selected a Generation Adidas forward from UC Santa Barbara, Sam Garza (seen above), with the No. 6 overall pick. The team picked up Jacob Hustedt, midfielder, from the University of Washington with the 25th pick (6th in round 2) and Chris Blais, goalkeeper, from the University of South Florida with the 33rd pick (14th in round 2).

By Joel Greenwaldt
Baltimore Blast (7-3) vs. Milwaukee Wave (8-0)
Game Time: 12/31/2011 3:00 PM
http://www.misllivesoccer.com/
What needs to go right for the Blast:

• Continue to take advantage of the power play: Baltimore is currently ranked first in the MISL with a 50% success rate when they have the power play advantage.

By Joel Greenwaldt
Each week during the season I'll post an updated MISL Power Ranking which will be based off the cumulative results and current strength of each team. Here's my rankings heading into Week 9. Week 9 Rankings through 12/28 games.
#1 Milwaukee Wave (8-0, 1st Place MISL Central Division)
Milwaukee was able to grind out a hard fought victory on the road over the Rochester Lancers on Wednesday evening.

Now that we've had a few days to examine things from every angle and formulate responsible judgments, I feel the time has come for a measured and well thought-out reaction to the Jay Heaps hiring. And no, it's not an unintelligible exclamation of frustration.

I still have plenty of reservations about Jay's lack of experience, and also about his leadership style.

Anthony Clavane's Big Match Verdict: Young Lions repay Capello's faith to prove the future's bright

Giving England's rookies a run-out against Spain could have either ended up a brave experiment – or an act of supreme folly. In the end, Fabio Capello's gamble paid off.

Major League Soccer announced the first of many 2011 season awards today by naming former James Madison University standout C.J. Sapong as the MLS Rookie of the Year for 2011.
Sapong beat out D.C. Uniteds' own Perry Kitchen to win this years award recognizing the leagues best first year player.

When he scored a goal in his first professional match, it was clear C.J. Sapong intended on doing big things his rookie year.

The James Madison product didn't come into the league with much fanfare, but once he settled into the Sporting Kansas City starting lineup, and played a key role in the team's turnaround from a 1-6-4 start, it was clear Sapong was a special player.

Today MLS named their finalists for all of their awards and two members of the Sporting KC team have been nominated for year end awards. The least surprising of the two, CJ Sapong has been named a finalist for the Rookie of the Year award. Sapong has to be considered the front runner and probably odds on favorite to win the award.

Zach Woosley of Dynamo Theory, SB Nation's Houston Dynamo blog, and I chatted ahead of today's Union-Dynamo game at PPL Park.

Scott: The regular season series is 2-0-2 in favor of the Union, with both wins for the Union away in Houston. Do you see the pattern continuing with another draw in Philadelphia, or do you think it will be an offensive display that will result in a high scoring result for either side?

Tashard Choice's fall from grace within the Dallas Cowboys organization came quickly. Last game, he started for the Cowboys. On Saturday, the Cowboys waived the running back.

Early on in his NFL career, Choice looked really good. He averaged more than five yards per career in his rookie and sophomore seasons.

For much of his rookie season, Chicago Fire defender Jalil Anibaba has gone about his business putting in work on the back line, but during his regular-season finale, Anibaba made sure to show off his offensive arsenal as well.

Anibaba scored the first two goals of his MLS career in the opening 30 minutes against Columbus with a pair of headers from inside the box to earn the final SBI MLS Rookie of the Week honors of the season.

The New England Revolution hosted the San Jose Earthquakes Saturday night in a make up game from early August. New England was eliminated from the playoffs a few weeks ago, and in a strange circumstance, the Quakes needed Los Angeles to secure a win or at least draw against New York during the week to keep their playoffs hopes alive.

There's an idea floating out there that since the Seattle Sounders lost to CS Herediano that they aren't a deep team. The concept seems to put forward that a team that doesn't earn points in every competition just doesn't have the bench. Not only is this concept wrong, looking into its refutation can open eyes into how deep the team truly is.

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

When he was drafted by the New England Revolution, defender A.J. Soares was regarded by many as the most pro-ready defender in the MLS Draft and a player capable of stepping in and contributing right away.

Soares has been just that for the Revs this season, and this past week was a strong example of that.

Finding minutes on a team as stacked as FC Dallas can't be easy for a rookie, so when Bobby Warshaw gets a chance to step on the field for the reigning Western Conference champions, he has to take full advantage.

Warshaw did just that on Saturday, coming off the bench to score a dramatic stoppage-time game-winning goal to help FC Dallas complete an inspired comeback in a 3-2 victory against Sporting Kansas City.

Have you ever stood in line at your local bodega or 7-11 clutching your 32oz. dose of high-fructose corn syrup while staring at the scratch offs and day-dreaming about the day that you could purchase your very own soccer-specific lotto tickets? I know. I have too.
MDI Entertainment has reached an agreement with MLS "to make logos and trademarks associated with MLS and its teams available to lotteries for instant games.

When you saw the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas in last season's MLS Cup Final, you thought it was going to be a boring final. But to be fair it was a very good final that sadly never had the star power it could've had if the Galaxy or the Red Bulls would've faced each other.

But as two rookies in the CONCACAF Champions League that finally got their chance in international club competition, you never thought you would see a crazy first half and all of a sudden history would be made on the same night.

Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com

D.C. United's rookie crop has turned in quite the season.

This past weekend it was goalkeeper Joe Willis' turn to answer the call, as he stepped in for the suspended Bill Hamid and delivered some top-notch saves against the Vancouver Whitecaps en route to a clean sheet in his MLS debut and earned SBI MLS Rookie of the Week honors.

A 2010 postseason rematch is set to take place in the Mile High City, as the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids host the surging Columbus Crew (9:30 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel).

The Rapids have found new life after the Achilles' tear that ruled star striker Conor Casey out for the rest of the season.

Well not quite, but after tonight's game against Independiente we can finally get back to focusing on nothing but the regular season. I'm not one of those people who goes around toting "Trophies over Friendlies" antra you've probably been seeing on Twitter lately. I don't believe the two are mutually exclusive.

Sporting Kansas City has a deep stable of forwards, including stars like Omar Bravo, and established veterans like Kei Kamara, but rookie C.J. Sapong continues to state his case as having the best year among the group.

Sapong added to his strong MLS Rookie of the Year candidacy by notching a goal and assist in Sporting KC's 2-1 win against Portland, a performance that helped him earn SBI MLS Rookie of the Week honors this week.

Ha ha ha.

FULHAM have got their revenge for Mark Hughes' walkout by ordering his old backroom staff to work with the kids.

Coaches Mark Bowen, Eddie Niedzwiecki and Kevin Hitchcock will be told to train Fulham's Academy rookies when they report back for work tomorrow.

The three, who joined the club along with ex-boss Hughes, remain under contract for another year as they did not have the same escape clause which allowed Sparky to quit without notice on June 2.

RE

Courtesy ISIphotos.com

By THOMAS FLOYD

Amid the hype surrounding D.C. United's blockbuster acquisition of Dwayne De Rosario on Monday, the club's trade with San Jose for center back Brandon McDonald a few hours earlier largely flew under the radar.

When the Columbus Crew used a third-round pick in January's MLS SuperDraft on South Florida midfielder Bernardo Anor, most wrote it off as a footnote on the day. Now, that pick could wind up being one of the steals of the draft.

Anor turned in a sparkling performance against the Houston Dynamo over the weekend, scoring a goal, assisting on another and drawing a second yellow card on Houston's Lovel Palmer to lift the Crew to a 2-0 victory.

Sorry for the sudden dearth of news and links yesterday. I'm not sure if everybody took the day off or what, but there was a serious dearth of anything at all relating to the Portland Timbers and very few articles regarding other MLS teams. All in all it was just kind of weird. Today has been a little better, especially since I was able to scrap together two days worth of links, but it's still a little light considering.

If the Portland Timbers are to return their winning ways in their upcoming matches, they'll have to do so without centerback Futty Danso.

The Gambian defender has been ruled out for the next 2-to-4 weeks after injuring his shoulder in Saturday's loss to the Colorado Rapids.

Danso was hurt in the 23rd minute of the match when going for a header against Rapids forward Caleb Folan, and an MRI revealed that he escaped serious injury but will still need a spell on the sidelines.

Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com

Although his team didn't come out ahead, D.C. United forward Blake Brettschneider still turned in another impressive performance to capture SBI MLS Rookie of the Week honors.

Brettschneider scored his first league goal, taking a pass at the top of the area, turning and firing with his left foot to beat San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch and level the score at 2-2 in the first half on Saturday.

In a season that has seen some other rookies garner more headlines, Columbus Crew utility man Rich Balchan has quietly put together one of the better rookie seasons in the league.

Balchan is a secret no more, not after his clutch last-minute equalizer in the Crew's 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls last Saturday.

ALLSTON, Mass. The Breakers had some veteran presence on the field, but it was the rookies and unsung heroes who made the difference in last night's 2-1 victory over Magicjack at Soldiers Field.

The Breakers had to cope with the World Cup duties of defenders Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet, and Stephanie Cox plus midfielders Kelley O'Hara and Lauren Cheney.

What is there to say about this friggin game. My colleague, Matt Conroy (aka Who Shot Sam), covered this debacle thoroughly yesterday, so check that out if you haven't done so already. I will say that I'm in total agreement with those who said this one felt like a loss. Just totally f'ng inexcusable that two Columbus rookies (Meram & Balchan) managed to combine for the equalizing goal, seconds from this game's end.

Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com

In what was one of the best weeks of the season for Major League Soccer rookies, one of the least-heralded first-year players stood out the most.

D.C. United's Blake Brettschneider, a second-round MLS Supplemental Draft pick out of the University of South Carolina, delivered two assists in the club's 3-2 victory at Portland, playing a major role in making D.

Carlos de los Cobos is no longer the Chicago Fire head coach. Frank Klopas takes over in the interim. Who will be the next full-time head coach to roam the sidelines at Toyota Park? Thoughts and a head coach poll are after the break.

Eric Wynalda

Pros: Eric Wynalda's started out playing in the wilderness that was American soccer between the North American Soccer League ending in 1984 and Major League Soccer starting in 1996.

When the Houston Dynamo traded up to grab Indiana striker Will Bruin the deal looked like another shrewd move by head coach Dom Kinnear. A month and a half into his rookie season, Bruin is making Kinnear and the Dynamo look like geniuses.

Bruin has slid right into the Houston starting lineup and been a force, scoring four goals and proving to be a handful for opposing defenses.

So what's worse, United fans, having the worst offense in the league or the worst defense? Unless we get somebody planted on the bench that has a clue about how to structure a defense or import a player that's going to be vocal, bang some thick (or just inexperienced) heads, and do the organizing on the field, we're looking at another year wandering lost in the non-playoff forest.

So what's worse, United fans, having the worst offense in the league or the worst defense? Unless we get somebody planted on the bench that has a clue about how to structure a defense or import a player that's going to be vocal, bang some thick (or just inexperienced) heads, and do the organizing on the field, we're looking at another year wandering lost in the non-playoff forest.

Eighty-eight minutes into this match, the post-mortem taking shape in my head made for grim reading. It was splashed with gory reminders of last year's numerous "toothless attack, defensive letdown, no creativity in midfield" sad-sack match reactions. It was laced with words and phrases like "stagnant" and "static" and "useless" and "balls magnetically attracted to the touchline" and "pedestrian.

Eighty-eight minutes into this match, the post-mortem taking shape in my head made for grim reading. It was splashed with gory reminders of last year's numerous "toothless attack, defensive letdown, no creativity in midfield" sad-sack match reactions. It was laced with words and phrases like "stagnant" and "static" and "useless" and "balls magnetically attracted to the touchline" and "pedestrian.

Previously we've looked at which teams tend to do well in the MLS Superdraft so I thought it would be fun to look at the relation between managers and the universities that are developing the players. I'm using percentage minutes played as a proxy for the quality of the draft pick. I've restricted the data to draft picks from the first two rounds from the last 5 years.