World Soccer Reader » This Week in MLS: No International Break For MLS

So I guess it shouldn’t surprise us that when the rest of the world has an “international date”, we here in Major League Soccer consider that optional and play on anyway. I was fired up for the Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake, a possible MLS Cup preview with RSL’s 21-game home unbeaten streak on the line, until I figured out that Rafa Marquez would be playing for Mexico. And Dane Richards (but not Omar Cummings?) was playing for Jamaica. 10,619, or approximately half of what it would have been had TFC been playing. elbow was so dumb on so many levels (the fact that it was in the penalty area, for instance) that it might be the dumbest play of the season. Omar Gonzalez atoned for his foul that resulted in the Collins John goal, but how many times has Wilman Conde been beaten in the air this season? But off a long throw by Kevin Alston (the running joke with the Revs is that they never score when Darrius Barnes throws long), Chris Tierney got a pretty easy goal, and then the Sounders capitulated to a flurry of direct play and set pieces. Gutsy effort by the Revs, who could have capitulated themselves after going down a goal, but a troubling effort for Seattle, which cannot afford too many efforts like this to stay on the right side of the playoff cut line. Sainey Nyassi, Sanna Nyassi, and Kenny Mansally should have all been in this game, but they were playing for Gambia. Andy Iro has to be somewhere in the Most Underrated List of MLS right now, wonder if a team in the Championship might go after the Englishman when the season ends. What we learned: I like FC Dallas a lot more than Toronto, but it’s borderline criminal what Preki and crew had to deal with here, and under the circumstances (with Amadou Sanyang and Chad Barrett also out due to injuries), I thought TFC played a tremendous game, the best I’ve seen Joseph Nane play. Meanwhile, another game, another three points for FCD, who had to deal with some serious injury issues in the middle of their defense. (Side note: It was David Ferreira’s pass that started the play that led to the goal. He does that every game, and on almost every Dallas goal. The Red Bulls had their chances, but RSL was just a little better, which obviously makes you wonder what might have happened if Marquez and Dane Richards were playing. What we learned: I haven’t been able to discern why Omar Cummings was able to play for the Rapids (here’s an answer, a green card), but Dane Richards was not able to play for Red Bull. Jamaica actually has two games (they beat Costa Rica 1-0 on Sunday and play Peru on Tuesday), so I presume Cummings will feature more in the second game. Houston had a lot more chances, but couldn’t finish them, and Geovanni had a spectacular game (are you listening Mista, Nery Castillo, and Branko Boskovic?), setting up the first goal with a piercing run and scoring the game-winner. Ray has coached and played in Connecticut for two decades, and has followed and covered MLS since its inception.