All-Stars was entertaining ... Who'd've guessed?

I wasn't really looking forward to the MLS All-Star game ... like most people, I'm sure. I wasn't sure if I would watch. Turns out I did, and I'm glad I did. The match was fun from beginning to end; and I even found it relaxing since I didn't care who won or lost.

West Ham played well, but the players weren't going to hurt themselves in the process. That, and the fact that the Hammers probably aren't match fit yet, was really the factor that led to the MLSers controlling possession and territory so well.

But what was cool was watching Blanco and Beckham play together. Blanco actually was off with his passing and had several give-aways, but started getting into the groove and ended the half with a clever, skillful goal curving so nicely into the net. His earlier assist was even sweeter: picking up a pass from Beckham, Blanco popped the ball up then heel-flicked it to Christian Gomez, who slotted the ball clinically into the far netting. Becks-Blanco-Gomez-goal: That play right there made the All-Stars worth it.

B-Fall's blog has a good summary of the game. Here is a good article talking about DeRo and Onstad playing two MLS games the same day and in different countries. DeRo is capping off his day with a party benefiting Nothing But Nets.

Beckham played all 90 and looked very strong, particularly since no one cared if he helped with the defending.

DeRo, had some good flashes as a late sub, including a dangerous run that won a PK. I was surprised that he took the PK, and it was tense seeing his blast ping-ponging off the crossbar and into the net. With the goal, DeRo has another game winner for the All-Stars. The Creative Canuck made some nice runs and passing combos, which was all the more surprising since he had just wrapped up his MLS match in DC that morning. He was certainly pumped to be in front of his hometown fans. He had a solid free kick late in the game (Becks kindly let DeRo take the kick, I wager).

Onstad wasn't tested much, but did well with what he faced. I was very surprised to see him inserted in (just after DeRo's PK), but it was good to see him playing in this honorary game, as he is still one of the best in the league.

Landon Donovan was off his game and didn't seem to do anything.

And what was the formation there at the end, when Hejduk and Bornstein came off for Buddle and Ralston? Was it a 2 5 3? Ralston must've been playing as a back. It would be nice if the announcers would, you know, cover the game and instead of laughing over inside jokes or commenting on the obvious ("So-and-so would like to have that one back"). THEY can see the entire field. THEY should tell us how the formation is morphing as the game plays out and especially as subs come in.

Speaking of announcers, I have got my whole family to detest the "as wells" that Harkes includes in every other sentence regardless of whether the phrase is relevant. In the off-season, maybe Harksie can go to a speaking coach. I complain because I care.

I thought it was laughable towards the beginning of the game when JP Dellacamera thought the Toronto fans would even consider chanting "We want Landon." No, Harkes was right: they were chanting "We want Brennan." And while it was cool that JPD mentioned DeRo played a 4 hour game last night, it'd be even cooler if he pointed out that DeRo actually finished playing that match THIS MORNING.

Finally, I don't know if it started to drizzle during the game, but the turf looked matted and slick by the end of the match. I didn't see a lot of sliding and falling, but the field sure looked worn. Was that an optical illusion or does that brand of turf have issues with heavy use?

All in all, great energy in the game. Good performance by the Dynamo reps. The MLS "super stars" (Becks, Blanco, and Angel, who looked onside when scored what would've been the 4th goal for the MLSers and would've been an assist for DeRo) all played up to the moment for the spectators. West Ham acquitted themselves well too.

I'd have to say that, other than my gripe about the announcers, the only negative of the whole night is that sad trophy presentation. Why is the MLS giving a trophy to itself in what is basically a friendly exhibition match? Who keeps it? Does the trophy go into the MLS headquarters' trophy case? This is a festival of soccer, not a meaningful competition. Invite both teams onto a stage. Let them swap jerseys. Pick an MVP, maybe even one from both teams. Thank everyone for coming. Then let the music blare and the confetti canons fire away. Having a "hooray for us" ceremony is just sad.

Speaking of shirt-swapping: did you see DeRo wearing (Anton) Ferdinand's shirt? With those cornrows, DeRo looked a bit like Anton's brother, Rio Ferdinand. Cool.

In Other news:
Check out Garber's "State of the MLS" speech. We'll have two more teams come 2011 it seems. Where will we get the quality players? Cannibalization? In the halftime interview, Garber said that the McBride situation has been resolved. It looks like he's going to Chicago. ("I hope he ends up in Chicago, yuk, yuk, yuk," Garber guffawed in the interview.)

In Toronto, Dynamo-Houston make the moves necessary to pick up the speedy forward they've been wanting: Kei Kamara. He has scored only 2 goals this year (so far!) and one of them was against us back in May. Here is B-Fall's take.

Do you ever feel that the Dynamo's 2nd striker position (Ching's partner) is kind of like the percussionist situation with Spinal Tap? The band could never keep a drummer due to all sorts of bizarre events, including spontaneous combustion. We've had Alejandro Moreno, Ronald Cerritos (kind of), Paul Dalglish, Nate Jaqua, Joseph Ngwenya, Franco Caraccio, Nate Jaqua again, and now Kei Kamara. That's not even considering the Reserves and midfielders that have played up there as band-aid approaches. Here's hoping that Kamara is the piece needed by the Dynamo to finish the season strong.

Going Back to Ohio

Dynamo-Houston trek to Columbus, OH, tonight. The Crew aren't their usual pushover selves, especially when Guillermo Barros Schelotto is on his game. In the 4-game history of the two teams, the Dynamo have won only once (in Columbus, not The Rob) with the remainder being draws. It's hard to predict who wins tonight, although one might think that Houston is due its first win of the season, but I don't think the odds work that way: adding up until a particular game is a gimme. You could easily argue that the Crew are due their first win of the Houston/Columbus series. Maybe a draw is the most likely conclusion.

All's I know is that Alejandro Moreno will probably score a goal; he has netted one every time he's faced Houston since his departure from Houston. And I will say unequivocally that Moreno will earn his team at least 2 dangerous free kicks. That's how he rolls. Still, I feel that Houston should win if they play like they have been. Here's hoping for a game like the first half versus LA, only with more scoring for the orange.

Here is the MLS game preview.

Caraccio has been a long-time admirer of Schelotto. Tonight is a great chance for the young gun to impress the old maestro.

A brief note about the defensive line. This will be the first time this season our back line will have the same personnel lining up in consecutive games.

Did you know that Sigi Schmid coached The Dom on the USNMT years ago? Sigi said Dom was on the "World Cup Team" but Dom wasn't on the final roster for the 1990 team. Maybe Sigi was the assistant coach and Dom was with the team through the build up, then was cut before the final roster was made?

Also, do the Dynamo want to be the team that gives Sigi his 100th win? (Read the fourth bullet under Item #5 here. Also, Item #1 talks about the weird knuckling action of the MLS ball; could unfamiliarity with the MLS ball be the reason for Caig's slow start? That would be nice if it were true; and it might explain why his last few games have been better. But: (1) that wouldn't explain one of his apparent weaknesses, which is his hesitancy as to when to come off his line and (2) it wouldn't explain the performance in Saprissa, where they don't use the MLS ball and he still struggled.)

A final (?) word on Donovan and His Angry Face
Shaka Hislop has an interesting take on the Dynamo's reaction to Donovan's vocal showmanship last week: the complacency is a sign that all is not well in Dynamoland. He feels Ianni should have confronted Donovan and the Dynamo should have supported their teammate. Instead, Donovan "had to be led away by one of his own team-mates - all the while, no one from Houston, not even Ianni, cared to confront the LA forward...It portrayed a real lack of camaraderie from within Houston's ranks, which is very concerning given the pre-season favourites' precarious position at the bottom of the Western Conference, without a win to their name." Personally, I think Ianni handled the incident quite professionally, and camaraderie is one thing that doesn't appear to be a problem with the Dynamo. I do agree with Hislop's later accolades about The Dom.

Another factoid from the Hislop piece: In Portsmouth "the fans are famous for their vehement support, so much so that the number 12 was reserved for the crowd - no player would wear the No12 shirt." Cool tradition, that.

Donovan and his Angry Face

Tonight on Glenn Davis' excellent weekly radio broadcast, he brought up the Donovan-Ianni exchange that took place after Donovan shook off Ianni to head in an excellent goal off an excellent feed from Lord Beckham.

The outline of events:

• ~60th minute: Barrett heads a long ball back to Caig. Ianni runs with the ball to make sure it makes it to his keeper's hands. Donovan pursues the pass with the slim hopes of getting to the ball first or, more likely, of pressuring Caig into making a mistake. Ianni shields the ball by stepping in front of Donovan, and the Balding One goes flying through the air like a rag doll and grabs his head and writhes in pain in an amusing homage to his ailing teammate, Carlos Ruiz.
  
  Ianni later said, "I wanted to kind of protect my goalie. He's running full sprint at our goalie and so I'm trying to get in front of him just to cut off his run and I gave him a little nudge. It's part of the game...."
  
  
• 67th minute: Beckham has the ball on the right side of our penalty area, and Donovan makes a run toward goal. Ianni is checking Donovan the entire way, but Donovan dives and knocks Beckham's cross into the net to tie the game at 1. With Ianni lying on the turf, Donovan bends over the fallen defender and scolds like a bitter virago. Ianni gets up and walks back into position like a professional and looks like he doesn't even hear Donovan's yelping. Ianni later said, "I don't know. I heard him saying something."

And that was pretty much it. A little drama. A little passion. Not much fireworks. But a good contrast between a professional attitude and a childish one, between a young player who is just doing his job, and a formerly young player who needs a chip on his shoulder in order to succeed. Apparently the incident held enough drama that it was covered immediately after the game in the article quoted above. And apparently some fans voiced displeasure at the conduct of Donovan.

Landon Donovan says "Nanny, nanny, boo-boo."

Tonight Glenn took the stance that people are blowing this out of proportion and fans just need to chill. Now, I usually agree with Glenn and I am truly appreciative of what he's done for soccer (and the Dynamo) in this town, but:

• First, I don't know why he's surprised with the response. The incident was notable enough that it was immediately covered by Glenn's peers in the fourth estate. It was recognized as a newsworthy event almost immediately. And newsworthy events get discussed.
• Second, I don't know why he is decrying the passion of the fans. Glenn repeatedly calls for more passion on the field, in the stands, and in soccer conversation. The outcry against Donovan's behavior is good passion. This sport needs heroes and villains, and Glenn shouldn't want to extinguish the passion of this particular conversation just because it is directed against one of his favorite players.

I posted my thoughts on his blog (and, professional that he is, he even emailed me an "atta boy," even though I disagree with his position on this), but let me see if I can expand upon and clarify my thoughts here.

Donovan's outburst — emotionally exploding against a player who may one day play with him on the USMNT — isn't a big deal in and of itself. It wasn't illegal. It wasn't a faux pas. It sure didn't faze the Dynamo players, including Ianni. I think only the spectators cared. And what's wrong with that? Fans SHOULD care.

Some say that the fans' reaction is simply due to the fact that Donovan is the subject, that fans wouldn't say anything had any other player done what he did. No argument there (unless the player was another high profile player, like Taylor Twellman). The Balding One has been anointed the "face of American soccer." Anyone in that position receives scrutiny that others do not. And if he cannot handle the scrutiny then we truly have a flaccid face for American soccer and it's time for the marketing hacks at MLS and SUM to anoint someone who understands and accepts that with the benefits comes accountability. Donovan apologists who want Donovan to be treated like any other player are usually guilty of the same sin by hyping Donovan as an ubermensch — a person and a player beyond his peers — who is allowed the special accolades, but not the special critiques. He is ubermensch when convenient, and "just another player, guys, go easy on him" when convenient.

Donovan has terrific athleticism and skill (and receding hairline) beyond his years. Unfortunately, he also has the emotional maturity development of someone younger than his years. It's good that some fans are content with that. It's also good that some fans care enough to passionately voice their opinions that they expect more of elite players.

Soccer journalists and the Powers-That-Be trumpet the statistical accomplishments of players, as they should. But, as in anything in life, it takes more than good data to be accepted by those who ultimately pay the players' paychecks: the fans. Refer to Eric Wynalda: his scoring ability is respected, particularly since it was during the otherwise grim days of US soccer, but his arrogance and self-promoting have ensured that he will never be a revered icon.

Contrast Wynalda with Brian McBride. Americans have a thing for hard working, talented individuals who do their job well and without histrionics. That why we like Clint Eastwood in his role in the spaghetti westerns so much, and why we admire Brian McBride for more than just his accomplishments.

Fans are perspicacious enough that they can see through marketing hype. And they are sophisticated enough that they can separate their respect for accomplishment from their respect for players. Accomplishments are easily supported with data and statistics, but respect (and especially Biggio-like reverence) for the player himself falls under separate criteria. The cacophony that we heard after Donovan's meltdown is an indication that soccer fans respect Donovan's athleticism, but that he has a long way to go if he wants to become a venerated legend. (And, no, being elected to the Hall of Fame -- which will happen one day with Donovan -- doesn't make one a legend.) The clamor shouldn't be silenced, but should be understood as a good barometer of the widespread view held by the hoi polloi, rather than the concocted insider views of the "soccer intelligentsia."

There was a series of events that led to Landon falling out of favor with fans. First, after he returned to the MLS in 2005 from a stint with Bayer Leverkusen that lasted the duration of the MLS off-season, he was falsely judged as not being good enough for Europe when, in fact, he just wasn't a fit for the system his team was playing (and wasn't patient enough to pay his dues). Then, in what seemed to tie Landon to the good ol' boy politics of the MLS, Landon ended up not returning to the team he departed (San Jose), but through the machinations of the MLS, he went to the LA Galaxy, the bad boys of the league. On the national side, Landon's anonymity versus any opponent except Mexico has exasperated supporters. Then there were his endless quotes in the media, which, perhaps in reaction to the negativism he was experiencing from fans, were heavy with self-aggrandizement and haughty arrogance.

Then there are smaller events like these recent on-field histrionics. Perhaps it wouldn't be so irritating if Donovan were more consistent and these histrionics were a mere eccentricity. Perhaps it would have been more acceptable had Donovan vented on a seasoned veteran rather than looking like an upperclassman hazing a young player. And maybe this is the new Donovan, the one who will give it his all for 90 minutes and whose explosive play will spill over into an explosive personality. (See #3 here, although Donovan only stuck one in Ianni's ear, the other was in Mulrooney's.)

In fact, Donovan is talented enough to be The Great One. But in addition to maturing his game and his focus, he needs to mature emotionally. That's hard to do when people treat you with kid gloves and tell you how special you are all the time. Ask my niece!

Ahem. Anyway.

Some may say it's better to have passion rather than stoicism on the field. I hope those are the same people saying it's better to have passion rather than apathy in the stands. Let the fans rant, fer cryin' out loud.

And take time to raise a pint to Brian McBride.