especially after striking for his first career goal Saturday, a vital effort in a high-profile contest. (But that celebration needs a little work.)
Finally, what would this discussion be without a selection or two from Steve Nicol's boundless bag of newcomer tricks? New England's pair of young Gambian attackers, Sainey Nyassi and Kenny Mansally, have two goals apiece. Not bad considering these were last-minute fill-ins for injured starters. Now, as Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman have returned to the field, we'll have to see which of the two new bright lights can keep finding time on the field.
TACTICAL CORNER:
For his team's match last Saturday in Utah, Jason Kreis expected Dallas to play a 3-5-2, a more conventional setup, relatively speaking. Eager to match the numbers in midfield, the Real Salt Lake manager aligned his own side in a 3-5-2.
But Kreis had to make a first-half adjustment when Dallas instead emerged in a less conventional 3-4-3. So, off went Jamison Olave, one of three center backs who got the starting assignment. He made room for Andy Williams, who moved into the midfield. Meanwhile, Tony Beltran and Chris Wingert, who had lined up as outside midfielders, dropped back into the back line as RSL retreated into their more familiar 4-4-2.
Jonathan Bornstein's knee injury, suffered last Thursday in training, is one more issue for Preki to deal with at Chivas USA, where the Red-and-White's form at home has turned in stunning fashion. They lost just once last year in Carson but have already fallen three times at The Home Depot Center this year.
Lawson Vaughn was already slated to miss up to six weeks with facial fractures. That makes last week's late acquisition of Carey Talley (from RSL for conditional draft picks) critical for Chivas USA.
Talley was a central midfielder in Utah. But he played as a center back and outside back during two seasons in Dallas prior to the move to Rice-Eccles. In southern California, he gives Preki some much-needed options along the back line.
Steve Davis is a freelance writer who has covered Major League Soccer since its inception. Steve can be reached at BigTexSoccer@yahoo.com. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.