what else? -- whether Beckham and his uncooperative left ankle can provide the needed push for Los Angeles to realize its postseason quest.
The chances, in three words: a bit sketchy.
Statistically speaking, there is a bit of an uphill slog ahead for Frank Yallop's crew, which is 3-5-4 after a dozen games.
Since Major League Soccer once again became a 12-team league, clubs have needed somewhere between 41-47 percent of the points available to them in order to gain postseason access.
It's going to be tighter this year because 13 teams are scrapping for the same eight playoff spots. Plus, the new format will probably remove some wiggle room; instead of the top four teams from each conference advancing, the top two teams from each conference, plus the next four highest point gainers, get in.
So, let's say it takes 47 percent of the available points to get a playoff berth. That means the Galaxy (or any other team) will need 42 points.
The Galaxy have 13 points off a dozen matches so far. So Yallop's men probably need 29 points from their remaining 18 MLS contests.
An 8-5-5 mark the rest of the way would give them exactly 42 points. Or, an 8-4-6 mark going forward would leave them with 43 points.
Those aren't unreachable targets, of course. Except that the Galaxy schedule is downright brutal. Becks and the boys will play 14 of their remaining 18 contests on the road. And so far, the Galaxy is 0-2-2 away from home, with just two goals in matches at Houston, Colorado and Dallas (plus one match as the "road" team in the L.A. derby with Chivas USA.).
If Los Angeles can indeed reach the playoffs, never mind what happens from there, Beckham, Yallop, Landon Donovan et al will have definitely accomplished something special.
Szetela's stock keeps rising: The recent FIFA Under-20 World Cup seems to have served as an important career milepost for Columbus' Danny Szetela, whose rising and falling stock have long constituted a real MLS puzzler.
The young midfielder, highly acclaimed as he emerged from U.S. Soccer's residency program in 2004, wasn't starting and had played just 34 minutes in MLS matches this year before departure for Canada. Immediately upon his return Szetela started for Sigi Schmid's Crew, more than holding his own in Columbus' three-man midfield in a 2-0 win against Toronto.
Schmid said more than just confidence gained from an impressive tournament prompted Szetela's starting assignment. The manager said Szetela had lost some weight and looked increasingly sharp in training in the weeks prior to his time with the under-20s.
"If you look at Danny, he doesn't even look like the same player now," Schmid said. "And it's not just the (shorter) haircut. He's more defined. And he's just a sharper, more focused player. I wish I could take some credit, but I think it had a lot to with him getting motivated for the under-20 tournament."
Now the trick is keeping Szetela, who has long expressed interest in playing overseas. Productive performances in Canada have apparently increased European interest and options. Schmid said that decision is ultimately up to the player, his family and his agent.
Schmid said for Szetela, just like for any other player, it's important to carefully study the potential for first-team minutes, wherever they might land.
Szetela has recently mentioned that he and Schmid are talking more these days. Does that mean they had a strained relationship before?
"If a player is playing, he usually thinks he has a good relationship with the coach," Schmid said. "When a player isn't playing, he might not think they have a good relationship. In all my years as a coach, that's pretty much how it's been across the board. If a player isn't playing, he just doesn't feel connected."
Know your roster dates: As teams continue to peak under rocks around the globe, seeking to fortify rosters through economically priced additions, here are the important dates to remember:
The current international transfer window opened on June 15. It closes on Aug. 15. For example, if D.C. United, where club president Kevin Payne has told The Washington Post that he recently returned from scouting mission to Argentina, wants to add an international signing, he'll have to do so by that date.
The other important roster date is Sept. 14. That's the freeze date, where rosters must be set for the remainder of the season and playoffs. That also serves as the trading deadline between MLS clubs.
On the subject of rosters: Brazilian attacker Denilson is on FC Dallas' SuperLiga roster. He's yet to sign, but the club continues negotiating with Denilson, a member of Brazil's 2002 World Cup winners. Since MLS rosters are limited to 28 players, and since SuperLiga rosters are open to 30 players, Dallas officials thought it wouldn't hurt to add Denilson's name in case he does sign. This way, Denilson would be eligible to play if a deal can be struck in time.
The slower life: Toronto is known as one of the North American gems in terms of urban life. It's a virtual cosmopolitan paradise, an international city with splendid architecture, a flourishing arts scene and generally a model for what urban city life should be all about.
Which is all well and good -- if you fancy the faster-paced city life.
Ronnie O'Brien admits he's adjusting slowly to the urban scene, nice as it may be.
O'Brien said he likes Toronto and has enjoyed his part in one of Major League Soccer's most inspiring success stories of 2007. It's just that the fast life doesn't particularly suit him.
He grew up outside Dublin (often taking long bus rides into the city for soccer training with the better teams as he grew up.) During his time in Dallas, O'Brien lived a comfortable distance from the city. He could see Pizza Hut Park from his Frisco home, and the complex is 25 miles beyond downtown Dallas.
"I'm getting used to it now," the chipper Irishman said of city life in Toronto. "But it's taken a while."
Toronto blues: News out of Toronto isn't good for TFC first-choice goalkeeper Greg Sutton, who is still experiencing problems from a concussion suffered weeks ago. Manager Mo Johnston now says Sutton could miss the rest of the season.
So, what are Johnston's options? The club doesn't have much cap room, so a trade could be tough. In Major League Soccer there is always the option of trading for cap space. But that means giving up something and Toronto, just treading water in the playoff chase, doesn't have depth to spare at any position.
Besides, there aren't a lot of options in terms of potential starting material. In previous years, there seemed to be quality goalkeepers sitting in reserve. Remember when Matt Reis sat idle behind Kevin Hartman in Los Angeles? Or more recently when Columbus had tough goalkeeping choices, or when veterans in New York and D.C. were keeping up-and-comers tethered to the bench?
Now, Zach Wells in Houston and Jay Nolly at D.C. United appear to be the top backups. (It's hard to say who is the backup now at Giants Stadium, where Jon Conway might be just as important as often-injured Ronald Waterreus.) Young Galaxy backup Steve Cronin seems to have potential, but "potential" can be iffy. So, of course, does Chris Seitz at Real Salt Lake, although manager Jason Kreis probably isn't in a hurry to part with such an important piece of the club's future.
Assessing progress: One round of matches does not a SuperLiga make. Right?
Still, after one volley of group play matches, it's worth noting that MLS teams have two wins and two ties. And in the two ties, D.C. United and FC Dallas probably did enough to win the contests, creating more quality chances than their Mexican opponents.
Yes, there are two massive edges that MLS sides enjoy in this tournament: home field and midseason form. Most people probably recognize that.
But here's something lots of fans probably don't know: those same considerable advantages haven't always been enough. If matches against Mexican teams are any gauge, MLS sides have definitely made up significant ground since the late 1990s.
Looking back at results of intercontinental matches between the NAFTA neighbors back in MLS early days, it's not impossible to find the scattered victory from the U.S. sides. But it's a whole lot easier to find the Mexican wins during this late-July, early August time, when Mexican sides are barely into their Apertura season training. And there are a few lopsided whuppins in that list of Mexican "Ws."
Dallas fell hard to Chivas in 1997 before a big crowd, a 5-0 setback at the Cotton Bowl in July. Six nights later, Chivas clobbered the Rapids in Denver, 6-0.
Necaxa beat the Galaxy in Los Angeles in Major League Soccer's debut season, 1996. The Galaxy did have some in-and-out success in matches against Mexican sides in the coming years.
Chicago lost to Chivas in mid-July of 2000. Two years later, the MetroStars fell to Chivas 3-1 at Giants Stadium.
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's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
