MLS Thursday Night: Houston Dynamo v Red Bull New York

By: Bob | July 5th, 2007

Another week, another Thursday night that features a US national team game and an MLS match. At least this time you know you won’t miss much if you don’t watch the national team take on Colombia. They’ve already been eliminated from Copa America and the most entertaining Colombian is playing for a team in New York anyway.

The MLS Thursday Night game this go around is a good one in my opinion. There is a Houston Dynamo side that is unbeaten in six games. After a glacial start to the season, the Dynamo are in a good position at second place in the Western Conference.

They take on a Red Bull New York team that was everyone’s darling in April and May, but who looked very vulnerable in June. With just one win in five games and with a defense that has yielded 12 goals during that stretch, Bruce Arena’s boys have fallen back to earth and back to fourth place in the ridiculously bunched up Eastern Conference standings.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on while you watch Copa MLS Thursday Night:

1. Nate the not so Great – Earlier this week the Dynamo acquired Nate Jacqua from the LA Galaxy. Jacqua scored eight goals for the Chicago Fire last season and was supposed to be da man for LA, but through ten games he had just one goal. Will he benefit from playing up top with Brian Ching? I think he will. I also think that elevator music is soothing and that chocolate should never be mixed with fruit.

2. Fallen Angel – Hit the panic button. After netting goals in six straight games, Juan Pablo Angel did not score last Saturday in New York’s 1-0 loss at Columbus. The Colombian is clearly in a slump. Well, as much of a slump as someone who has scored nine goals in eight games can be in. He has been nothing short of brilliant since joining MLS and has earned ever cent of his $250 million contract. Whoops, wrong guy.

3. Beckham banter – As the day that will forever change the way we all live our lives approaches, ESPN is gearing up for its predictably over-the-top coverage. That means we are likely to hear about all things Becks this evening roughly 9,734 times. Wait a second, over-the-top soccer coverage in the United States? Surely this is what we have been hoping to have happen for years, right? Funny how my stomach feels queasy just thinking about it. It just doesn’t taste right.

Enjoy the game and as always feel free to chatter about MLS or other less tawdry subjects in this space.

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Category: MLS

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Gianfranco

Did the Red Bulls even show tonight, I mean Houston was spot on and that Holden kid was awesome. But the Bulls did not get a shot on goal until the last quarter of the game. With no Richards or Kovalenko you can see the lack of strength in the midfield, I just don't get Arena sometimes. Mathis needed to be in from the start and he def conceded the game with the double switch. It is going to be a long second half if the bulls keep that up.
Clint

Can we start a betting board based around Beckham's arrival? For instance, I'll give 10-1 odds that within two weeks all national coverage (other than on FSC and ESPN) will be over. And, after the first Beckham visit to each MLS city (discounting Colorado if he comes here to watch the all-star game), he (and MLS, for that matter) will get no additional interest or coverage in that market.

It's too bad, because if every MLS city could get one great player like Nie and the Galaxy have done, the league would be much more attractive to casual fans (due to higher quality of play) and the more international-lovin' fans who will recognize the greatness in at least one player per team (which MLS has been lacking since it's inception).
Gianfranco

My beer is ready, and if this is anything like the last Red Bulls game on ESPN2 I will use this space as my personal mental babble zone.