Seattle result gives Bruce Arena something new to complain about

"I'll be quite honest with you, [b]etween Concacaf and MLS, they screwed up the dates," Bruce Arena told MLSSoccer.com mid-week, his team facing Salvadorian's Isidro Metapan on Wednesday on Concacaf Champions League. Given the Galaxy's stretch of CCL game, visit from West-leading Seattle, trip to Costa Rica (CCL again) and trip to Portland in the span of 12 days, it was a reasonable complaint. But from Arena, it's also become drolly predictable. He's the legend who's cried wolf.

You may remember a week-and-half ago, when Arena sat down with the Washington Post, a 16-question, eight-complaint Q&A that, in fairness to Arena, fed into the growing perception of MLS's most successful coach. Arena, now 62, has turned his renown into a bully pulpit, but instead of an engaging, persuasive advocacy for schedule reform or the virtues of US talent, his dismissive tones and casual, rejecting, sighs cast him as the crotchety elder, where his message is belied by his methods.

All of his critiques have merit, however, just as his critiques of the officiating in Saturday's 1-1 draw with visiting Seattle were based in truth. Eddie Johnson's mid-first half opener was aided by a non-call while a less egregious infraction ended up costing LA their well-executed winner. Between that misfortune and the general flow of a game that saw LA dominate play (particularly in the second half), Galaxy fans will feel aggrieved seeing their team leave with one point and fourth place in the West.

Yet Seattle has reason to see this as a step forward, if not an outright, well-earned victory. When the game opened with Sigi Schmid's team playing tentatively, seemingly ceding control to LA while relying on direct play to Johnson and Obafemi Martins, it started to take on the feel of the Sounders' last two visits to LA: embarrassing 3-0 and 4-0 losses. But as they always do, an early goal changed the dynamic, allowing a conservative approach (producing only 39.2 percent possession) to eliminate LA's counterattack. The product was the result Seattle seemingly played for.

With RSL losing, Seattle move two points clear in the West, but perhaps more important given their treacherous run-in, they've put a line through one of the most-difficult games of their schedule. And along the way, they've crafted a result that will help put previous LA disappointments behind them. RF

Refereeing controversy marks two matches in Canada

Playoffs approach and points are precious, and yet here is another match – or two – affected by more of the maddening inconsistency and apprehensive work from referees, long a black mark on the still-growing league.

Two matches in Canada on Saturday and one in Los Angeles were sad examples of how Major League Soccer officiating has gradually improved, but remains fabulously flawed. Refereeing issues are endemic the world over, to be sure, but these credibility-killing clunkers recur with a damaging frequency in MLS.

Alas, these days of blown calls or clumsily managed decisions that affect outcomes (and potentially coaching careers) may be cynically referred to in some MLS circles as a "Saturday".

Toronto was Saturday's most battered victim. While the Reds are going nowhere this year under Ryan Nelsen – whose job seems increasingly tenuous given high-level management comings and goings in the organization – Saturday's timid performance by Allen Chapman can still influence playoff positioning with Kansas City and its fellow Eastern Conference leaders.

Kansas City defender Aurelien Collin had already been booked when he put an elbow into Alvaro Rey's face near the penalty area just before halftime. Chapman called a foul but demurred otherwise on what was probably worthy of a second, game-changing yellow. Collin, a highly unstable sort, has long lost much benefit of the doubt.

Later, Chapman rejected Toronto's penalty appeal when Kansas City's Peterson Joseph kicked Bobby Convey (remember him?) about 17 yards out. We'll generously call that one 50-50. But minutes later there was nothing "50-50" about it as Collin plowed into Justin Braun, never even looking for the ball as the TFC striker lined up a header inside the six-yard box. So egregious was this refereeing blunder, no fewer than two Toronto coaches (including Nelsen) were soon dismissed for their howling protests in KC's 2-1 road win.

Speaking of howling: Montreal manager Marco Schallibaum could teach a master's class in it. He has already missed five games this year due to suspension for sideline shenanigans or post-game criticism of officials. Do we hear six?

Schallibaum cried "scandal!" after watching his team awarded a penalty kick … and then having it waved off after more than a minute, when referee Jorge Gonzalez consulted multiple sources (perhaps) and possibly even phoned a friend in the process of reconsideration. The fuss was a driving Montreal shot that crashed into the upper arm vicinity of Vancouver's Jun Marques Davidson.

It was a tough call for Gonzalez, but the disquiet was mostly about how he handled it. It was quite awkward how Gonzalez was in communication with assistants only through headset, possibly with a fourth official who could hardly have had a better look than the man in the middle himself.

Last week's list of "hard-done" included Philadelphia, denied a goal that looked was perfectly legal, another match that was a possible playoff shape-shifter, a 1-0 loss to Houston. Not far away, New England's Saer Sene had a goal ruled offside that was actually onside by not one, but two, Chicago Fire defenders.

In Los Angeles, a goal denied to Galaxy was probably worth two points – and who knows where that will take the Western Conference race? SD

Houston Dynano finding its (scoring) feet

Dominic Kinnear's no-nonsense brand has been working in Houston since the team moved to south Texas in 2006. Four appearances in MLS Cup finals in seven years (including the last two) speak for themselves.

There is no messing about in the back. A couple of passes to establish possession, then move the ball forward. Get it wide, cross it in … it's not a big secret, and the affable Scotsman boss is happy to say so. But it breaks down when there is nobody confident and on-form to collect that service. (Considering the Dynamo has the league's deepest midfield, one blessed with a usefully diverse skill set, service hasn't been the issue in an atypically muted Dynamo campaign.) Evidence is mounting that Kinnear's men have finally picked up the beat. The latest was a 5-1 win over Chivas USA, the club's best result for 2013. Notable here was that Houston's forwards actually scored! If that sounds like routine stuff, consider that Dynamo strikers went almost three months in the summer without scoring. Will Bruin is the man on the spot here. He hit five goals as a spunky rookie in 2011 and then 12 in last year's sophomore breakout. But the poor guy had no luck earlier this year, and you could practically see confidence falling off that orange jersey through an interminable summer. Yes, this was last-place Chivas USA that Bruin kept alert with several stinging shots Saturday, one successful. And yes this was Chivas USA that Giles Barnes found two solid goals against. Even winger Boniek Garcia turned up with two late goals; he is a skillful, crafty type but the bottom-line production sometimes needs improving. Still, a 5-1 win is a 5-1 win, and confidence is rising anew around BBVA Compass Stadium. It follows last week's grinder in Philadelphia, a 1-0 win for three huge road points. The other notable here is Kinnear getting his Best 11 arranged. Now that Adam Moffat has been shipped off to Seattle, Warren Creavalle and Ricardo Clark will be the preferred central midfield pairing; the young and rangy Creavalle was clearly ready to replace Moffat, who was always a gamer, but whose subpar passing often dragged down the linking efforts. The defense still needs some tweaking, but if Kinnear can sort that out, and if those forwards keep doing the business up front, a third MLS Cup appearance is hardly out of the question. (Especially considering that Houston has only to negotiate the much-weaker East, where no club can grab this thing by the scruff of the neck and claim it with a certain authority.) SD

Typical Timbers performance sees Portland rediscover form

It's been a hellish three weeks for Colorado, but that's life in the West at this time of year. The league's unbalanced schedule means most Eastern Conference reprieves have dried up, so for the Rapids, that's meant successive games against Los Angeles, Dallas, and Friday against Portland. Yet thanks to wins in the first two games, Colroado's used the end-of-year gauntlet to improve their postseason hopes. At kickoff at JELD-WEN, a confident Rapids team sat third in the West.

All their neophyte's uncertainty – the doubt that'd been projected onto the Rapids because of their young squad and unexpected competitiveness - had been transferred back to Portland, whose convincing start under Caleb Porter overshadowed the fact the club had never meaningfully competed for the playoffs. In that sense their fifth place standing ahead of Colorado's visit was progress, even if expectations had grown. Perhaps their reality was less of a playoff contender and more a team making progress from a disappointing 2012.

But that reality only lasted 13 minutes on Friday. That's when an errant clearance from Drew Moor was headed back toward Colorado's goal by Rodney Wallace, leading to this opening game-winner from Diego Valeri:

Colorado reached halftime up in possession and passing – rare for a Timbers' opponent – but hadn't created chances. Though Portland's opportunities to double their lead through Max Urruti and Ryan Johnson went begging, their midfield's resilience kept their lead safe. Gaby Torres came on, then Deshorn Brown, and finally Jaime Castrillon, but no matter how much Pareja changed his look, the Rapids never found the team that beat LA and Dallas. When full-time was blown on Portland's 1-0 win, the narratives had inverted: Colorado becoming the playoff battler while Portland assumed third place.

It was what's become a typical Timbers win, if such a thing exists. Despite rare deficits in the major statistical indicators - shots; shots on goal; possession – Portland dictated this game, yet they only posted a one-goal win (a tendency that's led to 13 draws this season). Through the middle of the park, they control games, but approaching both goals, there are problems.

The Rapids failed to test the Timbers defense, but at the other end, Portland's finishing kept the game close. Call it modus operandi, call it room for improvement, but that's the reality of the 2013 Timbers. RF

Columbus Crew … surprisingly hard to kill

Columbus, under interim manager Brian Bliss and driven by determined Argentine attacker Federico Higuaín, is proving surprising resistant to joining that forlorn list of MLS clubs to which we can stop paying attention. Clubs like D.C. United, Toronto FC and Chivas USA have been safely put on the shelf for weeks (months?) now, like some old photo on the bookshelf, something we regard periodically before advancing to more meaningful pursuits.

A week ago Columbus was five points out of a playoff spot, needing to pass three teams for post-season access. That's one foot in the grave, the other on a grease spot.

But last week's improbable win at Montreal as Higuain, sometimes creating out of virtually nothing, had two assists in the weekend's shocker. It set up Saturday's make-or-break date against one of the clubs standing between the men in yellow and playoff soccer, Chicago.

Bliss' side dispatched 10-man Chicago with some comfort at Crew Stadium. Chicago center back Bakary Soumare's thoughtless choice to foul on a breakaway in the 29th minute, tripping up the blazing Jairo Arrieta just outside the penalty area left the Fire with little chance on the road. Columbus won 3-0.

Today's MLS standings still show the Crew in 8th place, still with one fewer match remaining than its fellow playoff chasers. But the Crew has closed the gap to a mere two points. Plus, Philadelphia, Chicago and New England, currently in front for Columbus, all remain somewhere between "troubled" and "fatally flawed." (Houston, on the other hand, may have finally arrived.)

The Crew can hardly afford any dropped points in its remaining foursome of matches, starting with a Round 31 trip to Dallas. Signs are arriving that Higuain and Dominic Oduro (one goal in both of Columbus' last two matches) may not be asked carry the unlikely bid on their own.

Midfielder Tony Tchani, always talented but habitually conservative with his passing and rarely as influential as everyone thinks he can be, may have had his best match in a Crew shirt Saturday. Arrieta, the Costa Rican international who was such a disappointment earlier this year, was clearly up the for job, too, drawing a penalty kick in addition to the game-changing 29th-minute red card and an assist.

Center back Chad Marshall, 29, still has some tread on his tires, too, despite all the concussion-related issue. He has been nearer the top of his inconsistent game lately. SD