The first MLS game of the season is in the books and what a game it was.  Not only was it the debut of the Seattle Sounders in MLS, but the product on the field was some of the best we’ve seen in MLS and the atmosphere was electric.  Poor defending and careless passing in the midfield spelled doom for the the NY Red Bulls.  NY started out brightly controlling most of the possession.   Seattle’s pressure and discipline proved too much for the Red Bulls and Seattle took control.  Poor marking allowed Le Toux to find a wide open Montero for Montero and Seattle’s first goal ever in MLS.  Montero turned provider a few minutes later, as he cleverly snuck a ball into the box for Brad Evans to slot home between Cepero’s legs.  Osorio quickly replaced Andrew Boyens with first round draft pick out of Maryland, Jeremy Hall. Hall helped stabalize the defense and keep Seattle in check until the half.  NY struggled in the second half as well, but did enjoy a few moments of good possession.  Unable to break Seattle’s backline, NY gave up one more goal in the 75th minute when Montero stripped Petke for a breakaway and cooley put the ball in the upper V.

In the end it was great peformance by Seattle and terrible day for New York.  To be fair, NY will probably never use that lineup again.  Players such as Johnson and Pacheco in the backline and former Real Madrid man, Celades, in the defensive mid spot could have helped keep the score more respectable.  We also can’t forget that Seth Stammler and Khano Smith should be ready go soon.  On the bright side Jeremy Hall had a great game.

Coach Schmid must be beaming with joy after his teams 3-0 performance.  Seattle showed that it has the players to be real contenders this year, but they can’tget over excited just yet.  NY was shakey at best and they will have much tougher competition down the road.  I think it was a great start for the expansion side both on and off the field. It was a positive start to what should be a great MLS season.

Here are my player ratings:

NY Red Bulls

Danny Cepero: 5, Did what he could with the defense he had in front of him.

Kevin Goldthwaite: 3, Didn’t close down on Montero for the first goal, gets a yellow card up field in the first half, and gets owned by Nyassi all game.

Mike Petke: 5, would have been 6 or 7 but getting stripped by Montero for Seattle’s 3rd goal dropped his rating.  One of the few bright spots on the NY team.

Andrew Boyens: 4, Taken off early by Osorio for Hall.  Probably should have been Goldthwaite taken out, but no other left back on the roster.

Carlos Mendes: 4, Seattle scored 3 goals.  It wasn’t a good day for any defender playing for the Red Bulls.

Sinisa Ubiparipovic: 4, Off night for the midfielder.  Didn’t show much during the first half and was substituted for the more athletic Borman at the half.

Juan Pietravallo: 5, not a bad game for the Argentian, but the Seattle Midfield is too much for him.  Started the game off very well, but Seattle quickly took over.

Dane Richards: 4, completely neutralized the whole game.

Jorge Rojas: 5, too slow.  Had moments of good skill but was overwhelmed by Seattle’s pressure.

Macoumba Kandji: 5, Hurtado’s bitch.  Was more of a factor than Dane Richards, but that doesn’t say much. Forced a great save from Keller in the second half.

Juan Pablo Angel: 5, smothered all night. The Seattle defense gave him no space despite all his hard-work.

Subs:

Jeremy Hall: 6, Looked good when he came on for Boyens.  Added some stability to the right side and helped stop the bleeding.

Danleigh Borman: 4, Should have just left Ubiparipovic on the field and saved a sub.

SeattleSounders

Kasey Keller: 6, only tested twice and came up with a brilliant save against Rojas.

Zach Scott: 6, Great game from the USL standout.

Tyrone Marshall: 7,  was the leadership the  back-line needed. Ran an organized and impenetrable defense.

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado: 7, dominating presence.

James Riley: 6, Defended well and got up the field well.

Sanna Nyassi: 7, owned the right side.  Displayed great speed, skill, and imagination. All that was missing was a goal.

Osvaldo Alonso: 8, One of Seattle’s best players.  Owned the middle of the pitch through hard tackling and great passing.

Brad Evans: 7, A goal and solid on both sides of the ball.  Making a case to keep his starting role once Ljunberg is healthy.

Sebastian Le Toux: 7, Proved he could handle the play in MLS.  Had a great assist on Montero’s first goal.

Nate Jaqua: 6, Did what was expected of a target forward.  Showed off some moves and was a great compliment for Montero.

Fredy Montero: 10, if there was ever a 10 performance, Montero had it.   He scored two goals, assisted one, and entertained with slick moves and passing.  Seattle hit the jackpot with this kid.  It is still very early in the seas0n but he showed he has the potential to be a weekly game breaker.  Also an early favorite for goal celebration of the year.

Subs:

Steve Zakuani:  6, did great in his limited time. I’d like to see what he can do with a full 90.

Roger Levesque: N/A

Seattle Sounders Front Office: 10

Seattle Sounders Fans: 11 !!!!!!!!

Here are the Green Army’s official power rankings.  Right now I’m basing the rankings on how the teams finished last season and what they have done in the offseason.  After few weeks of play the real contenders will start to show themselves.  I’ll try to update this every frequently.  Also, at the bottom I have my predictions (random guesses)  for this weekend’s first round of games.

1. Columbus Crew

The reigning MLS champions are returning almost all their key players.  They are poised to repeat this year, but we have to see if the aging Schelotto can put together another MVP year.

2. Chicago Fire

Arguably the best team in 2008.  The team is a nice mix of youth and experience.  This should be a breakout year for players like Pappa and Nyarko.

3. Real Salt Lake

Should be the  class of the West this year.  They were literally inches away from playing in the MLS Cup last year.  The team returns all of its key players.

4. NY Red Bull

Runners up in last years MLS Cup.  Even though they made it to the MLS Cup, Coach Osorio sill felt his team needed improvement.  The Red Bulls spent the offseason overhauling their team, bringing in players like Celades, Pacheco, Oduro, and Hall.  With the return of Angel and Rojas they boast a speedy and dangerous team.

5. Houston Dynamo

No Jaqua, no De Rosario, and now no Eddie Robinson.  Houston lost two of its best offensive weapons in the offseason in DeRo and Jaqua.  Robinson has recently sustained an injury that should sideline him for a significant amount of time.  Houston’s success has always come from its team play and not its individual talent.  I think they will still be a top team in the West.

6. Toronto FC

Toronto look like real playoff contenders this year.  The acquisition of De Rosario and Pablo Vitti give Toronto one of the most potent attacks in the league.  Not to mention they owned the Superdraft by picking the top midfielder, Cronin, top keeper, Frei, and top striker, O’Brien White.  Toronto has also secured the services of Adrian Serioux from FC Dallas to help shore up the back line.  All that remains is to see if Toronto can put it all together.

7. New England

Slowly but surely, New England’s top talent has been slipping away. The loss of Parkhurst to Europe might be too much for the club to overcome this season.  They definitely have enough quality to make the playoffs this year, but another MLS Cup appearance is at least a few years away.

8. KC Wizards

The Wizards have done a lot of work starting at the end of last season.  They have a acquired an admirable crop of offensive talent in Josh Wolff, Abe Thompson, Herculez Gomez, Adam Cristman, and Santiago Hirsig.  The return of Claudio Lopez at a reduced contract should help their offense.  With Conrad is still around to the lead the backline, the Wizards look like a top of the table team.

9. Chivas USA

The return of Sacha Kljestan is a huge boost for the club.  There is a very real possibility that he might be off to Europe in the summer but the return of Bornstein and Galindo might help soften that blow.  Chivas will be hurting without Claudio Suarez holding down the backline, and Preki’s big challenge is going to be keeping clean sheets this year.  Another challenge the club will face is the absence of Burling, Vaughn, and Razov for at least another month with injuries.  Not to mention Victorine who isn’t scheduled to return until the end of May-early June.

10. Seattle Sounders

The Sounders have done everything an expansion side can do to prepare for their first season.  They got one of the best coaches in the league in Sigi Schmid, 2008 MLS Coach of the Year, they secured top foreign talent, (Freddie Ljunberg and Fredy Montero), hometown hereos (Kasey Keller and Sebastian LeToux), young players (Nathan Sturgis, Steve Zakuani, and Sanna Nyassi), and finally, proven performers in the league (Jaqua, Riley, Marshall, and Evans).  The team has a fantastic front office and an enviable fan base.  This should be an incredible year for the team even if they don’t make the playoffs.  It takes more than just good players to be successful in this league.  If Seattle can get some good chemistry by the summer time, they should be a playoff contender.

11. Colorado Rapids

Being a Rapids fan just doesn’t seem worth it anymore . . . that is what I believed until they fired Clavijo. I’m back on the bandwagon now and pretty optimistic about this years group.  No they haven’t made a ton of trades or acquisitions and normally that would be worrisome.  I’m putting some faith in Coach Smith. Colorado’s backline looks very promising with Gibbs, Guerrero, and Ihemelu. The midfield returns a solid group Mastroeni, Ballouchi, Clark, and Cooke.  Up top Conor Casey will lead the charge for the Rapids.  The Rapids also managed to acquire the services of goalkeeper Matt Pickens, defender Ty Harden, and forward Ross Schunk.  The team is good enough to make the playoffs, but first they have to work on being consistent.

12. FC Dallas

I predict that Coach Hyndman will be replaced by mid season. Dave Van Den Bergh and David Ferraira should help offensive production in the midfield, and the return of Kenny Cooper is key to their success this year.   Dallas’s defense is still a question mark.  They have a nice stable of central defenders but not real outside backs.  Hyndman is a great college coach but he doesn’t have the depth to coach the professional game.  There have been a few comments emerging that the training lacks professionalism and serious concerns over the physical preperation of the players.

13. DC United

It is strange to see DC United ranked so low but they haven’t done much to turn their fortunes around.  The return of Ben Olsen and Christian Gomez should boost their offense.  Luciano Emilio regained his form at the end of last season and hopefully he can continue to produce.  Their defense is practically non existent and they will struggle to stop goals all year.

14. LA Galaxy

Bruce Arena will turn things around, but it will take time.  The Galaxy look to start the season off on the wrong foot.  Their list of injuries is extensive and includes starting players Eddie Lewis, Todd Dunivant, Edson Buddle, and Ricketts. The return of Landon Donovan helps bolster their playoff chances.  We’ll see what Beckham can do when he gets back but I’m not putting much stock in him turning anything around.

15. San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose looked good at the end of last season but they didn’t do enough this offseason to improve.  The addition of Cam Weaver and Bobby Convey really helps them fill some gaps but they aren’t looking like a playoff contender.  Their defense is solid enough especially with Joe Cannon in goal.  Up top they are really hoping Cam Weaver is the missing piece of the puzzle.

FIRST ROUND OF GAMES:

Thursday, March 19

9pm (et), ESPN 2,  NYRB at Seattle: 3-1 NY

Saturday, March 21

8pm (et), FSC, Columbus at Houston: 2-1 Columbus

Chicago at Dallas: 3-0 Chicago

Toronto at KC: 2-2

10:30pm (et), FSC, Colorado at Chivas USA: 1-0 Rapid

New England at San Jose: 0-0 San Jose

Sunday, March 22

3pm (et), Telefutura, DC United at Los Angeles: 1-0 LA

The Red Bulls are a tall order for an expansion side.  Houston could pull off a tie at home against the champs, but I think Columbus will edge them for a victory. Chicago is going to be too much for Dallas that isn’t particulary good at home.  Toronto and KC both have great offensive weapons that should cancel each other out.  Colorado should take advantage of a Chivas side that is starting off the season with a lot of injuries.  New England will struggle early this season. LA v. DC used to be a clash of the titans in MLS now it is more like a joke.  I think LA will beat DC at the Home Depot Center.  DC is usually a slow starter and this year looks like no exception.

What do you think of the rankings going into the season?  How do you think the games will turn out this season?