The triumphant return of the All-American XI in this, the 11th season of Major League Soccer, shall be known as the Golazo! Golazo! Golazo! edition.

Something just isn’t right. Opening weekends in MLS aren’t supposed to be that entertaining. They aren’t supposed to see 24 goals scored. And they sure as hell aren’t supposed to see Brian Ching put up a four-spot. Will those of you who thought Brian Ching was capable of scoring four goals in a game, raise your hand. Now repeat after me, “I am full of crap.”

An entertaining weekend it was, but let’s be honest, we were all itching for MLS action after the long winter hibernation. Sure watching games between some of the best clubs in the world on Fox Soccer Channel and GolTV is entertaining, but for some of us it doesn’t get better than the home grown talent and excitement of MLS.

MLS is back with a vengeance, and with the World Cup coming this summer there are a lot of eyes on the Americans. Can they repeat a classic American underdog performance from 2002? Can they prove to the world that they can hang with the best in the Group of Really Painful Paper Cuts? Will some of the very names you’ll see here week in and week out till mid-May showcase their talent on the world’s biggest stage?

We will see.

Come June when the world’s attention is on the World Cup and people are living and dying with their national teams, some of us here in the US will also be living and dying with our clubs each week, and that is exactly what we’ve been waiting for over the last five months.

For God’s sake, put your hands back down.
…

An Attacking 2-4-4 (What do expect in a week that averaged four goals per game?)

Matt Reis - (1) - New England Revolution
This week the strikers were hot and keepers were struggling but Reis did enough to earn a clean sheet. His positioning was excellent on Donovan’s corners, and while he had some difficulty with rebounds he did exactly what he had to do to secure three points for the Revolution.

Matt Groenwald - (1) - Kansas City Wizards
The converted midfielder from Prospect, Illinois is the AAXI’s leading prospect for rookie of the year. He is also, as of yet, the only prospect for this illustrious award. The new Kansas City right back absolutely dominated his side of the field both offensively and defensively. Offensively he had the cross and assist to Arnaud while defensively he marked Kyle Martino out of the game. When Martino was subbed out and the Crew’s promising rookie forward Kei Kamara moved to left wing, he disappeared as well. Groenwald has it all: size, speed, finesse on the ball, and a mention on the AAXI.

James Riley - (1) - New England Revolution
It was a steady and quiet performance for the sophomore out of Wake Forest. There’s no one spectacular play or tackle that stands out because he was rarely out of position so he never had to make any dramatic plays. But his clearances were timely and he helped to keep Gomez and Donovan in check the entire night. Riley is ready this year.

Brian Mullan - (1) - Houston Dynamo
Good wing play is a rarity in MLS and that’s why Brian Mullan so often stands out. Against Colorado he was a terror on the left flank and sent in several dangerous, pinpoint crosses. Perhaps he faded a bit in the second half, but he still caused problems for the Rapids all night. Mullan is fast, can take guys on with the ball at his feet, plays defense, and serves in wicked crosses. What else could you want from a right-sided midfielder?

Davy Arnaud - (1) - Kansas City Wizards
He may be the perfect counterpart to Eddie Johnson; both can run at defenders, dish, or become targets. While Eddie can score a lot of goals, Arnaud always seems to score big goals. An opening day, game winning cracker of goal - chesting the ball down to himself and whacking it on the half volley to the far side - certainly falls into that category.

Clint Dempsey - (1) - New England Revolution
Between his burgeoning freestyle rap career and his forays into freestyle fisticuffs it’s hard to believe Clint Dempsey has the time for soccer these days. But there he was frustrating the Galaxy, imposing his will on the game, and scoring the winning goal with one of his trademark diving headers.

Jesse Marsch - (1) - CD Chivas USA
Jesse Marsch is the exactly the kind of professional player around which you build a team in Major League Soccer. Bob Bradley knows this. That’s why Marsch was one of the first players he procured for the Chicago Fire back in 1998. And that’s also why Bradley brought him to Chivas USA in 2006. In stark contrast to the team in 2005, Marsch herded the goats in a steady and controlled manner. The veteran played smart and solid balls, made sure everyone was in the right position and basically did what he does best: be a coach on the field.

Alecko Eskandarian - (1) - DC United
“Will Esky ever really come back from his injuries?” That’s the question DC United folks have been asking for almost a year. Of course everyone else around the league was asking the same question, albeit for entirely different reasons. When Esky came on as a substitute in the second half, scored a beautiful golazo with a volley shot off a cross into the top of the net, and helped to lead his team to a comeback draw he reminded everyone how dangerous he is and how important he is to DC United’s attack. Nobody else on that team finds space and creates chances like he does. As Eskandarian goes, so goes DC United.

Chris Rolfe - (1) - Chicago Fire
This guy is just plain fun to watch. He runs at the opposition as well as nearly any forward in the league, and his quickness on and off the ball is stellar. He brazenly takes on defenders (with uncanny success) and has an opportunistic knack for making something out of nothing. Last weekend Rolfe was the most dangerous player on the Fire. Between confidently and skillfully evading multiple defenders and setting up the opportunity Rolfe can take credit for everything except putting the ball in the back of the net on Chicago’s first goal. But Rolfe used a beautiful half volley to put it in himself on the second goal. Perhaps his youth and inexperience still show from time to time, but he remains a special player.

Kenny Cooper - (1) - FC Dallas
All you can ask from a second half substitute striker is that he make a difference. And making a difference means one and only one thing: do something, anything, that leads to a goal (preferably not an own-goal). When Cooper came into the game his team needed a goal and the former Manchester United product delivered just what they needed. It’s easy to see why Sir Alex once thought so highly of the player: he’s surprisingly skilled on the ball, has a very aggressive attitude, and buries his chances.

Brian Ching - (1) - Houston Dynamo
And now we come to this week’s most controversial pick. Who would fill the final slot in this season’s first AAXI? Would it be Brian Ching who scored four touchdowns in one game for Polk High School four goals in one game for the Houston Dynamo or Justin Mapp who failed to garner even a single vote from the AAXI contributors this week? In the end we decided to make the hard call and give the honor to Brian Ching. (Oh, fine. Truth be told we flipped a coin.) But you’ve gotta admit Brian Ching was en fuego. Colorado knew what he was going to do, but they still couldn’t stop him. Once he notched one you just knew he’d score more. Ching and Mullan showed why soccer is the beautiful game. Each had to do his part to make the whole thing work: Mullan sent in the perfect cross, Ching headed it perfectly into the goal. It was a great show. And we can only hope the fans in Houston appreciated it because we’re quite positive the fans in San Jose didn’t no longer can.

(Note: There was some confusion about the last line. It has been edited for clarity - though the edit lacks the punch of the original. Apologies to the former San Jose fans who took it the wrong way.)
…

  • Header by Chicago1871.
  • List compiled and edited by The Belly with input from all the AAXI contributors.
  • All typos and errors should be blamed on Steve Sampson.