PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Taylor Twellman, New England Revolution
D.C. United was the first to receive proof that Twellman’s long overdue return from a neck injury was for real — as a substitute, he was the best player on the field in the Revolution’s 2-1 win over United on May 30. The seven-year veteran, and former Maryland Terrapin, put the rest of MLS on notice with two goals in New England’s 4-0 win over New York last weekend, the 100th and 101st of his career. He’s the fifth MLS player — both the youngest (29 years, 100 days) and the fastest (174 games) — to reach the century mark in the league’s history.
STORY LINES
1. Which U.S. team will show up for the Confederations Cup in South Africa » Will it be the flat-footed, poorly prepared squad that was embarrassed last week, 3-1, at Costa Rica, or the resilient and aggressive bunch that came from behind three days later to beat Honduras, 2-1, in Chicago? U.S. head coach Bob Bradley appears to have learned some lessons, leaving behind aging central midfielder Pablo Mastroeni — the U.S. team’s worst performer in San Jose — while adding Colorado striker Conor Casey, MLS’ leading scorer. But for the U.S. to have any kind of success against the likes of Italy (June 15) and Brazil (June 18), Bradley needs to keep rusty DaMarcus Beasley and unseasoned Marvell Wynne off the back line in favor of Jonathan Spector and Jonathan Bornstein, both of whom are sharper and more naturally suited wing defenders.
2. Real Madrid lands Kaká » This is actually a big deal in Washington, as D.C. United will use the 27-year-old Brazilian midfield magician and 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year as the centerpiece of their ticket campaign for their Aug. 9 friendly against the Spanish giants at FedEx Field. Kaká said that his record-setting departure from AC Milan — including a six-year contract and a fee of nearly 65 million Euros (more than $91 million) — was in part motivated by the world economic crisis, yet it came six months after he turned down a nearly $150 million move to Manchester City.
3. Woe is Osorio » Last November, Juan Carlos Osorio nearly turned MLS’ arguably most laughable franchise into champions by coaxing them into MLS Cup. But after four consecutive losses for the Red Bulls, including two shutouts last week by New York’s biggest rivals, D.C. and New England, it’s difficult to imagine that the note-scrawling, constant-lineup-shifting Colombian will be around when sparkling new Red Bull Arena opens next season. Might Red Bulls sporting director, and former United defender, Jeff Agoos deserve some of the blame?
KEY GAME
Chivas USA at Houston, Wednesday, 8:30, ESPN2 » The Dynamo didn’t win their first match of the season until late April and haven’t lost since, conceding two goals in their last eight matches. Chivas has been the most consistent team in MLS, but it needs a result at Robertson Stadium to prove it is a legitimate postseason contender.
