Five-a-side: What's hot in MLS

1. Early start equals ... late start?: No MLS team needs to settle into the sweet spot of preseason efficiency like Houston.

That's because Houston starts its 2009 run of competitive matches sooner most clubs; The Dynamo have a Feb. 24 date in the ongoing CONCACAF Champions League. Dominic Kinnear's club meets Mexico's Atlante at Robertson Stadium as the quarterfinals commence, with the return date set for a week later in Cancun.

So how did Kinnear react to such an early, important date? Ironically, he had players report later than most clubs.

The Dynamo opened preseason camp on Feb. 2 -- about 10 days later than some MLS sides. So, while most clubs had nearly two months to prep for their initial competitive match of 2009, the Dynamo chose to do so in just over three weeks.

"We know Atlante has a little bit of an advantage, because they've played some games already," Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson said. "But we'll be ready."

Kinnear says he's taking the CONCACAF Champions League opportunity quite seriously, and he's challenging his team to do so, too.

But he also has to look at the big picture -- and that could stretch well into November. Plus, Houston isn't too far removed from a hectic slate of 50 matches a year ago. So, instinctively, Kinnear just felt his club could use a bit more time off than normal. He asked players to come in fit, but extended their winter break a bit.

Ongoing club stability in terms of personnel and tactics permits him such latitude with the schedule.

"We've had some player movement, but not a ton," the manager said. "Everything kind of sustains itself. We've got the same coaching staff, the same formation, there's no drastic changes in how we do things, everybody knows what to expect from the first day. So I don't think it was necessary to start early."

Apparently, it wasn't such a bad idea. The Dynamo opened preseason with two wins and a tie against Dallas (two matches) and Los Angeles. And that was without several starters -- although Stuart Holden did get his first minutes of the preseason in a 2-0 win Thursday over the Galaxy in Los Angeles.

2. If you can't beat 'em, sign 'em up: Khano Smith is now a midfielder for the New York Red Bulls; the longtime New England Revolution linkman is Juan Carlos Osorio's answer to shoring up the left side of midfield following Dave van den Bergh's departure.

Smith came via trade from Seattle although he was barely ever a member of Sigi Schmid's team. Smith, taken in last November's expansion draft, was on the Sounders' roster just a couple of months before this week's trade to Giants Stadium.

It's got to come as some relief for the Red Bulls faithful to see Smith -- well, really, any former member of the Revolution -- finally pulling their way. Since 2005, no MLS rivalry has been so lopsided. Smith has done his part as New England has run up a 10-game unbeaten streak against the Red Bulls. Smith hasn't gotten into the scoring column frequently, but he has had some respectable matches during the long torment.

And it was a huge goal against New York back in Smith's rookie season that pointed the lanky left-footer's career in the right direction. The Revs trailed by two goals on aggregate in the teams' 2005 Eastern Conference Semifinal Series. Smith came on late for the injured Marshall Leonard. Blazing down the left side and beating Tony Meola from a tight angle in the 83rd minute, he claimed the series for New England.

3. Left side no longer left out: It has been mentioned in this space before that the left side is no longer the barren MLS wasteland begging to be supplied, as it once was.

It's true that left-sided players were once scarce in MLS. But in the midfield, at least, the Major League Soccer racks are stacked with talent these days. And it's getting stronger, still.

Bobby Convey's introduction to the Earthquakes camp gives manager Frank Yallop yet another option. Yallop is talking about using Convey centrally, which would seem to best fit the team needs. With holding presence Francisco Lima gone and Darren Huckerby already a force on the left at Buck Shaw, Convey would be a welcome addition if he can pass muster centrally.

On the other hand, Convey was generally a left-sided player at Reading, where he spent the last four-plus years.

And you get the feeling that Huckerby could be a menace along the right side, too. As it is, sophomore attacker Shea Salinas seems to have the first shot at starting duty on the right. But as he's still a bit young, it's not hard to see Convey lining up on the left with Huckerby on the right at some point this year.

Either way, Yallop should know how to get the best from Convey. They have great history and a solid mutual respect; Yallop was an assistant with D.C. United in 2002 when Convey, just 16 at the time, signed on to play at RFK.

Still looking at the left side in the big MLS picture, there's always a chance that DaMarcus Beasley, starting for Bob Bradley's national team but languishing on the bench at Rangers in Scotland, could make his way back into the league. He would immediately become one of the premier MLS left-sided talents -- assuming he lands at a team that wasn't already set at the spot.

San Jose previously sat at the top of the allocation order for returning U.S. ex-pats. With the Earthquakes having used that important chip to secure Convey, Los Angeles now tops the list, followed by FC Dallas.

4. Fun with preseason personnel experiments: The emphasis of preseason is definitely on the "pre." That is to say, it's always dangerous to read too much into coaching moves. After all, everybody has six weeks or more to tinker, and bored managers can sometimes do strange things.

Still, it's all we have. So, without attaching too much weight to the personnel machinations, here are some interesting moves that spilled out of friendlies this week:

Toronto coach John Carver deployed Canadian international Dwayne De Rosario as a second forward, playing off Chad Barrett for the Reds. Carver has said he wants to look at several options in identifying the best way to use the man they call "De Ro."

The week's "what?" moment came when Wade Barrett lined up at left midfield for Houston. It was mostly a stop-gap, as several injured or unavailable midfielders had Kinnear scrambling to fill out a first-choice foursome across the line. Still, Kinnear said it was good to see how Barrett, the club's longtime, steady left back, handled the role.

Seattle manager Sigi Schmid chose to play rookie Steve Zakuani, the league's No. 1 overall selection in last month's draft, along the left side in a 4-4-2 for the club's muddy friendly against the Galaxy. He was active, drawing a penalty kick and generally appearing eager to take on defenders.

In Dallas, manager Schellas Hyndman had longtime central midfielder Marcelo Saragosa stationed at right back. Incumbent Adrian Serioux is dealing with multiple injury issues, and Drew Moor is set to start in the center, so the in-need Hyndman was eager to experiment. He said Saragosa was happy to try the spot and looked pretty handy in his first stab at it.

5. Mr. Versatility -- again: Looks like Geoff Cameron is set to be a super utility man around Robertson Stadium once again. As a rookie in 2008 he played center back, right midfield and forward at different times last year in south Texas.

He even spent one match of his debut season at right back, and Kinnear said Cameron looked pretty good there, too.

Kinnear would prefer to have the big fellow settle into a role, of course. But with reduced rosters and Houston already looking at 39 matches this year -- with a likelihood of more, depending upon whether they advance in CONCACAF Champions League and the U.S. Open Cup -- Houston will probably lean on Cameron's versatility once again.

Where will the second-year man ultimately land?

"I think he's got a future in this league in midfield," Kinnear said. It will probably be on the outside, although Kinnear said Cameron's good feet, mobility and range make him a candidate for minutes in the middle, too.