Ralston hasn't missed a beat

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Revolution captain Steve Ralston crumpled on the turf and held his shoulder during the second half of the season opener.

Ralston knew he was injured and knew he would be out for the next game. But he didn't know anything aside from the fact that he had dislocated his shoulder.

"I didn't know what to expect," Nicol said. "I didn't know how long this process takes. They were telling me anywhere between a minimum of three weeks and six months. There was a pretty big range there. Once we got the MRI results back, we were looking at about this time frame."

Ralston spent the better part of a month on the sidelines after jarring his shoulder out of place, but didn't appear to feel any ill effects when he returned to the training field last week. Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said Ralston didn't seem to miss a beat.

"His fitness is good," Nicol said. "He's one of those guys who is naturally fit. The way he plays the game, he's smart about it. It's his first week back."

Ralston said that he wasn't sure how he fit he actually was because training does not reflect game demands.

"There's only one way to find out and that's by playing in a real game," Ralston said. "You can run around the field before and after practice as much as you want, but there's no substitute for getting out there and actually playing. That being said, I feel pretty good getting out there, working and training."

Even if Ralston is fit, that isn't the only consideration.

"Obviously, the only concern we have is him getting rattled on the shoulder," Nicol said. "That's pretty obvious. We'll see how that goes."

Ralston said he had to assess the potential repercussions before taking the field.

"If it's a pain thing, I can deal with that and I can play," Ralston said. "But if I come back too early and it's a little weaker and it has a chance of coming out again, I have to be careful of that."

Sometimes circumstances dictate a player's return. Down two goals after 52 minutes, Nicol sent Ralston on for the final 36 minutes of Saturday night's 3-0 loss to the Fire.

"I'm not 100 percent, but I felt good," Ralston said. "It was nice to be back and be part of it and play, but it's disappointing and it's not the result we were looking for because playing at home and losing 3-0 is not acceptable."

While Ralston had to rush back a bit sooner than expected because of match circumstances, he said that the increased depth has given him the luxury of knowing that he could rehab and the team would still get results.

"We would have been in trouble if this had happened a couple of years ago. Who knows. Maybe guys would have gotten the chance and shined," he said. "All I know is that this team is deeper than any team I've been a part of since I've been here."

Revs embrace return to normalcy

Fire expect Revs to target revenge

Red Bulls hope injury woes subside

United struggling to find answers

Scattered showers drifted across the Washington, D.C. region throughout the day on Thursday, dampening the RFK Stadium turf and misting D.C. United's supporters during pregame festivities. But it wasn't until after the home team's dispiriting 2-0 loss to the Chicago Fire that the real storm rolled in, with heavy, lashing sheets of rain accompanied by ominous thunderclaps directly over the old arena as flood warnings blanketed the area.

The soggy atmosphere matched United's collective state of mind all too well. The somber postgame atmosphere in the D.C. locker room was more reminiscent of a season-ending playoff loss than an early-May setback, with the Black-and-Red having just lost their fifth game of a 2008 campaign that was bursting with promise and ambition just a few short months ago.

"It's just a difficult night and it just leaves us with another loss," said defender Bryan Namoff, "and frustration comes over us because we know we have all the talent on this team to not only be good, but to be great. But it's the steps getting to that pedestal, so to speak, [that are] missing. And we're trying to find it."

In the aftermath of Sunday's lackluster 2-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids, D.C. head coach Tom Soehn publicly challenged his side to work harder, show more intensity and represent their colors with greater pride.

For most of Thursday's first half, they did exactly that, dominating possession, tackling with tenacity and pushing their guests onto the back foot. But seven minutes before the break a quick combination between Chris Rolfe, Chad Barrett and Justin Mapp caught D.C. cold and erased all United's hard work to that point as Santino Quaranta's misstep handed Mapp an easy finish. The evening proceeded downhill from there.

"We made a mistake and they punished us," said Soehn afterwards. "It was a ball played in and I think Santino followed the ball and left his man, and it fell back to Justin and he punished us. But it came from a situation where Blanco had too much time to serve that ball. So we broke down. In the first half we didn't break down much but it only takes one or two to punish you."

A rueful Quaranta admitted that his instincts had prompted him to move towards Namoff, who came off second-best as he challenged Barrett for Rolfe's looping cross, leaving Mapp with time and space to pick his spot. With United's psyche rendered fragile by their lackluster league form, surrendering the opening goal proved devastating.

"You work so hard and you come in with a mindset -- and I thought we worked very hard the first 45 minutes -- and you have a letdown and they get a goal, it seems like it sucks the air right out of you," said a depressed Quaranta. "We did the right amount of work but I think we take plays off and we're just not good enough. I don't know. I don't know."

The Fire further asserted themselves in the second half and were duly rewarded with Cuauhtemoc Blanco's remarkable long-distance finish in the 62nd minute. The visitors were then content to sit back and guard their lead, but just like the first 45 minutes, D.C. failed to convert their long stretches of passing and possession into meaningful forays on Jon Busch's goal.

"We've got to find a way to win," said United left winger Marc Burch. "I don't think you can fault us for our effort tonight. But we didn't create any real scoring opportunities, you know? We didn't challenge their [goalkeeper], and we got scored on again. We can't win if we don't score, but we can't win if we're giving up two goals, either, every single game."

With their next match a road date with Chivas USA next Saturday, United don't take the field for nine days, leaving Soehn and his charges to stew over their shortcomings for another lengthy stretch. Given the strength of their conference, last-place D.C. will likely have to watch several of their Eastern rivals move further away from them in the points race as well.

"I asked the guys to come out with the effort and I thought that improved a bit, but still, over 90 minutes it still wasn't good enough," said Soehn. "We broke down and good teams are going to punish you. So it's very concerning. We've got to really evaluate and make sure now that we turn this around. It's getting to a crucial time."

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Dynamo thrilled to have Onstad back

Galaxy defense looks to step up

CARSON, Calif. -- A look at the MLS standings reveals the Los Angeles Galaxy are sitting in third place in the Western Conference with two wins, two losses and two ties on the season.

Take a closer look, and you'll see the 13 goals the Galaxy have scored this year are the most of the 14 clubs in the league.

Unfortunately, the 13 goals they've given up is also the most in the league thus far, which goes far in explaining why the Galaxy have only a .500 record for the season.

Coming into the season, most everyone expected the Galaxy to be potent on offense. Backstopped by a first-year starter in goal in Steve Cronin, the defense was questioned. While Cronin's goals-against-average might not reflect it, there have been very few goals he's given up this year where one could say the goalkeeper should have done better. Breakdowns in the back and sloppy clearances have led to several of the Galaxy's conceded goals.

"I think a lot of our goals haven't directly come from set pieces, but shortly after. It has to do with us not clearing the balls that are played into the box," said Cronin. "We're worried about passing the ball out of the back in those instances instead of just kicking it up to our forwards or another end of the field and working out from there. It just comes back to being as safe as possible in the defensive third."

Part of the problem is the fact that Los Angeles is playing such an aggressive style of offense. The back four often tries to facilitate the attack by passing out of the final third, sometimes leading to careless turnovers in dangerous areas.

Add to that the fact that the Galaxy likes to get numbers forward offensively and the defense can get a bit stretched. Finding that balance, and staying compact and defending as a unit, will be the key to LA keeping the ball out of its own net.

"I don't think we have a very aggressive attack mentality, but that doesn't matter. You still have to be able to withstand pressure. You still have to be able to prevent goals and not give up easy goals," said Greg Vanney. "Back four plus a couple defensive midfielders should be able to hold most teams off and get you plenty of shutouts. Defending is a group effort. Right now we're having too many moments where we're defending as individuals."

The defense certainly isn't going to be getting any breaks this week, as the Galaxy welcomes Juan Pablo Angel, Jozy Altidore and New York Red Bulls to The Home Depot Center this week. New York has gotten off to a sluggish start this season, but will no doubt test LA's defense.

"We give up goals when we get divided up and get separated, we're not able to cover each other and we're not in good positions," Vanney said. "That's sort of what happened this weekend (in a 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake). We allowed midfielders to find space, and defensively we're just not a cohesive unit right now. Part of that is the mixing and matching of guys and injuries. Part of it is just training and getting ourselves on the same page."

Rookie impresses amid Galaxy stars

Galaxy looking for scoring balance

Yallop not ready to make changes

Defensive emphasis paying off for FCD

Yallop not ready to make changes

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- If the San Jose Earthquakes attack had a theme song, Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue" would probably suffice, given their paltry production of two goals in five games.

Yet as the Quakes prepare to play host the Columbus Crew this Saturday, manager Frank Yallop is also following Dylan's lead. Rather than make wholesale changes, his plans are to "keep on keepin' on," both in terms of his lineup and tactics.

While this might strike some as counterintuitive, kick-starting an offense is more of a delicate operation than one might suspect. When goals are scarce, the impulse is to play amateur mechanic and start tinkering with all manner of team matters. But doing so risks killing the confidence of the players affected. It means that sometimes, showing continued faith is the best medicine.

And given the way San Jose played last week against FC Dallas, Yallop has his reasons for keeping things consistent, at least tactically. The Quakes created plenty of chances, both in the run of play as well as from dead ball situations. As a result, Yallop feels that the only thing needed is some fine tuning.

"We're just lacking that little bit of guile in the box, that little bit of belief," said Yallop. "But we've worked on it all week, and hopefully it will come Saturday."

One change Yallop will make is to give newly acquired forward Peguero Jean Philippe his first start of the season. Gavin Glinton, who had started the previous four games, is scheduled to fly to Germany next week for sports hernia surgery, and while he will be available as a substitute, his pending absence means that Jean Philippe will have the chance to show off his abilities over 90 minutes.

"[Jean Philippe] is a little unpredictable, that's a good part of his game," said Yallop. "He needs to do the work between the boxes that's simple and clean, but then in the box we want him to be inventive and dangerous."

Although defender Ryan Cochrane will likely sit out his second consecutive match as he recovers from a concussion, most everything else will remain constant, an approach that defender James Riley feels is the right path to take, especially as it relates to the team's attack.

"We just need to keep things on an even keel," said Riley. "Obviously it's a team chemistry thing, knowing how our forwards like the ball, how our midfielders like to be set up. But if we keep putting the ball into good spots, eventually it will come."

Putting the ball into good spots -- and converting -- is something the Crew has been doing since the start of the season. Attackers Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno have been particularly effective, ably supported by young midfielders Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers, although second-year midfielder Adam Moffat is out after undergoing surgery on his right knee his week.

While Schelotto provides most of the creative spark, it has been the hard work of ex-Quakes striker Moreno who has helped turn tight games into victories.

"[Moreno] is a guy in the final third who just runs hard every play," said Quakes midfielder Ned Grabavoy, who will be facing his former team on Saturday. "He's going to find those extra couple of chances that some forwards might not because he's not going to give up."

Stopping the Crew's multi-pronged attack means employing a game plan similar to the one that worked so well against Dallas -- one that relied on high pressure to limit the space of FCD's more creative elements. That will be especially important against Schelotto, who is Columbus' designated drifter in the attacking part of the field.

If San Jose can limit the Argentinean's influence, and find that missing final touch in front of goal, their chances of victory certainly go up. But after getting only one point out of two well-played home games, the Quakes are clearly valuing substance over style.

"We just want a win," said Grabavoy. "One goal, three goals, it doesn't matter. That's what we're playing for."

Stoic Moreno providing Crew big lift

Fire again find the magic at RFK

The Chicago Fire apparently have the formula to win at RFK Stadium.

They bent a little, never leaked and took advantage of their opportunities to hold back D.C. United in a 2-0 victory on a slick turf at the venerable old grounds.

The Fire continued their stifling defensive play and jumped one point ahead of Columbus into first place in the Eastern Conference after seven games. Their 5-1-1 record surpasses the team's best seven-game start in team history (5-2, 1999).

Chicago head coach Denis Hamlett employed the same 4-5-1 formation as he did in the Fire's 3-0 victory over New England last Saturday, dropping Chris Rolfe back into the midfield alongside Cuauhtemoc Blanco with Chad Barrett running as the lone wolf up top.

Chicago has now outscored its opponents 7-1 on the road this season.

Blanco impacted the match in multiple ways, including his third goal of the season just past the hour mark to seal the game for the visiting Fire.

Blanco did not take long to earn the scorn of the United faithful, rolling around the wet turf after getting tangled up with defender Bryan Namoff in the sixth minute. Blanco had enough energy, however, to share a few words with Namoff and referee Terry Vaughn, who did not call a foul on the sequence.

Vaughn set a tight standard early, whistling numerous fouls on both sides, including a foul by Diego Gutierrez on Franco Niell that lead to a solid free kick opportunity from 33 yards out in the eighth minute. The slumping Luciano Emilio stepped up to take the kick but caught just enough of the Fire wall to deflect the ball harmlessly away from goal.

The match was a tale of two halves, with United controlling the first before a definitive switch in the second.

Despite being without Marcelo Gallardo, their creative engine in the midfield, and Fred, a high-energy and skillful player on the flank, United matriculated the ball up the field crisply, forcing the Fire to chase the game during a sloppily played first stanza.

United attacked relentlessly from the left flank but were consistently repelled by Chicago's solid defensive structure. As they have done successfully in several recent visits to Washington, the Fire were content with sitting deep in their defensive third of the field and playing for the counterattack.

Consequently, United had several opportunities, though very few were perilously dangerous.

United had the first threat at goal by either team but Clyde Simms' right footed blast from 28-yards straight away swerved just wide of the left post in the 15th minute after striker Luciano Emilio did well to hold the ball in a crowd.

Emilio took a crack of his own in the 20th minute, creating a nook of space before smashing a right-footed shot well over the net from 20 yards out.

In the 39th minute, the formula that has worked for the Fire in many of those previous matches reared its way to the forefront as the Fire capitalized on their first legitimate opportunity.

Barrett out-jumped Namoff on a Rolfe cross from the right flank, knocking the ball down to an inexplicably wide-open Justin Mapp. His clinical left-footed finish from 17 yards out beat a diving Zach Wells for a 1-0 lead.

Blanco nearly increased the lead four minutes later after getting through Namoff again, but his near-post ball skidded away from Barrett, who could not get the final touch on the close-range opportunity.

Rod Dyachenko tested Busch with a skidding shot from 20 yards out in the 50th minute, but the veteran 'keeper swallowed it up with relative ease.

The Fire countered with a superb opportunity three minutes later when Barrett fed a running Mapp down the left flank. Mapp drove a low cross into the six yard box as the ball took a lucky bounce off Dyachenko, directly to Barrett 10 yards out.

Segares nearly extended the lead in the 59th minute after slipping nicely behind the United defense on a crafty ball by Mapp, but his left-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area slipped just wide of the far post.

The Fire's efforts were rewarded two minutes later, however, on a sensational goal by Blanco to make the score 2-0. The Mexican superstar sashayed his way through the porous United defense before bending a left footed shot from 27 yards out on the left side that Wells got his hand on, but not enough to knock it away from the upper far corner, netting Blanco his third goal of the season.

United certainly didn't quit despite the reversal of the flow of play in the second half. Jaime Moreno, who dropped into the attacking midfield role for Gallardo, flicked a header just wide in the 83rd minute from a step inside the six-yard box on a cross from Niell from the left touch-line.

Two minutes later, the Bolivian veteran rose up again to knock a Marc Birch corner kick directly off the crossbar from six yards out near the front post.

Galaxy looking for scoring balance

CARSON, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Galaxy are in an enviable position. Their two star players, David Beckham and Landon Donovan, are as hot as anyone in MLS right now. The duo has nabbed four consecutive MLS Player of the Week awards, combining for 11 goals and seven assists on the season.

When one of the two has been shut down -- as Donovan was last weekend at Real Salt Lake, a week after scoring a hat trick and setting up a fourth against Chivas USA -- the other has stepped up, as Beckham did with his two goals against RSL.

"It shows you his quality," said Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit about Beckham's first goal over the weekend. "Before it was Landon, now it's David. It's not only what they do with the ball, it's what they do without the ball that's helping the team."

The Galaxy currently are in a situation where they feel as though they can keep up with anyone on the scoreboard, and rightly so. They have the best offensive numbers in the league and haven't been kept off the scoreboard since their season-opening debacle in Colorado.

"I feel like we have the ability to [outscore anybody]. Every game is different," said Mike Randolph. "Sometimes things don't go your way, or you have a bad game. But I think we really do have the ability to put some high scoring games on the table like the Chivas game. I think we have the ability to do some amazing things."

Still, if Los Angeles isn't careful, they might become too reliant on Beckham and Donovan. Only one other player has scored this season for Los Angeles (Alan Gordon, with both goals coming against Chivas), and the pair has also been credited with more than half of the team's assists. While the early season results have been favorable, the rest of the squad knows that they are going to have to step it up.

"It's great to have those guys, but we can't rely on them to bail us out game in and game out," said Greg Vanney. "That goes back to the defensive effort. If we play solid defensively and let those guys do their thing, we're going to get points. When we get down 2-0 (like we did in Salt Lake), and we have to rely on those guys to get us back into games, then that's a dangerous way to play."

The good news is that offseason acquisition Carlos Ruiz is nearing full strength, and should return to the field soon. Gordon has also been making more and more of a contribution as the season progresses.

LA will need plenty more of that production though, as Donovan, Beckham, and even Ruiz are likely to miss several games while on international duty.

"What we should be doing is taking a little pressure off of Landon and David, and try to get some other people into the mix," said Randolph, who has gotten more into the attack since being moved into the left of midfield. "We don't want to be the team that only has two players and when their shut down we're kind of hopeless."

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Five-a-side: Managerial shelf lives

Ianni hopes for exciting summer

HOUSTON -- This could be one exciting summer for Houston Dynamo defender Patrick Ianni.

Despite battling injuries and the subsequent lack of playing time that comes with recovery, Ianni is motoring along quite well and is probably a bit harder on himself that he should be.

But the 22-year old defender from Lodi, Calif. is one of the team's most physical players, always intent on playing hard, taking care of his position on the field and doing everything within his power to improve from one week to the next.

And the potential reward for being one of the best players in the country in his age group could be a trip to the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

Ianni has played in four games, including three starts this year for the winless Dynamo. A good start with the Dynamo could put him on U.S. head coach Peter Nowak's squad later this year.

But not so fast, Ianni carefully cautioned.

"I think I need to be playing well first," Ianni said. "And I think that it just takes a number of things. (It) takes me playing well here, and that I am developing. It takes me playing my role and fitting in with what coach Nowak wants to do.

"I have played with them quite a bit and I know what he wants to win and what it takes to win. I think that part is paying off for me. I think I showed well at the camp for the team. I think it's a matter of coach's decision at this point."

After comments like that you'd think Ianni was off to a lousy start in 2008. But that is certainly not the case. Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear thinks highly of Ianni, and there are many players on the team grumbling under their breath about what they can do better to grab the team's first win of the season.

Ianni, Kinnear said, is a player that accepts his role and is willing to do whatever he can to help the team on the field in training and up to game day.

"He has put himself in a position to be seen going to (U.S.) camp," Kinnear said. "I think his development has been good. He's an aggressive guy and attacks the ball well. You try to get him to play simple, and he does. He is trying to become more of an organizer. He's learning everyday and trying to get better everyday."

Last year as a second-year player, Ianni started nine games, appearing in 16 games overall. He made his first appearance of the year as a substitute against the Colorado Rapids on June 7 at Robertson Stadium. Ianni was in the starting lineup for the first time against the Kansas City Wizards on June 24 and capped that memorable game by scoring the game-winning goal in the 81st minute.

After that, he made eight more starts at center back for the Dynamo but did not appear in the MLS Cup Playoffs as the team battled for and won its second consecutive MLS title over the New England Revolution.

"As far in my professional career, I think my first (2006) year didn't go too well, but the last two years have been good," Ianni said. "I am out here everyday to learn and work. Sometimes a couple times to learn a particular thing about the game, but I think I am learning well from a great group of veterans and a great coaching staff here."

For him, the reputation of being a strong, aggressive player started when he was younger.

"God gave me a certain ability in terms of athletically and size-wise and strength," Ianni said. "You tend to play to your strengths when you are a young kid. I'm young, and I go after tackles. That's the way I executed. If you are winning like that, you don't want to change something that isn't broken.

"I tend to play aggressively because I feel that is a strength of mine on the field. If I put myself in a position of me against someone else on the field, I tend to win those battles. If you're not giving your strength to the team, you are killing the team. For me, that's going out there and making tackles, hitting headers and making it difficult for the other team to score."

Ultimately, Ianni wants to be a preacher and said he would be playing basketball if he wasn't playing professional soccer. He studied and majored in sociology while attending UCLA, where he was the Pacific-10 Conference's co-player of the year in 2004.

Now he is an up-and-coming player on a Dynamo team that has won two MLS titles in his first two season. Despite all that. Ianni said, there is still a lot of work to do.

Dynamo settle for draw with Chivas

Dynamo thrilled to have Onstad back

Stoic Moreno providing Crew big lift