By J Hutcherson - WASHINGTON, DC (May 30, 2012) US Soccer Players — It would be interesting to be able to write that the US Open Cup night of upsets really changed things.  Seven Major League Soccer clubs have… and this is where we run into trouble.  Underachieved?  Disappointed?  Perhaps the best way to put it is that these seven clubs - and potentially two more later tonight - didn’t take advantage of an opportunity. 

By Dario Camacho - MIAMI, FL (May 11, 2012) US Soccer Players — Never assume anything in Major League Soccer.  The many projections of the standings, the winners and losers, even before a single ball was kicked, have been thrown out by current events. The craziness of the standings over the last couple of weeks looks like a merry game of Chutes and Ladders.  It’s a random mess, the movement a mix of over and under achievers. 

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (May 25, 2012) US Soccer Players — For the USA, the next five games could indeed be the most important of 2012.  With three friendlies and two World Cup Qualifiers on the schedule over the next three weeks, the National Team is embarking on its toughest stretch of games of the still-early Jurgen Klinsmann era.  First up is a friendly on Saturday against Scotland at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, FL (8pm ET - NBC Sports).

By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (May 24, 2012) US Soccer Players — Time for questions, where Tony asks about Brad Guzan’s future, who players are fitting in following last week’s trades in Major League Soccer, and comes up with two interesting choices for early season MVP candidates.

What’s the next step for US National Team goalkeeper Brad Guzan?

Guzan and his Premier League club, Aston Villa, parted ways this week, as he seeks first-team games. Guzan made seven-starts last season for Villa when Shay Given was out injured.  Guzan drew rave reviews, including some from Given himself, but was back on the bench when Villa’s #1 returned.

By Jason Davis - WASHINGTON, DC (May 23, 2012) US Soccer Players — Losing begets losing. For all the careful preparation, sometimes the game just isn’t going to go your way. Sometimes, more often than we’d like, it’s not even about who’s better.

It stretches belief that Toronto FC has just run into bad luck nine times this season.  That’s because they haven’t. TFC has been bad for much of the time, but there’s certainly an element of misfortune in their record-setting futility. Things have gotten so bad that Dutch forward Danny Koevermans, one of the Reds expensive signings in 2011, declared the team as “the worst in the world.” Nine defeats out of nine will break the spirit of even the most ardent competitor, so while Koevermans being hyperbolic about the state of things, we can’t accuse him of sarcasm.

By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (May 15, 2012) US Soccer Players — In Tuesday’s column, Tony asks if a former National Team player could be in the running for coach of the year in MLS, questions the Sunday schedule, and uses stats to wonder what’s really going on with Toronto’s attack.

Which US National Team alum is going to win MLS Coach of the Year this season?

It’s only a third of the season in, so take the question with a grain of salt.  DC’s Ben Olsen and New England’s Jay Heaps have their teams in playoff positions in late May deserves some attention. Neither team is exactly easy on the eyes and they benefit from playing in the Eastern Conference, but those caveats shouldn’t downplay doing what’s required to turn a struggling team into a contender.

Once again, Chelsea walked away with a win at the highest level of club soccer while the other team was the one who took the ceremonial title of ‘better.’  Yes, Chelsea was out shot, out possessed, and out opportuned (not a word, but you know what we mean) by Bayern Munich, a continuation on a theme from their series with mighty Barcelona.  Yet it was Chelsea taking that oddly long walk to what passes for a tribune at Allianz Arena as winners. 

Chelsea aren’t the first team to win while the commentators and pundits praise the losers.  They’re not the first team to get a result with an overly defensive strategy that the nominally ‘better’ team simply couldn’t break down.  What’s at work when this happens is what we really mean by ‘better.’ 

By J Hutcherson - WASHINGTON, DC (May 18, 2012) US Soccer Players — Leave it to Major League Soccer to try and takeover the story when most of us are focused on the Champions League final and national team roster announcements.  Thursday was a banner day for player movement in MLS, with the Juan Agudelo for Heath Pearce trade and the Danny Califf move making Chivas USA a compelling team.  Credit the club with timing, redirecting the conversation in the days before their home date against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

All of a sudden, we’re talking about Chivas USA’s upside and what the additions mean for an 8th-place team.  Add in the issues with the clubs Agudelo and Califf are leaving, and Week 11 gets that unexpected boost of added intrigue. 

By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (May 15, 2012) US Soccer Players — In today’s Q&A for what’s happening in the game, Tony wonders who is buying tickets to some summer friendlies, tries to figure out Toronto’s coaching shuffle, and highlights an American stalwart’s season in charge of a European club.

Who is the biggest surprise in the Castrol Index top ten?

The Crew’s Olman Vargas at #9.  In seven games (six starts), the Costa Rican forward has 1 goal in almost 550 minutes and has been flagged for offside 13 times already. Just to give a comparison, Kansas City has only been flagged for offside 16 times in 10 League games.

Vargas has recovered from a hamstring injury and looks to be available for Saturday’s game in San Jose. The Crew will also have Dilly Duka available, to help augment an attack that has produced only 8 goals in 11 games. The Crew are currently in 8th place in the Eastern Conference.