I’ve gotten a couple of emails about the shifting sands of MLS conference alignment.
Houston in the Eastern Conference? Meh.
Houston in the East? I know, I know. Houston says "East" about like Kim Kardashian says "modest."
But honestly, I just cannot work up a good volley of indignation over this one. Why? Mostly because it’s almost certain change in two years, if not by this time next year.
Montreal, set to become the league’s 19th side, will be in training camp by this time next year. And my map shows that Montreal isn’t just East, it’s very, very East. It’s East like crab cakes or Maine lobsters. I fully expect that New York will indeed be the residence of Major League Soccer’s 20th franchise, whether it’s the highfalutin Cosmos or a brand with more history but perhaps more sanity. (Eric Cantona, really?) That could happen as early as 2012.
So, I’d say the Houston Dynamo’s move to the East will one day be a historical blip, a one-year or perhaps two-year aberration.
And if you’re a Dynamo fan, there’s one more reason you don’t want to get too worked up over this one. Click forth for that …
You may have heard that the East will be the weaker sister this year. But perhaps you don’t fully appreciate just how true that will be.
As I count it, fully six teams in the East are in re-building mode. Houston is one of them. Dominic Kinnear’s Dynamo joins Chicago, Columbus, D.C. United, New England and Toronto. New England’s task might be more along the lines of "rebuilding-lite." And that’s probably where I’d put Houston. But Chicago, Columbus, United and Toronto are in full-fledged, turn over the roster mode. United and Toronto have new coaches. Chicago will soon, I’d guess, unless Carlos de los Cobos gets things turned around quite quickly.
Plus, Philly is about to enter its sophomore season, so they aren’t very far along in building that young outfit. I like Peter Nowak and I think he’s got some exciting young attackers, but I still look at the back line at PPL Park and wonder how they’ll cope?
So, the way I see the East is like this: It’s New York by a long, long way. Hans Backe’s Red Bulls are easily the frontrunner, with everyone else scrapping for second, third, etc.
It’s so much different in the West, where Colorado, Los Angeles, Real Salt Lake, Dallas and Seattle all look strong to me.
Houston won’t be in the East for long, I would guess … but I don’t think anyone around Robertson Stadium should mind their temporary conference digs for 2011.
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