MLS, Week 5: Donovan returns, Rapids and Timbers are awful

For 90 minutes the Rapids and Timbers kicked each other, fell over a lot, flailed around and did pretty much everything that you’re not supposed to do in soccer. It was abysmal and neither team deserved to win, so a 2-2 draw proved fair enough. Unfortunately, the teams couldn’t be deducted a point instead of earning a point apiece.

And as incompetent as the Rapids were, they were in control of the match. The Timbers somehow managed to be worse.

The soon-to-be-35-year-old had gone scoreless in his first three games and is nursing an injury. He came off the bench in this one and seemed to benefit from the extra rest. As soon as he entered the game, Henry was buzzing all over the field and creating dangerous chances. He now has 32 goals in 66 MLS appearances.

It wasn’t just the timing of the goal, but the way he scored it that was so impressive. The midfielder hit a left-footed semi-bicycle kick off a poor clearance from a TFC defender that easily found the back of the net.

The goal continues a rather impressive run of success over the past six weeks that now includes a league goal, another in CONCACAF Champions League and three for the United States U-20 team during World Cup qualifying.

Landon Donovan returned to training with the LA Galaxy this week and is already available to play, making the bench for this afternoon’s match against Toronto FC. Whether he actually plays will be left up to Bruce Arena.

Donovan took a break from the sport after MLS Cup in December, citing mental fatigue and just rejoined the team, but he has always been known as one of the most fit players in the league so most expected him back to fitness and on the field quickly. This is a shockingly quick return even for Donovan, though.

The international break is over and all of MLS’s best players will be back this weekend, not that you will notice much of a difference. Without a slew of the league’s stars last weekend, MLS put together a level of entertainment and quality on par with what it normally does, which is absolutely astounding.

MLS is astonishingly deep for a salary cap league. Unsurprisingly, MLS is also better than it has ever been.