2006 MLS Season Review

The 2006 season confirmed Major League Soccer as a stable product of both American and international soccer. Peter Nowak, once a Chicago Fire player, managed the All-Star team to a win in the 2006 All-Star Game over Chelsea F.C., while former-Liverpool player Steve Nicol led his team to MLS Cup for the third time in five years. Bob Bradley, whose reputation was scarred by underwhelming results when coaching the MetroStars, turned around the second-year Chivas USA, who in their inaugural season finished last among all teams in the league. Among players, Jaime Moreno continued to display his veteran experience, while Christian Gomez and Dwayne De Rosario excelled for DC United and Houston Dynamo, respectively. The Dynamo, once the San Jose Earthquakes in the season prior, took the championship in their first season in Houston. The title game featured names familiar to many American soccer fans; Taylor Twellman scored for the first time in three championship games in overtime, while Brian Ching scored the equalizer only moments later, sending the game into a penalty kick shootout where goalkeeper Pat Onstad secured the win for Houston Dynamo.

The 2007 season will see fans greet familiar faces, namely in the MLS debut of David Beckham, whose signing has been seen as a coup for American soccer. David Beckham's signing by the Los Angeles Galaxy was made possible by the Designated Player Rule. He has been followed by three more designated players, including Cuauhtémoc Blanco to the Chicago Fire, and Claudio Reyna and Juan Pablo Ángel to the New York Red Bulls. The Red Bulls' use of two designated players has boosted the club tremendously, with both players already improving the team's on-field performance considerably (Red Bulls are 2nd in the league in total points, behind the Kansas City Wizards). The departure of Clint Dempsey to Fulham, and the New York Red Bulls' debut of former United States captain Claudio Reyna, highlights an exchange of top prospects to Europe for experienced veterans to the United States. Several other well-known foreign players have followed Beckham and other designated players to MLS for the 2007 season, including Guillermo Barros Schelotto (to Columbus), Luciano Emilio (to D.C.), Ronald Waterreus (to New York), and Abel Xavier (to Los Angeles Galaxy). Former United States coach Bruce Arena will face his first full season in MLS since leaving DC United to manage the national team, while Taylor Twellman has committed himself in the long-term to the Revolution.