Disappointment (West)

As the season winds down, disappointing, is almost too nice a description for the way the season has turned out for some MLS teams. What happened? Can they recover? What next year? These are the questions many fans in the league are already facing. And with the playoffs looming ever larger, four teams are about to find themselves left out and on early holiday.

West

LA Galaxy
The mighty Gals started last season on a blistering pace. And it was a good thing they did, because despite the struggles of RSL and Chivas, the Galaxy almost plummeted out of the playoffs last year, only to turn on the jets, win the Double.

A year later, and without a great start to the season, the Galaxy are on the verge of another US Open Cup, but are getting farther adrift of the MLS Playoffs.

What happened boys? You returned most of your stars, but you have returned little of the firepower that propelled you last year. Donovan is the team's leading striker, despite having missed about ten games. Quaranta and Gordon have both posted some good strikes lately, but not enough to make a difference. Gordon missed the target multiple times last weekend, if he had only managed to get one on target the Galaxy would look in much better shape.

Gomez has been MIA most of the season, only four goals in 25 games is not acceptable. Especially when last year he hit 11 goals in only 22 games.

With Yallop at the helm the Gals can only hope for some stability, they have dealt with constant turnover this season. Nine players have left the team, and only twenty roster spots are currently being filled. So while the Galaxy returned much of their underperforming Champion team, they have totally disappointed again. Will most likely miss the playoffs for the first time, and can only hope that during the off season they can prevent another season of under performing and under achieving.

Houston Dynamo
A collection of players that posted a perfect home record, won the supporters shield in classy fashion, but tripped in the playoffs.

I doubt many people expected Houston to have as much trouble as they have this season. Last year as San Jose these players were incredible and for the longest time looked poised to take the MLS crown. So despite no serious coaching changes, or significant lineup turmoil, Houston has gone from poised for another great run, to mediocre.

They may have beat up on Dallas this year, but have had little success against the rest of the league. Yes, they are second in the west, but being only one point up on both Chivas and Colorado, there is every chance they could enter the playoffs in fourth, and an even more remote chance they could sink to the bottom of the western table and miss the play offs all together.

The move of SJE to Houston was traumatic on fans, but seems to have affected the team as a whole. A team you should have expected big things from, seems to have just wilted away in the Texas heat.