MLS Insider Blog

BY SHAWN FRANCIS

On last bit from the celebrity game. Mike Chabala, assistant coach for the White team, giving his take on his team’s under-performance and Houston Texan’s wide out David Anderson discussing the team’s anti-orange slice, pro-hot dog training regiment (at my expense). Funny guys on a fun afternoon.

BY SHAWN FRANCIS

Last night at Bobby Boswell’s All Star party in Houston, the funniest guy in the room that was not onstage was Mike Chabala. I ran into the Dynamo defender in a dark pitch black corner of Venue and caught up with him for a minute about his plans for All Star week and the Dynamo’s league match against New York this weekend. Like I said, it was dark and cavernous environment so please excuse the low-lit nature of the clip but I promised a Chabala fan or two that I’d post something featuring him this week.

The flurry of long-range blasts in MLS may have made the headlines this week, but there was also a wealth of clutch saves and dynamic defending that was just as impressive. And it wasn’t just the keepers who made big stops as even field players were getting into the act.

The polls are now closed but you can still check out this week’s nominees for the NAPA Save of the Week!

Voting is now open for the AT&T Goal of the Week for Week 5 and there is something for everybody. There are long-distance strikes (Sacha Kljestan), a header (Peter Lowry) and set-pieces (Fredy Montero). There are goals from  both the Eastern (Marko Perovic) and Western (Pablo Mastroeni) Conferences. And there is enough skill on display to satisfy even the most discerning of fans.

Voting has closed but you can still check out this week’s nominees for the AT&T Goal of the Week below.

BY SHAWN FRANCIS

D.C. United’s Devon McTavish is currently touring around the South Pacific with teammate Marc Burch and Houston’s Bobby Boswell and Mike Chabala, bringing soccer clinics to a handful of U.S. armed forces station’s in the area. In between clinics (and islands) they’ve managed to sneak in some beach time and –inexplicably– hold a handstand contest. So yeah, they aren’t exactly being worked to death on this little adventure.

You can get the lowdown on all that and then some in Devon’s post about the trip at Behind the Badge. And judging from the photo above, Mike Chabala can get a tan with shocking speed; on one hand I hope he’s using some sunblock but on the other hand I am freezing to death on the East Coast at the moment and will have little to no sympathy for him if he returns to the mainland with a sunburn in December.