WVHooligan - Soccer Blog

Another primetime clash in the eastern conference tonight. The big boys of Chicago against the boys who should be big of DC. Both clubs are in opposite ends of the spectrum here going into week number seven of the 2008 campaign.

The one thing that may be going for the homeside is the fact that they have a new sponsor in VW. But seriously, we have the league’s best defense (Chicago) against who should be one of the better offenses in the league (DC). But let’s not forget, Chicago’s got a pretty decent attack and DC’s defense hasn’t been anything worth bragging about yet this season.

One thing we know too, Chicago isn’t afraid of DC these days. Last fall they eliminated the Supporter’s Shield winners in the first round of the playoffs. I’m sure Fire fans remember those two games that made DC look like the lower seed and not the top seed.

Something has to give for DC though here this season. The attack looks worse than it should be and the defense isn’t living up to the expectations. Maybe its a bit of the talent brought in wasn’t as good as we though and keeper Zach Wells is still playing like a backup and not a starter. Let’s also look at the offense too for United, Luciano Emilio isn’t playing like a Golden Boot winner right now. Maybe its due to no Ben Olsen in the midfield. Or maybe its due to him being more of a one-hit wonder rather than a superstar in this league.

I don’t know really what to make of DC these days but I do know that Chicago is the real deal this season. It’s not all Blanco either. Their defense is doing some amazing work so far in the early goings of the season. Not once have they let in more than one goal, in fact they’ve only given up three all season. Jon Busch is a big reason for that, as he continue to surprise me here.

Offensively speaking, the strikers and midfielders are carrying the load quite nicely too. Eleven goals to start the season, most of those coming against New England (seven to be exact) have people thinking this could be a very tough team to beat come October.

This game comes down to how DC handles Blanco in the middle and how effectively the wing play is for both sides. The team that presents the best attack from the wings will win the game. I think right now Chicago has the ability to do just that. DC should win this game at home but with the way they’ve played this year I’m not too sold on that notion just yet.

Its not that their defense needs to be lock-down on Blanco and company, its their offense HAS to get on the board first here in order to win this game. I just don’t know if they will be able to do that against a defense that has a few shutouts already this season.

I’m going with the visitors here tonight, as they move into a tie with Columbus atop the tables. And this is  due to their defense and not their attack. This will could blow up in my face. But what the hell, why not huh, DC hasn’t given us a real reason yet this season to feel confident about them.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, DC 1

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