WVHooligan - Soccer Blog

Oh, the week 13, the unlucky 13 to some. So far this week has seen three games and each have seen their fair share of unlucky sides. Last night in LA was no different as Chivas downed Chicago 2-0. I won’t go too into that game but what I did see was a Chivas side that took care of the ball and took care of their chances.

Also, nice crowd for a Chivas game in LA last night. Probably the first non-LA game in a while that has seen a solid crowd. Yes, I know it was a Blanco number but its still a positive thing for Chivas fans to have a near-full stadium for their games. I think it made a difference last night.

What’s going on in Chicago is starting to make some wonder. I think they need to bite the bullet here soon and trade away some parts that Toronto is asking for in the Brian McBride deal. Their scoring has dramatically dropped off in the last few games.

Putting last night’s game aside, its time to move on to the weekend. Plenty of action across the board. Five games on Saturday and one on Sunday, just like we always do. A few interconference matchups and a couple of games that have a few clubs in desperation mode already I think.

Kansas City Wizards – at – Toronto FC: One of those possible desperate clubs right now is KC. Some feel they are the worst club in the league right now, others like myself feel they are pretty close to that mark. Their winless streak is at six right now and going back on the road doesn’t help when you have to play against the best home side in Major League Soccer.

The tough part for KC, right now is their inability to score. I would say their defense but given the fact about how young they are really doesn’t shock me to see them stuggle this year. But their offense was expected to be better with Claudio Lopez and so far they just haven’t been. KC has socred four goals all season on the road and Toronto has only given up two at home. They could be in for a tough afternoon if someone doesn’t step up.

I like Toronto in this one, mainly because they get some key parts back in their lineup like Maurice Edu and Amado Guevara. I think you will see a Toronto side that will possess the ball better and continue to play with that mindset at home that they have all year.

Danny Dichio should continue his impressive run and I hope to see Jeff Cunningham net his 100th career MLS goal in this one. I just don’t see how KC has an answer offensively to stay in a game with Toronto right now.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 2, KC 0

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FC Dallas – at – New York Red Bulls: The first match in the Schellas Hyndman era kicks off in New York against the Red Bulls. May be a tough place to start out his time with Dallas in the Big Apple. The Red Bulls have won just once in their last six matches but did look pretty decent in the midweek against New England in the 1-1 draw.

Dallas won the season series opener earlier in the year back in Frisco, 2-0. It was a game that was pretty much controlled by Dallas and saw New York miss out on a lot of easy chances. That’s the problem with the Red Bulls, their offense is missing chances and their defense is struggling to put it together for a full 90.

Thankfully for them Dallas is in a similar boat. Offensively speaking they are fine with Kenny Cooper but the Dallas defense has been too hot and cold all year and tomorrow night they will be without too many key players due to international callups.

New York should be able to find a way to win this one. It will probably be pretty ugly at times as Dallas will be shifting into a new formation and given how New York plays it probably won’t be the most enteraining game of the weekend. We could see plenty of goals but I think it will be close with possibly a Juan Pablo Angel goal leading the way.

WVH Prediction: New York 1, Dallas 0

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Houston Dynamo – at – Colorado Rapids: To me this is sort of a statement game for both clubs. Neither have looked great in recent weeks and both need points to stay afloat in the western conference. The Rapids have looked good at home, having won three of their last four games at their Commerce City home. Houston needs to get back on track and find that championship form on the road.

We saw last week just how bad these clubs can play without some of their key players. Colorado on the road against Toronto looked terrible for the most part. One this club isn’t built on is consistentcy of any sort really. Unless that is consistently poor play. Houston was missing key parts against New England and gave up two fairly easy goals in the process. Maybe with Brian Ching back in the line up the offense will have some life again.

Colorado was unlucky in their first meeting, as they gave Houston their first win of the season back in week seven. The late PK to Dwayne De Rosario must still have a nasty taste in their mouth as they’ve really been on a downward slope since.

I think Colorado will bounce back in this one. They’ve at least been fairly decent this season at home. Though their two losses were against clubs with weak offenses like Houston. So maybe that is a trend that could continue tomorrow night. I’m going to say that having Christian Gomez in the lineup for a full 90 will pay off unlike how he was on the bench for 70 last week in Toronto. He will be the biggest difference in this game. Colorado some how comes away with three points and gets away from the bottom of the west.

WVH Prediction: Colorado 1, Houston 0

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New England Revolution – at – Real Salt Lake: Who would have thought this would be the most interesting matchup of the weekend? Well believe it or not, it is. New England as we all know has been pretty solid since the start of May, an unbeaten streak of seven; while RSL is sporting a very nice unbeaten run of four games. They still sport that unbeaten home record as well, so some sort of streak has to come to an end here.

Both will be without a few players in this one due to international call-ups. New England with more though and still without Taylor Twellman who is still out with an ankle injury.

RSL is looking for their first ever home win against the Revs, and this could be a great time for it. Their midweek draw against San Jose was a bit unlucky. They just couldn’t figure out a way to get by Joe Cannon and the rest of San Jose’s defense. Loads of chances, I don’t see that many chances happening against New England though.

I think the home record for RSL will remain in tact, as well as the solid road record for the Revs. I’m seeing another draw this week for these two clubs. New England is missing too much and I’m not quite sure if RSL is really up there in the dicussion yet with the big clubs like New England. A solid showing at home may change my mind about them but so far this year they haven’t really beaten anyone noteworthy at home.

New England should make it an interesting match but I think the turf will come in the way of another road win for them.

WVH Prediction: RSL 1, NE 1

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Columbus Crew – at – LA Galaxy: This is probably the one most people are looking forward to. The best attack in the league against one of the better eastern sides. Columbus head coach Sigi Schmid loves taking it to his former club so this could be a good one.

Not too many sides have been able to stop the high flying attack from LA this season, especially as of late. The Galaxy have won four of their last five games to move to the top of the West, scoring 14 goals in that time. Columbus ended a four game skid on the road last week in KC, downing the Wizards 3-0 in convincing fashion.

A year ago these two split their season series, each winning at home. Some entertaining games last year too, a 3-2 Columbus win in June and a 2-1 Galaxy win in September. I look for one of those kinds of scorelines tomorrow night in Carson.

I expect Columbus to give LA a real test defensively. They are one of the few clubs in the league that have seen success on the road this season. I loved the defensive pairing of rookie Andy Iro and Chad Marshall for Columbus last week. They got a well earned clean sheet in the process.

This one looks to go wild. I easily see LA scoring a couple in bunches but I know Columbus has the ability to bounce back like we’ve seen before this season. They must ultize the wing play with Robbie Rogers and find a way to slow down the Galaxy attack.

A draw seems reasonable with these two clubs right now. LA will be tested in this one and I am curious to see how they respond. Having Landon Donovan back in the lineup should provide a nice spark and could open the scoring once more with Edson Buddle, who would love nothing more than to down his former side.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 2, LA 2

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San Jose Earthquakes – at – DC United: Tough way to continue here for the Quakes. After a solid midweek game they have to travel to DC to face a red-hot United. The Black-and-Red are unbeaten in their last four and have really looked good ever since the awakening of Lucianio Emilio.

San Jose could surprise DC with a couple attacks from the wings with Ronnie O’Brien but I honestly feel they are over matched in this one. I just don’t know if their offense can keep up with the DC attack right now. Plus playing in DC is never an easy task.

I like DC based on their recent play and because of the streaking Emilio. He should be able to provide enough offense to win this game for DC.

WVH Prediction: DC 3, San Jose 1

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