Colorado Rapids at D.C. United: Tough game for the Rapids, a midweek cross country game, the last time they did one of these it did not go well for them. United has struggled a little in their last couple games, showing some cracks in the armor if you will. Had this game been in Colorado I wouldn’t have any hesitation with this pick but then again RFK is no easy spot for the Rapids to play in as well. Go with United, with Dwayne De Rosario chipping in one, maybe two.

WVH Prediction: DC 3, Colorado 1

Portland and Vancouver have done well in preparing for their sophomore seasons. (Getty Images)

Yesterday I took a look at the 10 clubs from the Eastern Conference in how they’ve done so far this winter. Naturally right after the post was put up one of those clubs went out and signed a DP.

Today, we’ll look at the nine clubs from the Western Conference to see how they’ve been doing so far this winter.

Obviously all MLS sides will continue to make moves between now and the end of the MLS transfer window in April but this is merely a discussion and grade for what they’ve done so far. I’ll go back before the end of that window to re-grade these clubs. The transaction page at MLSSoccer.com was where the majority of the info seen on this post came from.

(Side note: I’m not including any Supplemental Draft picks in with any of the teams. Some players have already been let go by their clubs while some are still trying to make the teams. Once they have definitely signed we’ll discuss it more)

Chivas USA

Players In:

M Ryan Smith (11/21: trade from Sporting KC); D James Riley (11/23: from Seattle, via trade from Montreal); M Oswaldo Minda (12/21: SD Quito); M Miller Bolaños (1/11: LDU Quito); F Casey Townsend (1/12: SuperDraft); G Tim Melia (1/17: free); D John Valencia (1/24: Atlético Junior); M Marvin Iraheta (1/24: Cosmos Academy)

Players Out: F Justin Braun (11/23: trade to Montreal); M Gerson Mayen (11/23: trade to Montreal); D Zarek Valentin (11/23: expansion draft); MPaulo Nagamura (11/29: trade to Sporting KC); D Andrew Boyens (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/LA Galaxy); F Chukwudi Chujindu (12/12: option declined); M Simon Elliott (12/12: out of contract); G Zach Thornton (12/12: option declined); D Mariano Trujillo (12/12: option declined); D Michael Umaña (1/2: free/Comunicaciones); F Marcos Mondaini (1/4: loan option declined); G Sergio Arias (1/4: loan option declined); F Víctor Estupiñán (1/4: option declined)

What is still needed: A big time goal scorer.

Thoughts: This continues to be one of the toughest clubs to figure out. They’ve lost a good deal of talent in guys like Justin Braun and Zarek Valentin. Yet they have brought in some intriguing additions in the form of Ryan Smith, Miller Bolanos and John Valencia. If Smith can return to the level of play we saw out of him in Kansas City, then this club has the potential to be a lot more interesting in 2012.

Grade: C

Colorado Rapids

Players In: D Hunter Freeman (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Houston); M Tony Cascio (1/12: SuperDraft); M Jaime Castrillón (1/25: free/Independiente Medellín)

Players Out: M Sanna Nyassi (11/23: expansion draft); D Mike Holody (11/30: option declined); DDanny Earls (11/30: option declined); D Miguel Comminges (11/30: option declined)

What is still needed: Depth in the midfield and up top.

Thoughts: Losing Nyassi is a bigger deal than some still make it out to be. He was a solid player for them and Montreal will love having a player that can do what he does. On the flip side I do like their additions, even if it is really only a couple of them. Freeman will add some quality to the defense while Castrillon will be called to do a lot in the midfield. I think if Oscar Pareja can make a couple more moves to fit his system, then this club will be fine.

Grade: C

FC Dallas

Players In: F Blas Pérez (1/3: free/Indios de Ciudad Juárez); D Hernán Pertúz (1/3: free/Independiente Medellín); D Matt Hedges(1/12: SuperDraft); D Carlos Rodríguez (1/20: Tauro FC)

Players Out: D Edson Edward (11/23: waived); DJeremy Hall (11/29: trade to Toronto); F Maykel Galindo (12/12: option declined); F Maicon Santos (12/12: option declined); M Marvin Chávez (12/16: trade to San Jose); M Jackson(1/18: loan to Cruzeiro)

What is still needed: A starting right-winger, depth up top

Thoughts: Some folks aren’t too high on what Dallas has done this winter but really they’ve put together a solid winter so far. Perez, Pertuz and Rodriguez will all contribute big minutes this season, as will rookie Hedges. Schellas Hyndman trimmed the fat from the poor moves made last year in the form of Hall, Galindo and Santos but also made some risky moves by trading Chavez and loaning Jackson. Fans were too happy about those last two but they should be happy with the fact that the salary cap space is there for them to make a couple solid moves this season.

Grade: B

LA Galaxy

Players In: D Andrew Boyens (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Chivas USA); D Chris Leitch (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/San Jose); F Pat Noonan (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/Seattle); M Marcelo Sarvas(12/13: free/Alajuelense); M Jose Villarreal(12/22: Home Grown); G Nick Noble (12/22: free/Ljungskile SK); D Tommy Meyer (1/12: SuperDraft); M Kenney Walker (1/12: SuperDraft); F Edson Buddle (2/1: free); M Kyle Nakazawa (2/1: trade from Philadelphia)

Players Out: D Gregg Berhalter (12/9: retired);G Donovan Ricketts (11/28: trade to Montreal); M Juninho (1/4: loan expired); G Jon Conway(1/10: retired); M/F Miguel López (1/10: loan expired); M Jovan Kirovski (1/23: retired); DDasan Robinson (1/27: retired); D Chris Leitch(1/31: retired); F Yuri Gorentzvaig (2/1: waived)

What is still needed: Center back depth and defensive midfield help

Thoughts: Losing Juninho is huge, losing Omar Gonzalez to injury is just as big. Both are the two biggest losses to this club but on the flip side they have done very well at addressing depth and shredding some fat. Having Buddle come back is huge but don’t sleep on that Nakazawa trade either, that was a nice quiet move by Bruce Arena that could end up being a big deal down the road.

Grade: B-

Portland Timbers

Players In: F José Adolfo Valencia (12/14: Independiente Santa Fe/Colombia); F Brent Richards (1/4: Home Grown); D Andrew Jean-Baptiste (1/12: SuperDraft); M Brendan King(1/12: SuperDraft); D Hanyer Mosquera (1/17: free); F Kris Boyd (1/30: free); M Charles Renken (1/31: waiver wire)

Players Out: D Kevin Goldthwaite (11/29: retired); F/M Ryan Pore (12/1; option declined); G Adin Brown (12/12: option declined); M Rodrigo López (12/12: option declined); M Peter Lowry (12/12: option declined); F Brian Umony(12/12: option declined); F Kenny Cooper (1/12: trade to New York)

What is still needed: Depth in the defense, additional help on the wings

Thoughts: The last two moves by the Timbers (Boyd, Renken) could end up being the best moves this winter by any club. Boyd is a natural goal scorer and if he can get to 10-15 goals this season, it will be a great addition by the Timbers. As for Renken, if he can get healthy it is a very good pickup for a player that had so much promise early on in his young career. The other DP signed this winter by the Timbers is still a toss up but if Valencia can get healthy and work out, then the Timbers have all the makings of being special in year two.

Grade: B+

Real Salt Lake

Players In: M Enzo Martinez (1/12: SuperDraft); D Diogo de Almeida (1/12: SuperDraft); M Sebastián Velásquez (1/12: SuperDraft);  D Leone Cruz (1/17: trade rights from Seattle)

Players Out: G Tim Melia (11/23: waived); M Collen Warner (11/23: expansion draft); D Robbie Russell (11/29: trade to D.C.); M Jean Alexandre (12/1: trade to San Jose); M Arturo Alvarez (12/5: Re-Entry Stage 1/Chivas USA); MAndy Williams (12/5: retired); D Nelson González (12/12: option declined); D Rauwshan McKenzie (12/12: option declined); M Blake Wagner (12/12: option declined); M Andy Rose(1/17: trade to Seattle)

What is still needed: Depth all over, particularly in the midfield and up top

Thoughts: It seems like they have lose more than they have gained but that is the price you pay when you are one of the deepest teams in MLS. Russell and Warner will end up being the toughest losses on the field. Williams will be the toughest loss in the locker room though. But they did get some youth in the draft and Martinez should be a steal for them, as he’ll get plenty of playing time in his rookie season.

Grade: C

San Jose Earthquakes

Players In: M Shea Salinas (11/30: trade from Vancouver); M Jean Alexandre (12/1: trade from RSL); M Marvin Chávez (12/16: trade from FC Dallas); D Víctor Bernárdez (12/21: free/Anderlecht); F Sam Garza (1/12: SuperDraft); M Jacob Hustedt (1/12: SuperDraft); G Chris Blais (1/12: SuperDraft);  F Sercan Güvenisik (1/26: Preußen Münster); M Tressor Moreno (2/2: free)

Players Out: D Bobby Burling (11/23: expansion draft); M Matt Luzunaris (12/1: waived); M/D Bobby Convey (12/2: trade to Sporting KC); D Chris Leitch (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/LA Galaxy); MAndré Luiz (12/12: option declined); M Jacob Peterson (12/12: option declined); F Scott Sealy (12/12: option declined); G Andrew Weber (12/12: option declined)

What is still needed: Defensive help

Thoughts: A busy offseason for Frank Yallop but not a terrible one. A lot of iffy moves in the draft and in trades that could pan out and be better than I am thinking. If Moreno ends up being the #10 that the Quakes have been looking for then we could be looking at a sleeper team this season. Still a lot of ifs with that defense that worries me. I do think their additions on the wings will help Chris Wondolowski out in a big way. I think the grade will end up being higher, especially if they can work out a deal with Simon Dawkins to return.

Grade: C+

Seattle Sounders FC

Players In: G Michael Gspurning (12/7: free/Skoda Xanthi); D Marc Burch (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/D.C. United); D Adam Johansson (12/29: free/Göteborg); M Christian Sivebaek (1/11: free/Midtjylland); D Andrew Duran (1/12: SuperDraft); F Babayele Sodade (1/12: SuperDraft); M Andy Rose (1/17: trade from Real Salt Lake); FCordell Cato (1/18: free/Defence Force FC);

Players Out: G Kasey Keller (11/2: retired); D James Riley (11/23: to Chivas USA, via expansion draft); D Tyson Wahl (11/23: trade to Montreal); GK Terry Boss (12/2: retired); D Taylor Graham(12/2, retired); F Nate Jaqua (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/New England); F Pat Noonan (12/12: Re-Entry Stage 2/LA Galaxy); M Erik Friberg(12/12: transfer/Malmö)

What is still needed: Defensive depth, a healthy Steve Zakuani

Thoughts: It looked like this club was going to take a serious hit back at the end of 2011 but they have quietly and diligently made some good moves to help their cause out for what will be a busy 2012. I like the additions of Johansson, Siveback and Cato. And re-signing Mauro Rosales was absolutely huge. Still the biggest loss will certainly be Kasey Keller and his leadership. If Gspurning can be half of what Keller was to this club they will be fine.

Grade: B

Vancouver Whitecaps

Players In: M Bryce Alderson (11/17: Home Grown), D Lee Young-Pyo (12/7: free); M/F Lee Nguyen(12/15: weighted lottery); M Matt Watson(12/16: free/Carolina); D Martín Bonjour (1/6: free: Rampla Juniors); F Darren Mattocks(1/12: SuperDraft); D Chris Estridge (1/12: SuperDraft); G Brad Knighton (1/17: Carolina);  M Jun Marques Davidson (1/19: free); F Sébastien Le Toux (1/30: trade from Philadelphia)

Players Out: D Jeb Brovsky (11/23: expansion draft); D Bilal Duckett (11/23: waived); M Nizar Khalfan (11/23: waived); M Alexandre Morfaw(11/23: waived); M Shea Salinas (11/30: trade to San Jose); D Greg Janicki (11/30: option declined); M Pete Vagenas (11/30: option declined); D Jonathan Leathers (11/30: option declined); G Jay Nolly (12/5: trade to Chicago); D Geinier García (1/17: trade to Montreal); FMustapha Jarju (1/21: contract terminated); MPhilippe Davies (1/21: option declined)

What is still needed: Defensive depth

Thoughts: Martin Rennie has brought in a fair amount of talent from his Carolina roster and will likely continue to do so. But you have to really like where this club is going offensively with Le Toux and the re-signing of Camilio. If Young-Pyo can turn into the game-changer in the back for the Caps, this could easily be a playoff team in 2012. There will certainly be some growing pains with this club, giving all the changes but you have to really like where they are going here.

Grade A-

When the Chicago Fire announced Quaker Oats as their new jersey sponsor earlier this week (I swear that one is growing on me by the day), the news left four clubs without a sponsor.

The Colorado Rapids, the Columbus Crew, FC Dallas and Sporting Kansas City all have holes in their jerseys – well metaphorically speaking.

Right now there are no real updates on any of these four clubs in where they stand at getting a kit sponsor. That isn’t the type of post I am writing up for you all today. Locally for me in Dallas, I know the Hoops have been working for a couple seasons at finding the right brand to be on their jersey. They came super close last year only to have the company that they were working with back out at the last minute thanks to a CEO change.

Kit sponsors are big deals for MLS clubs. They help with paying salaries for one. I’ve had a couple teams tell me in the past that the jersey sponsor deals go a long way in keeping costs down for a season. It doesn’t put teams in the green on the financial books but it does help.

We know those four have struggled at finding a sponsor. The brand has to match what the club feels as the right feel for the team. It’s possible that Chicago has hit a home run with Quaker. It’s a local brand that is well known. That’s what clubs like to go for – well known brands – that have strong local ties. Chicago is doing it with Quaker, Philadelphia did it with Bimbo.

Now, not all clubs go for the local brand. VW sponsoring D.C. United isn’t a local company but one that works on a global scale.

But where does Colorado, Columbus, Dallas and KC go? We know they are all losing out on money as we speak. So who could step in and help them out? Below are some companies worth exploring for each club, along with other current sponsors that could step up. More than likely all are long-shots for each side but you never know.

Colorado Rapids: Finding a strong brand for the Rapids isn’t easy. Many folks have been pining over getting someone like Coors as a kit sponsor. Big time brand like Coors would be a big fish to land for the Rapids and MLS. But having Budwiser as a league sponsor has probably always hurt the chances of  Rapids landing them.

Other possible companies for the Rapids: Western Union (located in Eaglewood), DISH Network (Eaglewood), and MapQuest (large offices in Denver)

Columbus Crew: The Crew were one of the first in the league to have a sponsor with Glidden Paint. Ohio is home to many large corporations that would work perfectly for MLS and the Crew. I’d personally love to see someone like Kroger’s (grocery store), Nationwide/Progressive (insurance), or FifthThird Bank. Two of those three are current sponsors for the club as it is while Nationwide or Progressive probably would have problems seeing how Allstate is a big USSF backer.

Other possible companies for the Crew: Goodyear Tire (located in Akron), Sherwin-Williams (Cleveland), or Value City Furniture.

FC Dallas: FCD already has a bunch of sponsors but two that could step up and be huge for the club would be Dr. Pepper or Subaru. I’ve always thought though that if Southwest Airlines could step up and be a bigger partner for the club that it could transition well into a jersey sponsor. But again, its all long-shot talk here. FCD has been extremely picky over which company to put on their jersey and that has probably caused a few of these bigger companies in the DFW area to back out.

Other possible companies for FCD: AT&T (located in Dallas), Baylor Health Care System (Dallas), or Gamestop (Grapevine – a Dallas suburb)

Sporting KC: This is one club I’m still shocked to not see a brand on their kits. But I do believe they are next in line to do so. Question is who though? Two companies come to mind, Sprint and Pepsi. Both are current club sponsors and both would be big brands that would look good on those SKC unis.

Other possible companies for SKC: AMC Entertainment (located in KC), H&R Block (KC), or Dairy Farmers of America (KC).

(Naturally this post was meant to suggest some companies and is in no way saying any of these companies are great fits for the four clubs. I thought it would be a fun debate, feel free to leave your suggestions for each side below)

Gary Smith is now out as head coach of the Colorado Rapids. (Getty Images)

You could see the writing on the wall with this for several weeks. Gary Smith was not happy and neither were the folks above him with the Colorado Rapids.

Today, they made it official as the club announced they would be parting ways with the only head coach in their club history to guide them to a MLS Cup.

“After meeting with Gary, we decided it would be in the best interest of both parties to move in a different direction,” said Colorado Rapids Managing Director Jeff Plush. “We’d like to thank Gary for his many contributions to the Colorado Rapids organization. He was instrumental in the Rapids winning our first-ever MLS Cup last year, and we wish him nothing but the best as he explores new opportunities.”

Smith had a 39-31-35 (W-L-T) record with the Rapids over three seasons.

Again, this isn’t a shocker. Smith and Technical Director Paul Bravo were not on the same page with one another for months. That even made headlines in Denver.

Colorado will now go on a coaching search, something they haven’t had to do in a while (Smith was an assistant under former boss Fernando Clavijo). Smith will likely be a candidate for jobs like New England or possibly overseas.

Columbus hopes to knock off Colorado tonight. (Getty Images)

I hate being quick with playoff previews but this one will have to end up being the case. Time has not been on my side today.

Tonight is the second wild card game of the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs. Last night the New York Red Bulls upset FC Dallas on the road and tonight the Columbus Crew hope to do the same against the defending MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids.

It should be a fun one tonight for sure though – snow covered Dicks Sporting Good’s Park yesterday – and we very well could see an appearance by the Orange Jubilani. The weather should play a tricky factor in this one for both sides but each are no stranger to cold weather games.

To me this one is a simple midfield battle. If Colorado can overcome some injuries in their lineup to key guys like Pablo Mastroeni, then I could easily see them advance in this game to take on Sporting Kansas City this weekend. I’d expect the Crew to lean on guys like Dilly Duka, Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gavin to make up for the suspension of Emmanuel Ekpo in the midfield.

The two defenses are fairly even down the board thanks to injuries and form issues. Up front you almost have to go with the Crew right now with Andres Mendoza and Emilio Renteria leading the way. If one of those two can get on the board early it will be hard for the Rapids to play catch-up in this one. Without Conor Casey in the lineup, Colorado needs another big playoff push from Omar Cummings, something that we haven’t seen as much this season.

I think this one will be a little slower than the Dallas-NY game from last night but it should still be fun to watch. I’m taking the home side by a hair. Cummings finds a way to insert himself into this one and uses his speed to beat a slower Crew defense.

WVH Prediction: Colorado 1, Columbus 0

I snagged this off the Colorado Rapids’ Facebook page. For those who think switching to a winter schedule is a good thing, consider this photo for a moment.

In a way I wonder if this could have something to do with Smith staying behind for one of the Rapids CCL games on the road. This could definitely be an interesting situation for the coming weeks. Should the team somehow crash out of the playoff picture (unlikely, but still possible), a change will likely happen. Only way to save the marriage is probably another MLS Cup win – again unlikely given the way the Rapids are and how many games most of their key guys have played this season.

My pal Daniel over at BigDSoccer.com just posted this photo on his twitter feed. Valencia of La Liga in Spain did this clever jersey sponsor idea of promoting their brand online instead of having a big time sponsor. I’d say for clubs like FC Dallas, the Colorado Rapids, the Columbus Crew, Sporting Kansas City and the Chicago Fire that this wouldn’t be a bad route for a year while they finalize any deals with a big company.

What do you think of someone like FC Dallas having @FCDallas on the front of their shirt for a year or even a few months while they finalize a deal with some local company? To me it is better than having a blank spot on a kit like some of these clubs have right now. It wouldn’t bring in cash right away like most of the deals do but it may drive up some jersey sales though.