Week four in Major League Soccer produced five draws, which shook some things up here. We are slowly seeing the contenders and pretenders here this season. Its a slow and steady reveal from the clubs but we are getting there.

Feel free to post your comments below on these rankings, whether you agree or disagree with them.

Team	Rank (Last Week)	Record (W-L-T)	Comments
	1 (1)	2-0-2 8 pts.	Defensively was missing Wilman Conde on Saturday but this club still showed their depth. Question still comes to when will Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Chris Rolfe be in the starting XI? Has to start soon or this club will start to slide I think.
	2 (3)	3-0-1 10pts.	No goals but definitely a strong showing in a card-infested game. Big battle comes this week with Seattle though.
	3 (2)	3-1-0 9pts.	Had to drop one eventually here. The red-card to Kasey Keller didn’t help the matters. Thing was they weren’t all that bad in their first loss, they were just playing like a club that was down a man for three-fourths of a game. I do want to see how they respond without Keller this week.
	4 (4)	2-0-1 7 pts.	No game, no moving here. Good time for Steve Nicol to have an off week if you ask me.
	5 (5)	2-1-1 7 pts.	Again, as long as Conor Casey leads this bunch we could see big things out of this club in 2009. Getting points on the road in Columbus is never a bad thing either. This club is really starting to grow on me even though I still feel they have work to do with their roster.
	6 (6)	2-1-0 6 pts.	I wanted to move this club, I really did but I feel really strongly about not moving them too high until I see how they play on the road. If they get some consistent good play on the road I will have no problems moving them up here because they will be too tough to beat at Rio Tinto this year.
	7 (11)	2-2-0 6 pts.	This club is quickly turning things around after the slow start. Davy Arnuad is quickly becoming a MVP candidate here this season. That’s a good thing too because as he produces this club will only get better.
	8 (7)	0-2-3 3 pts.	Not acting like defending champs here. Its pretty obvious they need a restart on their offense here this season. Gullerimo Barros Schelotto is not suppose to be their leading scorer.
	9 (8)	1-1-2 5 pts.	This club continues to waste quality chance after quality chance. Chad Barrett needs a few games on the bench to think about the amount of goals he should have scored already here this year. Its almost like he has reverted back to his old Chicago ways here.
	10 (9)	1-1-2 5 pts.	Okay, obviously people are curious about my thoughts with this club these days. Look the lack of energy is there and its due to the lack of depth. In four games this year they’ve lead in each, only to see one win. Its part lack of energy, part lack of depth, and part bad defense.
	11 (10)	0-2-2 2 pts.	Another game and another clean sheet. Oh wait, they still didn’t score though. Will Dominic Kinnear ever find some offense with this club in 2009?
	12 (12)	1-2-1 4 pts.	Another strong offensive showing at home. Sad part is their defense is not the same as last year’s strong group. They are tied for second-worst in the league in goals allowed this year.
	13 (13)	0-1-2 2 pts.	Gregg Berhalter debuts and sees red in the SuperClasio. Donovan Ricketts debuts and sees player of the week honors from the league. However this club still isn’t getting any better anytime soon.
	14 (14)	0-2-2 2 pts.	You know I am starting to wonder, based on last year’s famed group of reinforcements brought in and how they were rather pathetic; will this year’s really do anything better? One can hope because they own the league’s worst offense right now. Thing is they are quickly playing themselves out of contention in April.
	15 (15)	0-3-1 1 pts.	A point on the road is never a bad thing but this club still looked rather bad in the process. I could be safe to say that this club won’t win five games this year. I’m almost tempted to put some sort of wager on that too.

Feel free to post your favorite below.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto:

Conor Casey:

Pablo Ricchetti:

Brian McBride:

Chris Rolfe:

Davy Arnuad (Mid-way through highlight video):

Josh Wolff and KC left Seattle with three points. (Getty Images)

Again, sorry for the delay in getting this recap posted today. Easter weekend, doubled with the fact I had family come in for a visit this weekend. Needless to say I didn’t have a lot of time to get to this until today.

I feel like doing things a little different too here this week. Instead of the usual game-by-game case I just want to tackle just main points that I wrote down from the weekend, due to lack of time this was just quicker and easier. After this is all posted I will probably follow things up with the goals of the week and a few other things. Also, week four power rankings will more than likley be up in the morning as usual.

As always feel free to post your thoughts from this weekend’s action below.

All the ties

Seven games and five ended in draws; two were 1-1, two scoreless and one random one out west was 3-3. I think the San Jose- Chicago game sucked all the goals out of the weekend. Six goals in that game while the other six combined for eight goals total. I suppose it was just one of those types of weekends.

Butts-in-seats look

We are getting there folks. Slowly but surely we are getting there. Bigger numbers this weekend due to 20,272 in Toronto, 23,317 in Los Angeles and 28,746 in Seattle. However still some low numbers like the Crew only averaging around 11k in their two home games this season. I don’t think you can blame the weather either, most people would have been fine with 50 degrees and little wind. I would bet the holiday weekend may have been to blame there.

No More 30-0 Talk

Well, so goes the 30-0 talk in Seattle. Another firecracker of a goal by Davy Arnuad (a very early candidate for league MVP) gave KC another win here in the early going of the year. A lot had to do with the red card early to Kasey Keller (good call) and lack of finishing. Listen folks Seattle was bound to lose a game here this season and we’d be kidding ourselves if we thought otherwise.

Still the club showed some true heart down a man and trying to win that game on Saturday night. Maybe its a sign of how good of a coach Sigi Schmid is because his Columbus teams were always heard to close out against and I think Seattle is turning into just that type of club.

I guess I need to switch the poll over to when will Chivas lose now.

Struggles Continue

Columbus is still winless.

New York is still winless.

Houston is still winless.

And Dallas is still winless.

All combine for a lovely 0-9-8 on the year so far. Ah sexy numbers there.

No Conde, no defense?

Look at the games that Chicago has been without a strong defender. Both ended in draws, this past week was possibly due to the lack of Wilman Conde. The Fire defense gave up three goals to San Jose, which may be the most confusing club in the league right now. Without Conde the Windy City giants looked a bit rattled in the back, especially in the central part of the defense.

Speaking of San Jose…

I just cannot figure this club out yet. Maybe it is way they play at home versus the road. Or maybe its their attack. I will say moving that if they can Bobby Convey around in the midfield it could pay off better for them offensively. But there was a still an element missing in the midfield after that defensively.

Then again you couldn’t do much about those last two Fire goals by Brian McBride and Chris Rolfe. Both were crazy. But some are saying the loss of Jason Hernandez in the back is starting to catch up. The defense that was so tightly compact a season ago just looks completely different now.

New York, we have an offensive problem.

Remember the line about only one club has reached the post season after going scoreless in their first three games? Well, New York is now scoreless in four. Sure they have one goal in the goals for column but that was an own-goal on Jay Heaps. Offensively this club has plenty of blame to spread around right now. I think the exucse of waiting on the newcomers to arrive is passing and the ones that have been there just aren’t producing.

First of all, for all the speed this club has all over the roster it looks like it doesn’t matter. Dane Richards isn’t playing like his usual self. Dominic Oduro or Mac Kandji need to be on one of the wings if you ask me.

Biggest disappointment in all may be Jorge Rojas. A lot of pressure was put on him at the start of the year and so far he hasn’t lived up to any of the hype. Maybe once Albert Celades starts it will get better for Rojas and New York in the midfield but so far this year they’ve looked down right dreadful.

Also, for all the moves the club made the one that could be the biggest that they didn’t do was finding a partner for Juan Pablo Angel. The guy can only do so much with what he has. And so far this year he hasn’t been able to do a thing.

Toronto we still have a problem…

Okay, Chad Barett is proving not to be the answer. Right now the club can only get so much out of it’s midfield, which is producing all of its goals this season. What they need is two things, a central defender because that defense still lets in easy stuff and a true go-to striker. I know this club has improved this season but letting in a late goal like that to a club like Dallas is not the way a playoff contender should act like.

We can get drunk watching LA

I think we need to start a new drinking game with LA and how their midfield and defense play. But all seriousness aside, LA just does not have the talent to compete with the rest of the league in their midfield or defense. The young talent is there but they are still growing and the older talent is just well…older.

RSL still strong at home…DC still struggling in the Rocky Mountains

What else can you say about RSL at home? New year in pretty much a new stadium and its still the same old subject. But I will stick to my guns about RSL on the road. I still need proof this year that they are a contender by winning on the road. Until I see them win on the road in a consistent manner like they do at home I will have trouble rating them high.

As for DC, they still can’t get over the hump in the Rocky Mountains. Neither Denver or Salt Lake City have been friendly to the Black-and-Red. But it was a bit better out of them this weekend. They took the early lead with Luciano Emilio, who is playing great so far this year, but defenively still giving up crap late. That bothers me.

Dwayne De Rosario leads TFC against FC Dallas on Saturday. (Brian Stephens, WVH Photo Correspondent)

So far the 2009 season has been a lot different than most would expect. Two western teams headline the standings with perfect records, while a couple eastern clubs aren’t far off the pace. Judging by this weekend’s schedule this could be a good for some struggling clubs to get on the board here this season.

This will be the first weekend in a while that I can remember where all the games are on Saturday. Easter Sunday probably has a good bit to do with that reasoning. Seven games total, with only New England missing out on the fun due to the unbalanced schedule this season.

Feel free as always to post your score predictions for your club’s game or for all the games below.

FC Dallas – at – Toronto FC:

1. Can Toronto correct their offense and get on the board against a very weak Dallas defense?

You’d have to think that the best cure for some offensive woes this season have to be facing a club like Dallas. Toronto gets a double dip this week and next week with the North Texas club. I wouldn’t be shocked to hear that John Carver and his club should expect no less than four points out of these next two games with Dallas.

I thought last week against Seattle the Reds created some decent chances for themselves but were just unable to do anything with them. Pablo Vitti looked pretty good on a couple passes from Dwayne De Rosario. And speaking of DeRo, or the FCD-Killer as I like to call him, you have to think he would like nothing more than to get on the board this season against his old Texan rival.

2. What can Dallas do to slow down the attack from Toronto?

For one Dallas hasn’t played all that well in BMO Field in their two visits. They won last year’s meeting but at that point and time they were actually doing alright as a club and Toronto was already starting to fall into their summer funk. I think this visit being a bit earlier in the year will change things, especially since Dallas isn’t doing well so far this season. They need to find a way to get Kenny Cooper involved more and control the ball in the midfield. Toronto actually is doing better this season in the midfield so it will be another tough test for this Dallas midfield.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

I’m going to go with Toronto’s Pablo Vitti again here. I think while Chad Barrett will probably getting his fair share of looks, Vitti either as a start or off the bench should make an impact in this one. I just think he pairs up well with Dallas’s backline.

Quick Thoughts:

Dallas has a lot to work on here and a road trip to Toronto is not the best time to fix some the problems going on with the club. They may still be able to get on the board in this one but I think Toronto just has more talent in all the right areas this year in comparison to Dallas. Schellas Hyndman still hasn’t found his touch in the professional game  yet and I really don’t see it starting to show in a place like BMO Field. Toronto will bounce back from their 2-0 loss to Seattle with a nice win over a struggling Dallas team.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 3, Dallas 1

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Chicago Fire – at – San Jose Earthquakes:

1. Can San Jose find their offensive touch once again against a strong defense like Chicago?

Hey we all thought Houston had a mighty good defense and then the Quakes some how came out and torched them for three goals in 15 minutes a couple weeks ago. Maybe San Jose is the type of club that plays up to their competition when they face a good club and down when they face other clubs (no knock on you KC). So if that is the case we should expect their offense to step it up a notch against a very strong Chicago defense that has played very well so far this season.

2. What does Chicago need to do to control this game?

On the road last year the Fire were one of the league’s best so I wouldn’t be shocked to see them play their style of game in this one. All they have to do is control the pace of the game from the start and get their main guys involved early. San Jose is the type of team that can be beaten early in a game if you attack quickly.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

Marco Pappa for Chicago has been really good so far this season. He scored a goal last week in the win against New York and I could see him making a similar impact on this one as well with how shaky San Jose’s defense can be at times. His speed on the wings along with guys like Patrick Nyarko and Chris Rolfe could be a lot to over come.

Quick Thoughts:

I honestly don’t know what to make of these Quakes just yet this season. I want to like them I really do but they have been too inconsistent so far and good teams like Chicago handle inconsistent teams with ease. I think it will be tighter than last year’s contest in Oakland since it is being played at San Jose’s normal venue and not in Oakland. It will be interesting to see if Blanco gets the start or if he continues to come off the bench for Dennis Hamlett’s group.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, San Jose 0

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DC United – at – Real Salt Lake:

1. Can DC get a win in the Rocky Mountains?

DCU as we all know have been largely terrible in Colorado and in Salt Lake City over the years. It could be an altitude thing or just a mental thing but whatever it is hasn’t been good out of the Black-and-Red. DCU needs to get on the board early like they have so far this year with guys like Luciano Emilio and rookie Chris Pontius. Using their wings will also help out but the key battle will be in the midfield between RSL’s Javier Morales and DCU’s Christian Gomez. So far Gomez hasn’t impressed and Morales has been his usual self. DC needs a good game from Gomez and a bad game from Morales to get the three points here.

2. Can Robbie Findley keep up the scoring?

One thing I’ve been waiting for now for a couple seasons is for what Robbie Findley did against Columbus last week, just go crazy and score. His hat trick was hopefully his coming out party for good here this season and if that is the case then look out. Findley has the tools to be really dangerous for this kind of matchup, plus he has been linking up very nicely with Yura Movsisyan so far this season.

3. Player to keep an eye out for.

I think wing play will be a big factor in this one at Rio Tinto Stadium. In that case I think a guy to watch out for is RSL’s Will Johnson. He can be very dangerous from the wings and if he start to link up with Movsisyan and Findley up top it could be a long evening for the visitors.

Quick Thoughts:

I know a lot of you haven’t like what I’ve been saying about DC lately. That’s fine and in a way I do hold them to a pretty high standard. I really hope to see a quality game on Saturday betweek these two. I won’t like I think it has game of the week potential written all over it and no one is really talking about it in that manner. I see this being a pretty tightly contested game in the midfield with a defensive error causing the homeside to end the night with three points.

WVH Prediction: RSL 2, DC 1

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Colorado Rapids – at – Columbus Crew:

1. Will we finally see the Crew be the Crew this season?

Yeah, the Crew haven’t looked like the club that dominated things last year but then again they didn’t dominate early in the year last year so there really isn’t a huge reason to go nuts just yet in Columbus. Colorado comes into town Saturday and the Rapids may be just what the Crew need to get things going in 2009. The visitors haven’t won in Columbus since 2004 including last year’s 2-1 result.

2. Can Columbus stop Conor Casey?

I think it is safe to say that the three goals from Conor Casey had a lot to do with the poor defending by LA last week. Still a hat-trick is a hat-trick no matter who you score it on. Columbus will more than likely mark Casey a little more than LA did, which should make it tougher for him to get open in space like he did a week ago. Plus Columbus has plenty of size in the back that matchup well against Casey.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

As much as I expect Columbus to mark up on Casey this weekend I would say that could leave some space up for Colorado’s Omar Cummings. If he can get just the slightest about of space he has the speed to do some serious damage.

Quick Thoughts:

Columbus has to get on the board here if you ask me. Four games in for the defending champions and only two points to show for. They are home for this one and should be able to get the positive result. I don’t see Colorado getting the same sort of space in this one as they did a week ago in LA. Columbus plays a little more compact in the back unlike LA. Look for Columbus to control the midfield in this one and get their first win of the year.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 2, Colorado 1

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New York Red Bulls – at – Houston Dynamo:

1. Just how badly does Houston want this game?

I think we all recall the last time these two faced off in Houston. New York got some nice calls from the man in the middle of the field and scored three goals when it was all said and done to advance to the next round of the playoffs. That bad taste was left in Houston’s mouth all winter and I think they’ve been waiting around so far this season for this game. You have to expect they will turn it up a notch in this one to get the result.

2. Will we finally see some fresh faces for New York?

We sure are getting there that’s for sure. Alfredo Pacheco may not be one though as the club is still waiting on his ITC card. That isn’t looking good for him to get that just yet from what some are saying. We did finally get to see fullback Carlos Johnson last week and another full week with the club should help his playing time. The big one we are waiting on is Spanish midfielder Albert Cedades. Once he gets use to his new club it could be a big turnaround for New York. Keyword in there is “could”…its just a big if right now.

3. Player to keey an eye on.

Speaking of newcomers, we should see Houston’s newcomer Ade Akinbiyi in this one. If he comes off the bench (which I bet he will) I mainly want to watch and see how fit this guy is and if he will even be enough to help the Dynamo’s attack this year. A lot of pressure will be put on him to help carry the load.

Quick Thoughts:

The more I look into things here with New York the more I think history is quickly going against this side already in 2009. I know its early but only one club in league history has gone winless through three games and reached the MLS Cup (DC in 1996). And things were mighty different in this league back in 1996. (That stat actually affects both clubs here even though I was talking about New York) I really see Houston pressing for this win on Saturday. They hated to end things last season the way they did against New York and I would bet that their fans won’t forget it either. New York hasn’t looked good on the road yet this year and I doubt it will start this weekend. I just don’t think the newbies for New York will make that big of an impact just yet.

WVH Prediction: Houston 1, New York 0

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Kansas City Wizards – at – Seattle Sounders FC:

1. What can Kansas City do to slow down the Sounder attack?

Let’s be honest for a minute, KC on the road this year hasn’t been anything special and quite frankly it hasn’t been anything special over the last couple of seasons. Put them in an environment like Seattle and you have a potential disaster right? Maybe. KC has to attack early in this one and get Seattle on their heels. The Sounders haven’t allowed a goal yet this year and if they allow one now I have a feeling it will rattle them enough, even at home. I don’t think it will rattle them enough to drop a game just yet though.

2. Which Fred will start?

You have a Fredy that didn’t make the trip last week due to the flu (and other reasons). And an aging Freddie that got banged up a little bit in the trip to Toronto. Depending on which goes it may not matter as the offense goes through that position on the field. I’d kind of wonder what Sigi Schmid would have to do without both Freds. Probably rely more on rookie Steve Zakuani.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

A lot for KC depends on how well Santiago Hirsig handles the offensive load for this club. If he can get guys in space and distribute the attack it could be a good day for the visitors. Thing is he will be going against one of the hottest guys in the league in Osvaldo Alonso.

Quick Thoughts:

Can you really go against the Sounders right now? I really don’t think you can with the way they’ve been playing. I want to find a reason to pick KC but I honestly have none right now.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, KC 0

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Chivas USA – at – LA Galaxy

1. Which LA will show up for this one?

We know LA can turn it up against their HDC rivals. After last week’s performance against Colorado I know they can score and probably will against Chivas. I just don’t know which defense will show up for this club. Now with the addition of veteran Gregg Berhalter you’d have to think a quick team like Chivas could have a field day against a defense that has already played once this week (a loss in PKs in the US Open Cup on Tuesday to Colorado).

2. Just how real is this Chivas bunch?

This Chivas group is a real mystery that has pulled off three straight to open the season. No big name headlines the success of the group and most of the usual names on their roster are hurt. But give credit to Preki for trusting in newcomers like Eduardo Lillingston and youngster Gerson Mayen.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

In this new edition of the SuperClascio it still comes down to one man, Landon Donovan. He has been a Chivas-killer since the AmeriGoats came into this league. I don’t see any reason why he doens’t keep it up in 2009.

Quick Thoughts:

While I don’t think Chivas is dropping this game I have a feeling it will end in a draw as LA will use the heat of the rivalry to fuel their attack. Chivas didn’t play all that well against their HDC mates a season ago and I have to wonder if they have the defense to hold off a guy like Donovan (two goals and two assists in two games this season). I don’t see LA pulling away with this one but I’ve seen stranger things out of this bunch before.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, Chivas 2