New York hopes to get back on track with a win over rivals New England. (Getty Images)

The weekend is here folks. Yesterday was a busy day around the league with suspensions and fines being handed down plus a trio of signings that foreshadow a busy summer transfer window ahead.

But the weekend is here and nine games are on tap. Yesterday I broke down some of the bigger talking points and today I’ll give you my predictions of the weekend. Feel free to leave your own score predictions in the comments section below.

Saturday

Portland Timbers at Montreal Impact: Portland got away with a win last weekend on an own-goal. But hey after losing four straight they took it without any question. Now they head to Montreal to face an Impact squad that is still searching for some answers of their own to this season. Montreal needs someone to really step up offensively and in the midfield. Portland has the edge on talent but I think the road trip won’t be easy to the Big O.

WVH Prediction: Montreal 1, Portland 1

New England Revolution at New York Red Bulls: This one has the makings of being wide open given the way the Red Bulls play defense these days and due to the number of players they have out. Benny Feilhaber returns to the Revs lineup that has some talent in key spots. I like the Revs in an upset style pick here. After seeing both of these teams in person, the Revs do have the talent to slow down this attack and they have some quality of their own up front to put pressure on the Red Bulls early.

WVH Prediction: New England 2, New York 1

San Jose Earthquakes at Philadelphia Union: Every time I go against the Quakes they prove me wrong but for some reason this trip to Philly worries the heck out of me for them. They’re still missing some key players in the back and while I do love me some Ike Opara in the middle of the defense, I just have a gut feeling this will not be an easy trip for them. But saying all of that I do think a draw is very likely between these two. Goals to Chris Wondolowski and Gabriel Gomez.

WVH Prediction: Philadelphia 1, San Jose 1

Houston Dynamo at D.C. United: It is really hard to ignore what United did last week to New York. In a small way it was a coming out party for this group on the season. While I love the Dynamo’s defense and the news that Brad Davis is returning for this one, I can’t help but think the major difference between these two clubs on offense will be more than enough for the home side here.

WVH Prediction: D.C. 2, Houston 1

Vancouver Whitecaps at Columbus Crew: A very interesting match on the weekend slate for me. I like what the Whitecaps are doing this season but a road trip is always tricky for them. The Crew are well…interesting. I want to like where this team could be going but it is hard for me to see past some glaring holes in their midfield and attack. Let’s call this one a draw.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 1, Vancouver 1

Seattle Sounders FC at Chicago Fire: Two teams that haven’t gotten to play a ton so far this season. Seattle is still without Mauro Rosales and for the most part they are still waiting on Fredy Montero and Eddie Johnson to get going here. Chicago has a nice run and gun style but I see them hitting a bit of a wall in this one. In the end, this one screams draw.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 1, Seattle 1

Toronto FC at Real Salt Lake: Given how RSL played on Wednesday in Dallas and only came away with a point tells me they will be out for blood on Saturday when they return home for the first time in three games. Poor Toronto.

WVH Prediction: RSL 3, Toronto 1

Chivas USA at Colorado Rapids: Inconsistent teams meet up in the Mile High city. Chivas has played better away from home this season than at home. But a trip to Denver is never easy for anyone. Somehow Colorado gets through this one with three points.

WVH Prediction: Colorado 1, Chivas 0

FC Dallas at LA Galaxy: Can Dallas finally break through on the road? Doubt it. With so many injuries piling up in the midfield for Schellas Hyndman, a road trip to finish out three games in eight days does not help the situation out.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, Dallas 0

Benny Feilhaber has been a big addition to the New England Revolution. (Getty Images)

Yesterday the MLS Player’s Union released their final player salary information for the 2011 season. This information included all the newcomers that have come into the league during the summer transfer window.

I never went too in depth in the salaries the last time the Player’s Union released their information. I know I talked about it over at BigDSoccer.com in regards to FC Dallas but other than that I believe I left it at that. Well today I figured I would take a look at some of the new players in MLS that have joined this season since the start of the summer and see how much teams are paying them and if they were worth it.

(note: don’t freak out if you see a player missing, I’m not covering every single player that has come into the league since the start of the summer here)

The Good

Benny Feilhaber, New England ($300k base/$346k total) – I think it is fair to say that Feilhaber has been every bit worth the money the Revs are spending on him. You have to wonder still what he would have done for a team like Chivas USA who passed on him. Feilhaber has helped spark a struggling Revs offense that really had absolutely no bite to it when he landed there.

Freddy Adu, Philadelphia Union ($475k base/$594k total) – In a way the jury is still out on this move for the Union but overall I do believe this was a good move for both sides. Adu needed a solid landing spot to get the playing time that he needs and the Union needed a boost to their offense. They had some creative players in the midfield but it never hurts to add another one. I expect big things from Adu next season, I really do.

Danny Koevermans, Toronto FC ($999k base/$1.4m total) – I’ve been a huge fan of Koevermans since he joined Toronto FC. He’s been the striker they’ve been searching for since day one. He’s a DP price but a DP that is earning his keep in my book.

Sebastian Grazzini, Chicago Fire ($48k base/total) – Talk about finding a bargain. He’s scored a couple goals in just the few games that he’s played with the Fire. I really feel that he’s been the spark to their offense that they lacked to start the season.

Jury is still out

Daniel Cruz, FC Dallas ($90k base/$106k total) – He’s seems some good times and some bad times already with Dallas but for the most part he’s been a player that has really filled in well this summer when Dallas had a loaded schedule. A good pickup for 2012 really.

Milton Caraglio, New England Revolution ($54k base/total) – He was close to the good side but he’s really only played a couple games so there is a lot to still figure out with this kid. His two goals against New York a couple weeks back showed the future of what the Revs could be like with him up top but there is still that lingering thought in everyone’s mind that this young kid with knee problems is playing home games on turf.

Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy ($2.9m base/$3.4m total) – We really haven’t seen enough of Keane to know whether or not he will be a good fit with this club or just another high priced DP that just earns a fat check in MLS.

Mustapha Jarju, Vancouver Whitecaps ($400k base/$426k total) – Another DP on the list that we’re still wondering about. He’s shown flashes of good stuff with fellow DP Eric Hassli but then again we haven’t seen a lot of come together for the Whitecaps in terms of wins and goals.

Torsten Frings, Toronto FC ($699k base/$1.1m total) – Frings has had good moments so far but not enough to make me lift him to the top section just yet. I do think Toronto made a good splash with him and Koevermans though this summer, it was a bold move that has really started to pan out for them.

The Not So Bueno

Frank Rost, New York Red Bulls ($545k base/total) – He’s been hurt or whatever it seems like since day one. Now he’s saying he may not be back next season. Just a waste really when you look at the big picture with this club. Plus, he’s the highest paid keeper in the league. Yes, you read that correctly.

Jeferson, Sporting Kansas City ($429k base/$484k total) – In a way he probably should be in the “jury is still out” group but I’m not so sure if this guy is really in their long-term plans anymore. Once Graham Zusi figured out he was good the need for a player like Jeferson kind of went away in Peter Vermes’ offense. I don’t even remember the last time he went the full-90.

Carlos Costly, Houston Dynamo ($335k base/$425k total) – I thought about putting him in the category above this one but I still feel this was a not so good move for the Orange.

Will Oguchi Onyewu be apart of the Gold Cup roster? (Photo by ISIphotos.com)

We’ll know on Monday who Bob Bradley picks for the US National team for this summer’s Gold Cup and for the upcoming friendly against Spain. I figured today would be as good of a day as ever to throw out my 23-man roster that I think Bradley could select come Monday.

As we know this is a big Gold Cup for the US as they’ll want to get the crown back from Mexico in hopes to qualify for the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Keepers (3)

Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, and Nick Rimando

The first two are locks in my mind while Rimando would easily be beaten out by a younger keeper that Bradley wants to give some experience to for the training camps and what not. We know Howard is the starter no matter what here so this area is really the easiest to pick I would think. David Yelldell could see his name called as he saw time with the US against Paraguay earlier this year.

Defenders (9)

Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Timothy Chandler, Heath Pearce, Jonathan Spector, Tim Ream , Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Bornstein

Another group that seems fairly easy to figure out. I know Bornstein hasn’t played a lot in Mexico but you know there is a familiarity factor between him and Bradley. Believe me I hate even the thought of him in the mix here but it will likely happen since he is still one of Bradley’s guys. Lichaj was a toss up for me as I think Zak Whitebread could be a good idea for a call-up too. Chandler can also slide into the midfield if needed here too which makes me a lock for me.

I would like to see someone like FC Dallas defender George John get a look for this roster but I’m sure Ream will have beaten him out even though Ream has looked shaky at times this season for New York.

The big question for me comes down to Onyewu. He hasn’t played well since his injury in 2009 in a US kit and really he hasn’t played a lot of minutes since joining AC Milan. But like Bornstein, Bradley sees him as one of his guys and that’s why he falls into this camp.

Midfielders (8)

Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Jermaine Jones , Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Mixx Diskerud, Alejandro Bedoya

A tough group to predict outside the obvious (Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley, Edu and Jones). I think Feilhaber is an easy pick, but Diskerud and Bedoya are toss-ups for me. I could easily see Bradley take a chance on Sacha Kljestan here over Diskerud and someone like Brek Shea over Bedoya.

I’d love to see Shea here but his lack of big international experience hurts him here I think for such an important tournament. I know his explosiveness off the bench would be great to have but given how well Diskerud does with the forwards that will be taken, its hard to pass up on chemistry for a risky move like Shea.

Forwards (3)

Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury

I don’t think this one needs any explanation. Altidore is a lock while Agudelo and Bunbury have formed quite a bond together with the US. Charlie Davies saw his chances go away last weekend when Bradley was in D.C. to watch him and United play Colorado. His chance fluttered away quickly when he went out of the game early with an injury.

I see no reason to even consider Eddie Johnson, Edson Buddle or even Herculez Gomez here. I’d say Gomez is really the only other player that could have a chance here to make the roster but it would be an outside one at best.

The Revs could still trade Feilhaber but for now it appears they will keep the attacking midfielder.

Feilhaber joins a New England squad that has been in need of some offensive help. He should be able to provide a relief in the midfield to Shalrie Joseph. Freeing up Joseph has to be a thing that most Revs fans will be happy to see as he is at his best when all the pressure is not on him.

Feilhaber stands to make $400k according to Steve Davis. A number against the cap that is just slightly below the Designated Player level. Teams can use allocation money to buy down a player’s salary against the cap.

Since Chivas couldn’t find a deal that they liked and had to end up passing on Feilhaber. They will remain the top club in the league’s allocation order, while the Revs will move to the bottom. Head coach Robin Fraser said that signing Feilhaber meant they’d struggle to make any moves going forward due to his high salary. Hearing this out of Fraser shows that Chivas still has a long way to go here this season to be turned around like many around the league thought that they were. If they aren’t able to fit in a DP-level contract right now it shows they’ve done something terribly wrong with their roster already.

I’ll have an updated allocation list up in the morning at some point to reflect these changes.

What do you make of this news?

There sure has been a lot of buzz this morning about Benny Feilhaber and where he could end up with in Major League Soccer. From the sounds of things, the club with the first crack at him, Chivas USA, may pass on him all together.

If Chivas passes on him, it leaves a couple questions in my mind about them and about who will grab him next.

Is Chivas USA that cheap that they will pass on a quality attacking midfielder like this?

Answer in the short is yes. Either Robin Fraser doesn’t like the fit for his club, the club doesn’t want to pay his salary (which will likely be on the outside of a DP level contract), or they believe someone that better suits them is going to return to MLS this summer. All are likely reasons, and really you could combine them all together for why they could pass.

Why would Chivas not take him and then trade him?

Its possible the league doesn’t want a club to do something like this. Obviously MLS wouldn’t have signed Feilhaber if they didn’t believe there was some solid interest between the top five clubs in the allocation order. But they probably don’t want a club like Chivas to be able to stack the deck a little in their favor by signing someone that they don’t want and hoping a team over pays for him in the end.

Why doesn’t Chivas want him?

Maybe it isn’t a need Fraser is looking for at the moment. Which is lame. Chivas has lost 20 of their last 35 MLS games. Sometimes a club just needs to add a quality player for the sake of getting better as a club. Their chances in their attack will only improve with a guy like Feilhaber. Its a risk with plenty of reward kind of move if you ask me.

Who is in line next?

Well, as I’ve mentioned several times on here and on Twitter and on SBNation.com, Philadelphia is next in line. Peter Nowak has said they don’t want him but I’d be willing to bet he’d make room in a hurry for a player like this considering the Union attack wouldn’t be too bad off to add a playmaker like this. If Philly passes then it goes to New England and then Houston.

Who needs Feilhaber the most?

Honestly, Houston really could stand the most to gain here if Chivas passes. While I think Philadelphia and New England could bost find ways to use him, I don’t see either really pushing to make this move. The Union have a solid attack and the Revs already have someone like Shalrie Joseph doing this role. Houston on the other hand could use a playmaker for their attack.

If somehow it gets past Houston, then Toronto is next. You couldn’t tell me that the Reds couldn’t use an attacker like this on their roster right now.

What’s next?

Later today I’m going to post who got Feilhaber when the story breaks. I’m also hoping to get to a list of players that could be making their way back to MLS this summer.

Chivas USA has the first crack at him according to the allocation order. Once the signing is official I’ll be sure to give you all an update.

Nice signing by the league too if I must say so. One I wasn’t shocked at all to hear about this afternoon.

I came across an article on MLSSoccer.com earlier this morning and really thought it was worth discussing. The article is about former MLSers and other Americans/Canadians abroad that should return home to play in MLS. I can’t say I disagree with many on this list and I have a couple more that probably just need to suck it up and return home so they can actually see some playing time on the field.

We know its tough for a young player to head to Europe when they get the big contract. For some it works out. You have a decent group of Americans now in Europe that see playing time on a consistent basis but others struggle. I think Stuart Holden put it well recently in an interview (sorry couldn’t find the link). He said that MLS set him nicely for a move to Europe. Had he gone straight away and not gotten a few years experience in MLS first he would be struggling to see any sort of playing time because the adjustment is so tough for younger players.

For some of these guys below the adjustment was either due to them going to Europe at the wrong time in their career, coaching changes…or constant coaching changes, injuries or whatever.

One of the biggest obstacles in getting any number of these guys back in a MLS uniform is money. Most of these guys have earned more in Europe and will expect to that much here in MLS. Well, that probably won’t happen.

I’ll give you the five mentioned in the article and a few others worth discussing as well.

Eddie Johnson – I’ve thought for a while he needed to return to MLS. He’s been with Fulham since he left MLS a couple years ago. The Grown-Ass Man has seen loan spells to two other clubs that yielded some playing time for him. His contract runs out with Fulham next summer which would be the perfect time for a MLS team to make a pitch to him. He can still score and grabbing a guy like him for a late season push could be the difference in winning a MLS Cup and not reaching the playoffs.

Benny Feilhaber – He’s still very young but I’ve thought for ages he should give MLS a shot. His contract ends in the summer as well and he would be a big upgrade for anyone’s midfield. He may be just entering his prime but maybe a trip back home could help get his career back on track after a couple slowish seasons.

Carlos Bocanegra – This is more of those he’s done plenty and now its time to come home for a couple seasons before he hangs it up. I kind of doubt he’ll come just yet but maybe in a year or so he’ll give it a shot. He’s a natural leader that could really help a number of clubs in the back.

Rob Friend – I had to do a little more studying up on this guy. He’s Canadian and would obviously be a draw to Vancouver or Toronto (or even Montreal). He’s 30 but probably would be an instant upgrade on offense for TFC should he ever make the treck back home to the great white north.

Eddy Sidra – Not a common name for some MLS fans. He’s still very young and would be a nice defensive addition for either Canadian side. The article mentions he’s a free agent at the moment so why not make a play for the young defender?

———————————————-

A few others worth throwing out there:

Freddy Adu – It won’t happen probably due to him and his agent being stubborn about where plays but he’d actually find playing time if he came back to MLS. I’d imagine the expectations would still be places on him if he did which could keep him from ever returning back here.

Frank Simek – He may have just signed a two year deal with Carlisle United so he could be a couple years away from considering it unless he helps them reach the EPL next year (unlikely at the moment it seems).

Mike Grella – Another young guy that has seen his moments already in England with Leeds and now Carlisle United. He was loaned out this season to get more playing time and so far he’s only seen limited action.

Paul Stalteri – Another Canadian to keep watch out for. He’s still in Germany at the moment but the playing time for this 33-year old isn’t all that great. He’s a little older than most TFC or Whitecap fans would want to see come back to them but I’d imagine he’d be a much better improvement for the Reds over someone like Nick Garcia.

Charlie Davies – Yes I know he finally returned to the first team bench this weekend but I still have a hunch he’ll be in MLS before long. I hope to be proved wrong for his sake though as I’d love to see him get back to where he was at before his horrific car crash.

Kenny Cooper – The move to Europe hasn’t been a smooth one for KC Junior. Either its a lack of playing time or another loan spell that doesn’t work out for him it seems like nothing has really gone his way so far since leaving FC Dallas.

Marcus Tracy – Another one I still have a hunch will come to MLS before long. He skipped out on playing in MLS a couple years ago even though he was drafted by the Houston Dynamo. Things looked nice starting out for him in Denmark but only 15 appearances since joining Aalborg in 2009 doesn’t bode well for his future.

——————————————-

I’m sure there are plenty more that are really in need of a better playing situation and returning home to MLS would be a good fit. Feel free to add them below. Just keep in mind that I’m not saying any of these guys are going to come back to MLS tomorrow or even next summer. Just an opinion that I think they’d be better off back here.

Bob Bradley has a lot of thinkin' to do right now. (Getty Images)

I realized I’ve slacked on my World Cup hype duties these last couple months and now that the big event is a month and a half away I need to pick it up here. Today just seems like a good day to talk about the USMNT and who Bob Bradley will call into camp next month.

We know Bradley will be calling in more than what will ultimately become the final 23-man roster for the World Cup. He’s gotta do this to evaluate the final few roster spots that aren’t finalized just yet. Most would agree that a good chunk of the roster is probably already set in Bradley’s mind. He knows his keepers and likely most of his defense and midfield. But up top things get dicy with the slew of injuries and lack of quality form out of some guys in the pool.

Bradley has a lot to consider in the form of guys coming off of injuries too at this point, which in a way is a good thing. Sure their form could be off but having a few main guys back will go a long way in getting out of the group stages in June.

You’ve probably seen plenty of these rosters guesses but this is my take at it. Feel free to agree or disagree below in the comments section. I’ll give you my 26-28 guys I think that could be called in next month (obviously not all will be called here).

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan

There’s really no dancing around this one unless one of these guys goes down in the final weeks of the English season. Howard is the easy pick for starter and really if we had to go with the other two in any game I’d feel okay with that as well.

Defense: Jonathan Spector, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay Demerit, Carlos Bocanegra, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Heath Pearce

This area is fairly set in my mind. Having Onyewu back in training at AC Milan is huge for him and the US. I’ve gone back and forth in my mind over Bornstein’s inclusion with the team but he’s a Bradley guy so he’s in no matter what really. I won’t go into who should start on the right or left back but with this group we should be ok. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Spector at left back at this point but Bocanegra could end up there as well based on his play in France this year.

Midfield: Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, Ricardo Clark, Alejandro Bedoya, Jose Francisco Torres, DaMarcus Beasley

Things get a little tougher here. In a way I consider both Deuce and Donovan more as strikers than as midfielders but I know they’ll be listed here when the roster comes out so I won’t even try arguing it. There is a thought too that Edu could slide into a centerback role as well which could free up another spot for another midfielder or take away from one defender.

Holden is getting healthy and that’s a real positive thing to see for this group of players. I think Bedoya has made some major strides in getting close to winning a roster spot, he’s one of my darkhorse picks here. Beasley is another guy that is on the fringe for me but I just got a gut feeling that he’ll make it.

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey, Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez, Charlie Davies, Eddie Johnson, Brian Ching

This group is the hardest to figure out. Part of me thinks Brian Ching will make it if he returns from injury in time, the other part of me figures at this point its a long shot. With the way that Buddle and Gomez have played recently we know at least one of them should probably make it to South Africa.

I put Casey up there because I see him as another one of those Bradley guys. His form hasn’t been great this season but its been good enough. I don’t love the idea of Johnson here but he’s really finding his own way in Greece right now which should boost his confidence. He’s one of those guys that rides good confidence to the bank and if he is sailing high right now in Greece it will only make things tougher on Bradley, which isn’t a bad thing either.

Here is the list:

Jozy Altidore
Jonathan Bornstein
Conor Casey
Ricardo Clark
Benny Feilhaber
Brad Guzan
Sacha Kljestan

These seven players will not be traveling with the 23-man U.S. Gold Cup squad, but will join the team for specific games during the tournament. I honeestly don’t know how that will work but I am guessing some of the west coast guys will join the team when they play in Seattle and others will join when they are in the east coast playing in DC or in Boston.

Are you happy with these additions or wish some other guys got a shot at this tournament?

Could this be the biggest win ever for the US? (Getty Images)

Boy what a thriller huh? If you called a 2-0 win over Spain for the US you should probably be well on your way to an island somewhere celebrating your winnings. No one honestly called that kind of a win for the US today. Sure some had hopes of that kind of result but truth be told you’d be kidding yourself if you thought it would actually happen.

But looking back on the game I can honestly say this was the best performance from the entire team as a whole in a long time. It’s been a very long while since I’ve seen the US national team play so well for 90 minutes and not give up anything too stupid or costly.

Consider this, the Spanish put their best squad out there today and gunned for the win. Its not like some past wins in this tournament where the world power didn’t care. Today they cared and the US were able to take it to them. While I don’t think this makes us a world power or anything just yet I do believe it will help get us to that next level that we as a country have been reaching for a while here.

A big thing today was the level of passion and intensity on the field from the US. I have to give credit all around the field because the defense stepped up like never before and the offense did just enough to annoy the Spanish defense to get the two goals. Maybe it had something to do with Carlos Bocaengra wearing the captians armband once again, or maybe it had something to do with the level of respect that US were not getting from the start.

I kind of believe the US just delievered the world a blueprint to beating Spain. Hold them tigh defensively and press the crap out of them when the chances are there.

Also the possession was there more so for the US than expected. They weathered the storm of corner kicks and Tim Howard came up huge with needed. Oquchi Onyewu and Jay DeMeirt had one of their best games each in defense, they were constantly clearing everything that came in their way.

Just how good were the two US goals too? Jozy Altidore and his strong possesional play to score his first goal and Dempsey’s hammering home of the second game late in the second half. Landon Donovan really set up the second goal were as good play from Charlie Davis and Michael Bradley helped fuel the first.

I know a lot of folks hammered Bob Bradley last week but this lineup worked well for the US today. Some would have liked subs brought on earlier in the second half but he picked his moments right today when he did bring on fresh legs. Also speaking of those fresh legs I thought he did an excellent job of picking the right guys off the bench to come on for the game. Benny Feihaber came on first for US and I thought he was the best sub of the game. Conor Casey late for Altidore was a smart move as Casey is big, strong and able to hold possession well.

In all this will definitely go down as one of the biggest wins in US soccer history. Bigger than the Brazil win in the Gold Cup a decade ago, and bigger than the Portugal win in 2002.

Now on to the final on Sunday. Do you all think the US has any magic left for the final?