Dwayne De Rosario goes head-to-head with his old mates from Houston tonight. (Getty Images)

Week 14 in Major League Soccer looks to get kicked off with a bang. The Houston Dynamo travel north to face their old mate Dwayne De Rosario and Toronto FC at BMO Field. TFC looks to continue their impressive home record this season while the Dynamo are hoping to begin getting some consistent play going forward in the second half of the season.

Both teams are hoping to use tonight’s match either way to move up the standings a bit. Toronto can inch a little closer to their rivals from Columbus and New York with a win tonight. The Dynamo can move into a three-way tie in the western conference with a win as well.

Houston has to cut down on their mental errors across the field, especially in the back where they’ve look nothing like their old self. Houston will also hope to lockdown the Reds offense which has been cold lately despite getting a couple draws in the standings.

Toronto will rely on former Dynamo midfielder De Rosario in this one. He’s likely to be the main offensive part in this one for Toronto but they’ll also need a big game from guys like O’Brien White and Chad Barrett. If one of those two can help out DeRo then Toronto stands a great chance at getting three points in this one.

Houston has been tricky to pick this season and their defense still worries me and their offense sees to be too hot and cold for my liking. I think Toronto will get a win tonight and continue their impressive play at home.

Player to watch out for: Dwayne De Rosario – He’s only a goal away from tying the league lead for goals with Edson Buddle, so you know he’d like to take over that lead tonight against his old club.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 2, Houston 1

Brian Ching will be called to lead the Dynamo yet again. (Getty Images)

The 2010 season presents a challenge for Dominic Kinnear and the Houston Dynamo. First of all their top two stars from a year ago are now gone to Europe. Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark left a big hole in the midfield and some would even argue that the club is still recovering from the trade of Dwayne de Rosario from last winter.

Today we take a gander at where they are right now going into the new year. So far the Dynamo have shifted some players around drafted a couple guys that may never see time on the field and for the most part done very little in terms of player movement this winter. We’ve actually heard more news surrounding this club’s potential stadium deal than new players joining the roster this winter.

Let’s take a look at who the Dynamo have and where they still need to go before the new season starts next month.

Keepers:

Who they have: Pat Onstad, Tally Hall, and Tyler Deric.

Notes: As long as Onstad remains healthy this isn’t an area of concern for Kinnear. Big thing will the the development of Deric who has to be in some way the future keeper of this club. My bet is they will loan out Deric this season to a USSF Division II club or even a USL-2 club. They have to get him some playing time to get any sort of progression out of their first academy signing.

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Defense:

Who they have: Bobby Boswell, Eddie Robinson, Ryan Cochrane, Craig Waibel, Mike Chabala, Wade Barrett, and Andrew Hainault.

Notes: Getting a healthy Robinson back this season should be a big thing for the Dynamo. This group will still be solid with all the talent they still have in the back. One thing though will be getting some depth and some youth here.

I still believe if this group stays healthy they won’t have too many issues this season. I kind of see Kinnear trading for a defender to add depth at some point this season.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Kevin Harmse, Geoff Cameron, Brad Davis, Daniel Cruz, Erik Ustruck, Richard Mulrooney, Brian Mullan, Corey Ashe, Samuel Appiah, and David Walker.

Notes: Big change here will be seeing Cameron slide into the midfield. Honestly from knowing Cameron and seeing him play he’s probably better suited for the midfield than in the defense anyways. Houston will be looking for him to really step it up this season and carry the load in the midfield. Thankfully he does have some quality offensive players like Brad Davis to help out in the assist department.

Big thing here will be if guys like Ashe can step up play on the wings. If Houston’s wing play is weak this season so will their offense. Ashe, Davis, and Cameron have to step it up in order to keep the Dynamo near the top in the west.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Brian Ching, Dominic Oduro, Luis Angel Landin, and Cam Weaver.

Notes: We know this, Ching will have to carry the load once again…that is if Landin doesn’t finally step up and play to his DP status. Those are two guys that will have to score the goals this season we know that but don’t sleep on Oduro or Weaver here. Oduro and his speed along with Weaver’s size are big parts to this groups offensive output. How Kinnear uses them this season will be key.

Landin, Weaver and Oduro will likely have to step up production though if Ching does make it to South Africa with the USMNT this summer. Should any dip in goals happen while Ching is gone this club will be in trouble.

More than likely we’ll see a trade for this group though at some point in the season. It seems like once a year Kinnear makes a trade for a striker within the league. I look for that to happen yet again this season towards the middle part of summer.

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Overall:

The questions always surround this club each year about their offense and where it will come from. Now the question will be can they improve from losing two important players in their midfield. They can replace one with Cameron and they’ll get away with guys like Mulrooney filling in for Clark but will that be enough? I honestly doubt it.

Funny thing is we always doubt something with this club each year and yet they still show up when it matters. Kinnear knows what he is doing more than most coaches in this league do. He works his system well and always knows how to find the right parts for it. They won’t be flashy this year but they’ll get by. I think adding a couple more parts in the midfield on the wings and maybe a defender or two in the back for depth purposes will suit them well.

Houston had another strong season behind Brian Ching. (Getty Images)

Dominic Kinnear teams always compete, always and the 2009 edition of the Houston Dynamo looked very similar to the ones we’ve seen win league titles over the last few years. Even though the Dynamo lost their big star in the midfield in a trade to Toronto before the season started everyone knew this team would still compete.

Just as in years past the Dynamo started out strong on the year. Brian Ching, Stuart Holden and up and coming stars like Geoff Cameron lead the way for the Orange. Pat Onstad had yet another stellar season in front of the net thanks to another strong defense in front of him.

And just like in years past Kinnear pulled all the right strings in trades by getting parts on his roster that were missing like speed up front when he got Dominic Oduro from New York or some extra size when he got Cam Weaver from San Jose. Yet again we asked questions like “why are clubs even going into business with Kinnear and the Dynamo?” We knew the results would be the same as before as Kinnear would get something out of nothing and lead his club to the top of the standings again.

But then the ladder part of the summer hit. Ching, Holden and Ricardo Clark missed buckets of time with the US national team and that seemed to be when things got a little dicey. They brought in Luis Angel Landin as their DP, and while that should be a good move for 2010 it didn’t pan out all that much for 2009. Also for some reason the club’s discipline kept shooting themselves in the foot. August and September saw more cards, particularly red cards than most would want to see.

By the end of things the Dynamo lost on a weird night in LA in the playoffs. They may have been the better team on the night but moving forward into 2010 will certainly be interesting.

What Went Right In 2009:
A lot of good did happen in Houston this season. Ching produced, Brad Davis continued to be completely underrated, Cameron emerged like most had figured he would and Holden showed he could very well be the real deal. The Dynamo continued to have strong depth that kept them afloat despite all issues they had late in the season with suspensions and what not.

What Went Wrong In 2009:
As mentioned before the lack of discipline they showed late in the season was a real bummer to see. They went from being one of the most consistent clubs in the league on the year to a wildly inconsistent bunch. Offensively they still lacked a punch when needed and Landin didn’t step into the role as a DP like most would have liked this year.

What’s Next:
Well we know Ricardo Clark is out and its possible Stuart Holden could join him. Should that happen this bunch will go from being one of the deepest teams in the midfield to just a mid-level team. Kinnear will have to do his best to find replacements if that happens. They have to find a way to retain Holden and improve their roster on offense. But at the same time they do need to find some depth in defense behind Bobby Boswell and Cameron.

Cam Weaver and Dave van den Burgh battle again tonight. (Getty Images)

There’s nothing like kicking off a week with a good in-state derby. Tonight we get just that for week 21′s kickoff as the Houston Dynamo travel to Frisco, TX to face FC Dallas. Both clubs are coming off big wins from last weekend and look to take ownership of El Capitán, the prize given to the winning club in the season series.

So far this season Houston has gotten the better of their northern rivals by beating them 1-0 and 3-1. The Orange would love nothing more than to do it again for a clean season series sweep.

Dallas may have gotten their offense off the ground last week against Kansas City but looking at what kind of defense they are going up against I think it will be tough for them to get more than one by the Dynamo defense. Sure Houston let in three last week to DC but I just don’t see Dominic Kinnear’s bunch doing that again.

Houston should be able to control things in the middle with Brad Davis and Stuart Holden, which should allow Brian Ching to find openings in the Dallas defense.

I think the difference will come down to guys like Bobby Boswell and Geoff Cameron in the back for Houston going against Jeff Cunningham and Dave van den Burgh for Dallas. I’d like to think that Dallas can keep their offense flying here but they’ve never really been able to dominate Houston since the Dynamo were moved to Houston a few years ago. I also wouldn’t expect a good crowd for this one as no one in Dallas likes to travel to Frisco on a week night with all the traffic around here.

Anyways, I see Houston carrying this one out and extending their lead in the overall standings.

WVH Prediction: Houston 2, Dallas 1

The tone was set early and often by LA with Landon Donovan really showing just how good he can be for LA and for MLS. I think the game showed us more about how good LA can be in the second half of the season because of how Bruce Arena has built this club too. Still I won’t get too overly gitty about this win, even if it does move them into third place. It was a win in a place they hadn’t won at in a while but it was a win over a team that showed absolutely no heart. Really can’t get excited just yet about how LA is, a lot of soccer left to play this season.

But enough of last night, time to focus on the weekend ahead. Only five games to discuss this weekend. Four games on Saturday and one lone match on Sunday. All games surprisingly are inter-conference battles.Dallas, Seattle and KC are all off this week.

Saturday:

Houston Dynamo – at – Toronto FC:

Houston will get the bulk of their roster back after last week’s game in Seattle. I don’t expect the turf to be a real factor as Houston looked very good in the loss last week at Qwest. Toronto had a solid week last time out in San Jose. But that was against a Quakes side that is pretty terrible no matter where they are playing. Houston is far better and play with a lot more passion than the Quakes do. I see Brad Davis stepping up to get guys like Kai Kamera involved. But in the end it comes down to defense and Houston gets both Bobby Boswell and Geoff Cameron back for this one. No question their defense is better and more physical than Toronto’s. The Reds will battle behind Dwayne De Rosario’s fire to play his old side but it won’t be enough.

WVH Prediction: Houston 2, Toronto 1

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Real Salt Lake – at – Columbus Crew:

I still have trouble figuring out RSL out on the road here. I think they do have the talent to stay competitive in the west but every time out on the road they come up slow and flat. They absolutely cannot do that in Columbus, where the Crew have been unbeatable for over a year now. They may get a break as Guillermo Barros Schelotto may not be fit enough to go tomorrow. That would be a huge break folks. I think RSL will frustrate the Crew no matter what but their offense still gives me reason to believe they won’t get it done yet again on the road. The Crew still have a quality side that will get the job done even if GBS isn’t there.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 1, RSL 0

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Colorado Rapids – at – DC United:

Two things are constant with these two clubs. DC doesn’t win in Denver and Colorado doesn’t win in DC. Look for that to remain true this weekend. Colorado hasn’t been all that impressive lately while DC is out to prove that they are the best side in the eastern conference this weekend. Let’s not for get the fact that DC is also coming off a bye-week and that they are getting very healthy right now. DC will get the win behind the usual cast of Luciano Emilio and company.I wouldn’t be shocked to see Christian Gomez stick it to his old side in this one as well.

WVH Prediction: DC 3, Colorado 1

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San Jose Earthquakes – at – Chicago Fire:

The Fire really need a pick up kind of game at home and the Quakes may just be their answer. The Fire did however field most of their starters this past week in their SuperLiga semi-final win over New England. I wouldn’t be shocked to see a couple key guys come from the bench in this one to save some legs. Make no doubt about it though, if the Fire struggle to win this one, many will question whether or not if this club will have what it takes to win MLS Cup this season like we all did at the start of the season. A 1-2-4 home record isn’t anything special, and it has to change fast.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 1, San Jose 0

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Sunday:

Chivas USA – at – New England Revolution:

This one could be ugly folks. Neither side is healthy at all and both have been playing some crappy soccer lately. Chivas hasn’t won since early June and New England isn’t doing much better. I think we are seeing the decline of Preki’s side here this summer as we move closer to the All-Star break. I thought SuperLiga would get them back in gear for league play but after last week’s match I didn’t see what I thought I would out of this side. New England gets Shalrie Joseph back and that may just be enough to get three points at home this week.

WVH Prediction: New England 1, Chivas 0

Most of the 15 clubs are in action except for RSL, DC and New York. I think most Red Bull fans are excited to see the club actually get a weekend off for once here. Still we have six big games to talk about, all on Saturday. Don’t forget about the Gold Cup this weekend too, the US has one more group game left before heading on to the quarterfinals.

Feel free as always to leave your predictions and thoughts below.

Saturday:

Houston Dynamo – at – Seattle Sounders FC:

This should be a good game even without all the players missing for Gold Cup duties. Seattle won’t just be missing a few guys but they will also be without head coach Sigi Schmid who will be attending another child’s wedding (the guy has to get his kids to stop getting married in the middle of the season!). Again both rosters will be lacking important guys, Tyrone Marshall and Brad Evans from Sounders FC and Brian Ching, Andrew Hainaut and Stuart Holden for Houston. Also throw in for Houston that they will be without defenders Bobby Boswell and Geoff Cameron, both are suspended for this game.

After all of that you have to wonder what Houston will bring to the table while missing so many key starters, especially on the defensive end. I know the Dynamo and Dominic Kinnear usually find ways to pick up points but the task seems pretty tall if you ask me. I like Seattle picking up three due to the important guys sitting out for Houston and the fact that Fredy Montero is really on good form here.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, Houston 1

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Kansas City Wizards – at – New England Revolution:

Right now the Revs are looking very bad. Mainly due to the amount of injuries they have piled up on their roster at the moment. Wizard’s coach Curt Onalfo has to like heading on the road and see so many injuries on the other side’s injury report. Many key guys will be out for the Revs while KC will just be lacking a couple international callups for the Gold Cup. In a way it levels things a bit since KC has a fairly weak and young defense. As much as I want to pick KC in this one I just see New England getting by some how with a draw. Maybe it’s blindness on my part to pick Steve Nicol’s group right now but something just tells me KC isn’t quite there to pick up important points on the road right now. Just a hunch I have.

WVH Prediction: New England 1, KC 1

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Columbus Crew – at – Chicago Fire:

Game of the week material right here folks, even ESPN2 has it picked up for your viewing pleasure. I think the Fire really made a statement last week in Colorado and that continues this week at home against the defending champions. Thing is this one could really go either way even though I thought the Crew looked totally over worked last week at home against DC. The Fire could just be starting to hit their stride as we head into the ladder half of the season, which is a dangerous thing for the rest of the eastern conference. Columbus will be lacking Robbie Rogers and Chad Marshall but I do see them finding a way to make things interesting. In  the end though I see a mental breakdown late by the Crew leading to a Chicago win. I expect Brian McBride or Marco Pappa to be a reason for the Chicago win.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, Columbus 1

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FC Dallas – at – Colorado Rapids:

I thought the Rapids would be a little further along right now than where they really are. Their last few games haven’t been at all what I expected out of this bunch but maybe another visit from Dallas could help. Thing is however Dallas is really starting to come around here right now and that will only make it tougher out west if they (along with RSL and LA) push up the standings towards the Rapids. Colorado is missing a slew of key guys for this one while Dallas only lacks Kenny Cooper. Depth is a killer for either one of these clubs and right now Dallas just has a little more to go on than Colorado. Call it an upset if you will but I’m picking the Red Stripes to pull a big road upset this weekend thanks to guys like Dave van den Burgh and Jeff Cunningham.

WVH Prediction: FC Dallas 2, Colorado 1

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Toronto FC – at – San Jose Earthquakes:

Both clubs come into this game at an interesting point in the season. Toronto hasn’t looked great on the road this season (or ever for that matter) while San Jose is seemingly riding the waves until they can get the right pieces in place to build a winner. Nick Garcia returns to the Bay area to face his former side for the first time, so that may be the biggest story to watch here. There are also reports that draft pick O’Brien White may make his season debut off the bench this weekend as well for the Reds. That could be good to see as well. As much as I want to pick the home side here something just feels rigth about Toronto at least picking up some points in San Jose this weekend. They know they need them to stay up in the top part of the standings. A draw wouldn’t surprise me but I am picking the Reds to get a win here. I just don’t care for the Quakes defense right now and without Ramiro Corrales in the midfield it could be a tougher day for the Quakes to hold possession anyways.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 2, San Jose 0

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LA Galaxy – at – Chivas USA:

I always find it interesting to see the Galaxy as the road team in their own stadium but that is the case this weekend as the SuperClasico returns for another edition. The first meeting this season between these two sides was a 0-0 card fest. I’d expect nothing but the same this weekend, even with the way both sides are playing right now. Chivas hasn’t been in good form in any match recently but returning to league play against their stadium rivals could be a good cure. LA gets Landon Donovan back, which could be the key for them to win this one. However I just see this game being another foul-happy, card fest like before. Only this time we will see each side score.

WVH Prediction: Chivas 1, LA 1

Seattle acquired central defender Patrick Ianni from Houston for a conditional 2010 draft pick (second round pick if he appears in a certain number of games and a third rounder otherwise).

Ianni appeared in 51 total games over three seasons for the Dynamo after being selected in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. He also competed on the squad that represented the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

While I honestly don’t know much of Ianni or his play (I’ve never paid much attention to him so for in his time with the Dynamo), this move could be good for Sigi Schmid and the Sounders. A young, cheap defender that knows the league play. Its a depth thing at this point for Seattle and right now they seem to be filling out their defense.

I like the move, it could be good for the Sounders. As for Houston, I just keep waiting here for a big move or two…I hear they are coming.

A bigger note though for Dynamo fans surrounds defender Bobby Boswell. He has re-signed with the club after having a few trials in Europe. Boswell has to a multi-year deal with the two-time champs. A great deal for the club really as filling a hole that Boswell could have made for them would be have been tough this winter but it looks like they won’t have to worry about it now.

GK: William Hesmer – Columbus
DEF: Gonzalo Segares – Chicago
DEF: Bobby Boswell – Houston
DEF: Chad Marshall – Columbus
MID: Guillermo Barros Schelotto – Columbus
MID: Dave Van Den Bergh – New York
MID: Sasha Kljestan – Chivas USA
MID: Shalrie Joesph – New England
MID: Javier Morales – Real Salt Lake
FWD: Kenny Cooper – FC Dallas
FWD: Landon Donovan – LA Galaxy

You may disagree with some picks and not with others. That’s how I voted anyways. It would have been different if there was a different formation given but the 3-5-2 set up wasn’t too bad to deal with in voting.

Who’s in your best XI for the year? Post your’s below.

A lot of end-of-season awards in Major League Soccer are just as tight as the playoff race. I’ve been tracking the Rookie of the Year and MVP races for some time now but I figured I would weigh in on all the awards for once since we are in the final few weeks of the season.

MLS MVP Award:

1. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew: His club may be playing well without him but his numbers still make a serious case for MVP this season. He should be back soon, which can only mean his soccer IQ on the field will enhance the Crew even more here.
2. Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy: 19 goals in just 21 games. I think that may be all I need to say here. Earlier I thought his production wasn’t enough for the MVP this year but I am thinking otherwise now.
3. Shalrie Joseph, New England Revolution: He and his club may be stumbling but that should all work itself out once the Revs clinch a playoff spot.
4. Darren Huckerby, San Jose Earthquakes: If this were a half-season MVP I would probably have a tough time picking between Schelotto and Huckerby. Both have been stellar in the second half of the season. Huckerby has only been here for a half season, just think what he can do for a full year.
5. Juan Pablo Angel, New York Red Bulls: He’s forth in goals this season in the league but I don’t think that will be enough to get him this award this year.

Others in the discussion:

Javier Morales, RSL; Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago; Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas; Jamie Moreno, DC United; and Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA.

Newcomer of the Year:

1. Darren Huckerby, San Jose Earthquakes: No doubt that Huckerby will win this one. In nine games with the Quakes, he has scored six goals. Not to shabby.
2. Andre Rocha, FC Dallas: A bit of a homer pick for me but I’ve loved Rocha’s play on the field this season. At times it’s been tough to watch but most of the time he has been a solid addition to the Hoop’s midfield.
3. Rohan Ricketts, Toronto FC: There has to be a bright spot in a dark season for the Reds, that bright spot is Ricketts.
4. Jorge Rojas, New York Red Bulls: Let’s face it, since the addition of Rojas the Red Bulls have looked like a whole new club. He’s a big reason for that.
5. Emmanuel Ekpo, Columbus Crew: This Olympian has given Sigi Schmid a nice addition on the wings.

Others in the discussion:

Jamison Olave, RSL; Louis Crayton, DC United; and Francisco Lima, San Jose Earthquakes.

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Rookie of the Year:

1. Kheli Dube, New England Revolution: Some think that Dube isn’t the front-runner anymore, I think otherwise. Then again, this year’s award may be anyone’s guess at this point.
2. Andy Iro, Columbus Crew: I still like Iro could sneek in and win this award. But will the voters feel the same way?
3. Geoff Cameron, Houston Dynamo: Expect to see more of him in the final weeks of the season.
4. Justin Braun, Chivas USA: He’ll get more minutes as well which could really help him out in this award race.
5. Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy: Some have him as the front-runner but I think he played himself out of that a while back. Could he sneak up again though is the question?

Others in the discussion:

Roger Espinoza, KC Wizards; Stephen King, Chicago Fire; and Steven Lenhart, Columbus Crew.

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Goalkeeper of the Year:

1. Jon Busch, Chicago Fire: Best stats in the league, to his credit though his defense in front of him is pretty darn good too.
2. Joe Cannon, San Jose Earthquakes: Cannon is a very close second right now for me in this race. Should the Quakes get in the playoffs he will earn a bunch of votes for this in the process. And rightfully so.
3. William Hesmer, Columbus Crew: Hey his club is still top dog in the league, and he is a reason for it.
4. Matt Reis, New England Revolution: I still think Reis is one of the best keepers in the league. From time to time he isn’t able to show it because of faulty defense.
5. Pat Onstad, Houston Dynamo: Onstad is in that same category as Reis. Solid every year.

Others in the discussion:

None, really outside of Busch and Cannon there isn’t much of a race going on here.

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Defender of the Year:

1. Gonzalo Segaras, Chicago Fire: There’s little doubt in my mind he will win this award this season.
2. Michael Parkhurst, New England Revolution: We know what Parkhurst can, but can he work his way to the top of this list?
3. Wilham Conde, Chicago Fire: People love Segares and hate Conde at the same time. Its a shame too because Conde is a beast.
4. Chad Marshall, Columbus Crew: Speaking of a beast, Marshall is one of those guys that probably is due for a National team call-up.
5. Bobby Boswell, Houston Dynamo: Think DC is wishing they hadn’t traded Boswell before the season?

Others in the discussion:

Jimmy Conrad, KC Wizards; Bakary Soumare, Chicago Fire; Jamison Olave, RSL; and Wade Barrett, Houston Dynamo.

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Coach of the Year:

1. Sigi Schmid, Columbus Crew: Once the Crew wrap up the Supporter’s Shield so does Sigi wrapping this award up. Or has he already done so? Maybe.
2. Preki, Chivas USA: His club may have had a rough year but you cannot deny how well Preki has handled it all this year.
3. Frank Yallop, San Jose Earthquakes: Can Yallop get his club to be the first expansion club to reach the playoffs since Chicago did so back in 1998?
4. Dominic Kinnear, Houston Dynamo: Two MLS Cups and possibly one more on the way? Simply remarkable if you ask me.
5. Steve Nicol, New England Revolution: Nicol has navigated his club through a heavy schedule.