Bobby Convey is headed to KC. (Getty Images)

You have to like what some clubs are doing right now. This week has been a big week of trades as clubs get ready for the First Stage of the Re-Entry Draft next week. Today another trade came down the pipe – and while others haven’t been as big – this one certainly has the makings of being pretty huge.

Sporting Kansas City has acquired veteran midfielder/defender Bobby Convey from the San Jose Earthquakes for an international roster slot.

Convey was headed to the Re-Entry Draft but teams could make deals up until a certain time today before things got locked down. There had been hints since yesterday afternoon that the club was close to making another trade. The club had already made two deals this offseason, getting Seth Sinovic from Montreal in exchange for Davy Arnaud and also picking up Pablo Nagamura from Chivas USA.

Convey’s price is a tad high but this is a bold move for KC that you have to like. Sporting was very close to making it to their first MLS Cup in a long time and the big issue that came up was their defense. Adding a big piece to the puzzle like Convey will certainly help keep them a favorite in 2012.

To date, Convey has scored 11 goals and added 30 assists in 164 appearances in Major League Soccer.

What do you all make of this deal for KC?

Colorado hopes advance to the 2010 MLS Cup. (Getty Images)

Just the thought of two western conference clubs playing for the eastern conference final still makes me giggle. Geography aside this one could be a fun game to watch. Yes they are technically the lowest two seeds left in the playoffs but that won’t mean they fail at making this one worth watching. Both sides of the pitch of interesting stories and players worth talking about.

I felt before the season started that Colorado would be a tough team to play this year if they found come consistency. They did with the additions of Jeff Larentowicz and later on with Brian Mullan. San Jose I was totally off on going into the year. I didn’t expect them to make the leap that they did this year so you have to tip your cap to Frank Yallop and his team for getting this far.

Like I mentioned above this one should be fun to watch though. They split the season series by each club winning a game 1-0 at home. One could say the altitude in Colorado could play a factor in this one and to a degree it could but the way the playoffs are going right now its hard to take those sorts of things in account for big X-factors in a one-game series.

The match-ups in this one will be interesting to see. Colorado has a stingy defense while San Jose has the Golden Boot winner in Chris Wondolowski, a guy that can literally score from anywhere. The speed of Colorado on the wings and up top will be the big difference maker in this one for the home side. As we saw against Columbus anytime Omar Cummings pulls wide he’s typically able to find Conor Casey in the box. That speed is something San Jose will have to contain.

Players to watch: Wondolowski, Bobby Convey, and Tim Ward (San Jose); Cummings, Casey, and Larentowicz (Colorado).

X-Factor: Larentowicz and Pablo Mastroeni – The defensive collection in the midfield for Colorado is impressive with these two. If they hold their lines and find ways forward like we’ve seen in the playoffs so far the Rapids have a great shot at going back to the MLS Cup for the first time since 1997.

Outlook: It comes down to how San Jose handles the Rapids speed. I felt they should have walked away with a draw earlier this year in Colorad had it not been for a Jon Busch error in goal. I do think that will be a big motivational factor for Frank Yallop’s team in this one. The Quakes are one of the better road teams in the league and won’t be intimidated by playing in Colorado. In the end I like speed and defense over a team on the road.

WVH Prediction: Colorado 2, San Jose 1

David Ferreira takes home my MVP vote. (Getty Images)

For a couple weeks now I’ve held off on reveling my end of the year awards. I mainly wanted to see the season end and the playoffs begin before I wrote this all out. Plus I honestly had no idea how I wanted to present this. But on Election Day it just feels right to tell you all how I voted in this year’s MLS Awards.

First of all I’m going to leave out the pointless awards like Ref of the Year. I still don’t get why we vote on that in the first place since we know about all the officiating issues in MLS. I also won’t list things like Humanitarian of the Year or things like that. Most of you probably could care less about awards like that anyways.

Anyways, I’ll start with some awards that will be announced by the league here in the coming days and end with the big ones. I’ll also count them down by my vote as well, remember the media (and probably players/GMs/coaches) gets three slots for voting.

Defender of the Year

3. Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)

2. Nat Borchers (RSL)

1. Jamison Olave (RSL)

Why Olave: To be real honest between Olave and Borchers it wasn’t easy. It was a 1a and 1b type of vote for me but more times than not I felt Olave was the better of the two this season. Had we done this vote back in June I believe Gonzalez would have taken it home but just like the rest of the year for the Galaxy, Gonzalez too had some issues in the latter part of the summer. Olave was more consistent this year than he’s been in the past as well which was refreshing to see.

Keeper of the Year

3. Donovan Ricketts (LA)

2. Nick Rimando (RSL)

1. Kevin Hartman (FC Dallas)

Why Hartman: Between the time he took over and his injury Hartman was the biggest reason why FCD went on that amazing run that they did. In 20 games this season he had 9 shutouts, and only 12 goals against. I know Rimando had a stellar year and I get why folks will vote for him. RSL fans can blame me on being too close to the action here with Hartman but I really had no hesitation in voting this way.

Rookie of the Year

3. Michael Stephens (LA)

2. Danny Mwanga (Philadelphia)

1. Andy Najar (D.C. United)

Why Najar: Why not really? He was easily the best player on their team this year and should become the first academy product in the league history to win this award. He was consistent when others were not this season and provided a true spark for D.C. when they really had nothing else going for them this season.

Comeback Player of the Year

3. Jason Hernandez (San Jose)

2. Chris Albright (New York)

1. Bobby Convey (San Jose)

Why Convey: I’m still curious what Brek Shea came back from (he’s one of the three nominees with Albright and Convey). Anyways, to me it was down to Albright and Convey. Yes Albright missed 2009 while Convey just stunk up the place last year. For me it was about getting back to where he should be as a player and that’s what Convey did this year. Not to say Albright doesn’t deserve this award because he does, I just felt Convey made a bigger comeback from being so bad last year to so much better this year.

Newcomer of the Year

3. Ryan Smith (Kansas City)

2. Joel Lindpere (New York)

1. Alvaro Saborio (RSL)

Why Saborio: He lead his club in goals and really gave me no reason not to vote for him in this award. Lindpere was amazing for New York’s turnaround though so we can’t ignore what he did. I was just more impressed with the fact that a lot of clubs couldn’t figure out how to deal with Saborio this year.

Coach of the Year

3. Peter Nowak (Philadelphia)

2. Jason Kreis (RSL)

1. Schellas Hyndman (FC Dallas)

Why Hyndman: This may have been the hardest award to vote on outside of MVP. I put Nowak over Hans Backe because I was very impressed with how Nowak guided Philly through their expansion season. I believe he’s set them up perfectly for 2011. Then it came down to Kreis and Hyndman. Both had equally impressive campaigns in 2010 and we can’t ignore that enough. I went the direction that I did not because I was closer to the team here in Dallas than RSL but it came down to that 19-game unbeaten run. Sure there were a ton of draws with this Dallas team but due to the way Hyndman constructed this team for this season it was impressive to see their “never say die” attitude.

MLS MVP

3. Chris Wondolowski (San Jose)

2. Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia)

1. David Ferreira (FC Dallas)

Why Ferreira: Again the toughest award to vote on, probably ever. So many worthy choices but I stuck with Ferreira like I stuck with my pick of Hyndman. It wasn’t just that unbeaten run that was impressive from him and this bunch but Ferreira was the leader and the guy that just got stuff done for Dallas. We saw that in the opener in the playoffs against RSL, he just finds ways to get the team on the board. I was shocked to not see Le Toux as a finalist because let’s be honest he deserved it, then again so does Wondolowski.

WVH Best XI For 2010

(Voting format was a 3-5-2)

Keeper: Kevin Hartman

Defense: Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Omar Gonzalez

Midfield: David Ferreira, Sebastien Le Toux, Dwayne De Rosario, Javier Morales, Guillermo Barros Schelotto

Forwards: Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle

Reasons behind Best XI: First of all the way the league handles this is crazy. A 3-5-2 is always tough to vote on especially when they place guys out of position. I’d rather have Donovan placed in the midfield and Ferreira in the forwards but this is out it goes. I know some are thinking no Wondo in the forwards? Well Buddle was the leader going into the day I voted and Donovan was the top assist getter in the league too. If I had to vote on this again today I may replace Buddle with Wondo.

Sebastien Le Toux looks to add to his season goal tally tonight in San Jose. (Getty Images)

One team tonight still has a tiny bit of hope while the other is starting to hit their stride at the right time this year. The Philadelphia Union comes into San Jose tonight to meet the Quakes in a pivotal midweek matchup.

The Quakes are looking to sweep the season series with the expansion side tonight and help distance themselves from the eastern conference clubs that are making a push for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Quakes had a 0-0 draw at home last week to FC Dallas while Philadelphia was able to get three points of their own.

I’m looking forward to watching Bobby Convey try to take on Sebastien Le Toux. That’s the matchup to watch tonight as Le Toux recently joined the 10-10 club (10 goals, 10 assists) on the year.Philadelphia need his offense more then anything is rookie of the year candidate Danny Mwanga is still out injured tonight.

I like San Jose at home tonight to get the result here. The Quakes have looked better in recent weeks and after seeing them more with Geovanni you can tell this team is on their way up.

WVH Prediction: San Jose 2, Philadelphia 1

Anyways we are a month into the season now with most clubs having four games under their belts (only one has two – Columbus). My list below is not just players but coaches, GMs, stadiums, fans…pretty much anything I felt was relevant here.

Has San Jose done enough to improve on their dismal 2009 campaign? (Getty Images)

Forgive me for a second for this coming out as late as it did. I had every intentions earlier in the week to get this one out on Wednesday but a certain clash in Holland kept me from finishing it until yesterday.

Anyways, we continue on with out look at each Major League Soccer club’s preseason happenings here. We’re in the final stretch with just San Jose, Seattle and Toronto to go. Up first today is San Jose, a club that is hoping to rebound after a dismal effort in 2009. Frank Yallop has made some moves this winter to shake things up by the Bay but will it pay off is the key question.

I thought going into the winter that Yallop and GM Frank Doyle would do a lot of work on this roster that only won seven games in 2009. Reshaping an offense that only scored 36 goals was also another issue but the biggest may be redoing a defense that gave up a league-high 50 goals.

So let us dive into the Earthquakes to see who they have going into the new campaign and where else they need to go to get back into the playoffs.

Keepers:

Who they have: Joe Cannon, Andrew Weber, Mike Graczyk

Notes: I’l be honest, I thought Cannon was gone after last season. I just figured he was on the trading block for real this time and would be in a different city by the end of the SuperDraft in January. Turns out I was wrong. Not to say that things are still rosy with Cannon and the Quakes but it appears he will be the main guy this season for Yallop.

After Cannon they do have a decent back up in Weber and a third option in Graczyk. I do think that should Cannon not work out we’ll see a lot more of Weber this season, or this club will go out and get a keeper in the summer.

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Defense:

Who they have: Bobby Burling, Ike Opara, Chris Leitch, Justin Morrow, Jason Hernandez.

Notes: I do think I heard talks of moving Ramiro Corrales to the backline this year. Not entirely sure how true that is but after yesterday’s move to waive Aaron Pitchkolen I think its probably more likely to happen now. Good thing too because this club has zero depth in the back at the moment. If any injuries pop up like last year with key guys like Hernandez expect some major issues for this defense.

I do like the addition of Opara to the backline. I think he’ll bring the right size and skill that was missing with this group a year ago. I do still think this group is pretty light even if they switch some midfielders here. Its definitely an area that they should have addressed more in the offseason.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Ramiro Corrales, Simon Elliot, António Ribeiro, Arturo Alvarez, Bobby Convey, Brandon McDonald, Joey Gjertsen, Ramon Sanchez, Andre Luiz, Javier Robles.

Notes: I like the new additions of Gjertsen and Robles to this group. Them along with the core group of guys could make this bunch a tough one to deal with and a fun one to watch. They still have some young fire power in Alvarez and Convey too. Hopefully for Quake fans Convey turns his act around in 2010. If the Quakes want to compete in the west they need a better showing from him for sure.

Will the additions of Gjertsen and Robles be enough? Possibly. If Gjertsen can return to his USL MVP form from a few years go it will turn out to be a very good pickup for this club.

I’m curious to see if Luiz and Sanchez can pick up where they left off late in the season last year. If they do this club will be better offensively.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Ryan Johnson, Eduardo, Cornell Glen, Quincy Amarikwa

Notes: I’m a big fan of Johnson here, he proved last year he can score goals and carry this club. Thing was his club stunk so bad he wasn’t able to carry them enough. The addition of Eduardo should provide a nice boost to the offense though. From early scouting reports, the two are linking pretty well together. I’m definitely curious to see them in person to see if that is the case.

Johnson needed a partner last year and if Eduardo can be that partner then expect plenty more goals in 2010 from this group.

I do think this group is still a little light but if Johnson nets another 10 to 14 goals and Eduardo or someone else chips in another 8 to 10 then they’ll be fine.

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Overall:

I was high on the Quakes bandwagon going into last year but boy was I way off base about them. I hink they’ve improved going into this year but I’m still shaky on giving them a good write off here until I see it for myself. Defensively I still have concerns that they didn’t do nearly enough to fix their issues from a season ago. I do think they’ll stay with teams on the field offensively this year though but a lot of pressure rests in the midfield. If that group can come together and keep quality possession then this club will surprise people in 2010.

Could Bobby Convey be headed home to Philly? (Getty Images)

The speculation has begun for the Philadelphia Union and their expansion draft that takes place tomorrow afternoon. The 15 clubs released their protected list last night and now the Union have a full list of guys that they can get 10 players from. And the talent is there for Union to get off on a good foot here.

I do have a feeling a deal or two will be worked out tomorrow but that is just a hunch.

Below are the ten I believe the Union could go for tomorrow. I went fairly defensive minded as I think that may be the way Philly goes since they haven’t made any moves yet like Seattle had already done by this time last year. Defense is always a good place to start with a roster and they can fill in the holes offensively this winter. Some of these I may be off on but we’ll see.

Bobby Convey (San Jose): His salary may be a little high ($220,000) but we know Convey is going to be on his way out of San Jose this summer, it just seems likely. He’s a Philly guy and it makes perfect sense.

Anthony Wallace (Dallas): He’s cheap, he’s young and has plenty of solid experience with the U-20 national team. He just graduated from his Generation adidas contract and he’s totally cheap ($75,000).

Pat Phelan (New England): He was a guy plenty of us debated about for being protected but the Revs had to leave him off the protected list. I think he will fit in well in the defensive midfield part of Peter Nowak’s lineup.

Brian Edwards (Toronto FC): He’s young, from New Jersey and a very solid keeper that would give them a decent start in goal. I know Jon Conway is out there and is a Philly guy but I think Edwards gives them a better shot than Conway. Also, I just don’t buy in to Philly taking Amado Guevara from Toronto here either.

Matt Besler (Kansas City): I was kind of shocked to see his name on the exposed list. He’s young and cheap for sure and no doubt he would be a good fit for the defense as he has plenty of league experience (he played in 28 games this year for KC).

Andy Iro (Columbus): He’s big, physical and has plenty of great potential for Nowak. He’s played center back and would easily fit into the type of system Nowak likes to run with his defense I think.

Stephen King (Seattle): A Philly boy that has been stuck on the bench in Seattle. I know he is an impressive player and will fit in well in the midfield for Philly.

Jacob Peterson (Colorado): A young midfielder with loads of experience. While his salary may be a little high ($100k) compared to others on this list I think he would be a guy that could not only use a change of scenery but probably fit in well in Philly.

Alan Gordon (LA): He’s the lone striker that I’m selecting here and for a reason. I see Philly going out and finding other strikers in the winter to fill their offensive needs. Gordon isn’t expensive and he brings plenty of talent for Nowak.

Robbie Russell (RSL): Kind of hard to believe he could go from kicking the winning PK on Sunday to a new club on Wednesday. His experience factor abroad and here leads me to put him here.

Think I missed on someone here? Let’s here it.

Ryan Johnson was one of the few bright spots for San Jose in 2009. (Getty Images)

It’s hard to decline as a club after being an expansion team in 2008 but the 2009 version of the San Jose Earthquakes did just that. They became the first team to lose more in their second season than in their expansion season.

The only difference is this version of the Quakes are actually improving. After a load of failed mistakes in player pickups over the offseason manager Frank Yallop and GM John Doyle bucked the criticism and did start to bring in talent that not only produced but was able show that this club has the potential to actually contend in 2010 if the chips fall in the right order. 

San Jose did have the league’s worst defense this year allowing 50 goals. Yes you head that right 50. Having only three shutouts on the year you could easily say the defense was the biggest issue with the Quakes in 2009. How come? Injuries hurt this aged group of players plus one could also say that Joe Cannon might have lost a step or two this year.

But offensively the Quakes were pesky in 2009, especially late in the year with Ryan Johnson really finding his own groove in the league. Johnson lead the Quakes with 11 goals on the season, six more than runner up Arturo Alvarez.

What Went Right In 2009?
When things were going good for Frank Yallop’s bunch it was when Johnson was scoring and the midfield was holding possession long enough to create chances for Johnson. Midseason additions like Ramon Sanchez and Antonio Ribeiro helped create more chances in the attack while holding off some of the pressures that caused so many goals on the defense. Also, the play of this club after the All-Star break was definitely an improvement. Going 4-4-5 over their final stretch of games showed this club could become a winner.

What Went Wrong In 2009?
One could point a finger to the loss of Darren Huckerby as something that changed the season for the worse. Losing him early on meant a lack of offense early in the season. Even when he returned from injury he was never the same Huckerby that fans grew to love in 2008. Throw in the defensive issues on the season and a lack of consistent winning and the 2009 season will be one Quake fans will want to forget quickly (no back-to-back wins on the entire year).

You could also point to pickups like Bobby Convey not panning out or Pablo Campos and Cam Weaver not producing like expected. Sad part was once Campos and Weaver left they produced right away for their new clubs (Houston for Weaver and RSL for Campos).

What’s Next?
First of all this club has to correct the defensive issues that killed them all season. After that figure out where they are going with the midfield. Either trade away Convey to say Philadelphia (I hear this is a move that both sides want) or find a way that gets him back on the wings where he belongs. Then they have to find a good reliable partner for Johnson. I think the upcoming drafts will be key for this bunch. In the two years that they have been back in the league they have yet to have a solid draft. While some clubs can make due without it like Houston the Quakes are far away from where the Dynamo are right now. They must take next year’s draft seriously.

DC Plays For Trophies

Link

I love DC United and how they market their club. They’ve put little stickers on newspapers throughout DC with the date of the US Open Cup final against Seattle. Peal off the sticker and it gives you this address.

Chivas Still Struggling For An ID

Link

Interesting write up here by Kevin Baxter over at the LA Times about how Chivas USA is still struggling to find themselves in MLS after five years. Couldn’t agree more with some of the points made. A lot of it comes down to what is written here is about is Chivas USA a farm team for the Mexican club? No one really knows though I would say they are definitely not.

The main thing they have to focus on is being relevant in a heavy sports market.

Tough Season For Bobby Convey

Link

A lot of folks, including myself thought Bobby Convey would be a great addition to Frank Yallop’s San Jose Earthquakes at the start of this season. Turns out he’s been nothing special. Still Convey has a lot of growing to do and I kind of see him going home to play with the new Philadelphia side after this season. He’s done nothing but eat up salary in San Jose. But as the article suggests if he could get the proper rest in the off-season he could be able to come back and be better next season. I just think he’d be better off playing in Philadelphia instead of San Jose. Think Peter Nowak agrees?

MLS Holding Strong In Tough Economic Times

Link

I probably could have spent more time with this one than here but since it is Friday I don’t feel like going all into this article. Good stuff by SI’s Ridge Mahoney. Lots in this from DP talk to Labor issues, to Beckham to Latinos and soccer. I think I will have more next week on my thoughts with the DP rule. I think it’s good but it definitely needs some work for most clubs to want to use it.

Beckham Still Wants To Own A MLS Club?

Link

Kind of more of the same out of GoldenBalls. He still wants to be an ambassador to the league, even when he is out of here after this season. We knew about the option in his contract last year but it sounds like he wants to use it down the road. I doubt he will be apart of any 2012 expansion bid for the league but maybe one down the road, if not buying an existing club.

US National Team Not Taking Altitude Serious?

Link

I think Grant Wahl hits this one on the head, the US players need more than 24 hours to get use to Mexico City’s smog and high altitude for next week’s World Cup qualifier. I know what it is like to play at high altitudes and Mexico City is up there in at 7,200 feet above sea level. The air will be thin but more importantly it will be tough to breathe because of the smog and pollution levels in Mexico City. That’s the biggie if you ask me. Something you can’t prepare your lungs for just 24 hours before a big match. I hate to make excuses but this is one that has to be looked at.

Over at Soccernet, Jeff Carlisle highlights a few problems with the Quakes.

I was one of those few that Carlisle mentions that picked this  club to be a playoff contender this season. I wasn’t quite out on the limb for picking them to reach a MLS Cup this year but the playoffs definitely sounded possible with this bunch. Turns out after a 1-5-1 start the playoffs look less likely by the week.

Defensively the club has a lost a step due to injuries and age. Offensively the new parts haven’t found their scoring ways while key players like Darren Huckerby have been out for a good part of the season so far.

What exactly has happened in San Jose? Carlisle is quick to mention and righfully so, that the offense’s inexperience and Bobby Convey’s unfamiliarity in the attacking midfield role has put more pressure on a defense that is missing a key player (Jason Hernandez) and is getting older by the game.

From what it sounds like San Jose has plenty of work to do this summer in getting the ball back in motion to go forward for this club. I know Frank Yallop and GM John Doyle have the smarts to get the job done but time is already against them here this season. Few clubs if any have started this way (5 points after eight games) and made the playoffs.

Now I’m not as close to this club as Carlisle is but I would imagine things can get turned around with the right amount of luck and patience. It may just not be until next year however.