Ching squared off against his old club yesterday. (Photo via Montreal Impact)

As bad as it was back in November, both Brian Ching and the Houston Dynamo are ready to move past the whole expansion draft fiasco.

Ching – now a member of the Montreal Impact – played the Dynamo yesterday in a preseason scrimmage. The mood was not as hostile as one would have imagined it to be a couple months back. In fact, Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear apologized for his actions and comments from the expansion draft.

“I think in the beginning, we were a little bit liberal with what we were saying,” Kinnear said. “I think it was a little bit rude, and I apologize for that, back when Brian first got selected by Montreal in the Expansion Draft. I think it was too easily talked about because of who he is, and I think now just to be very professional, we have to keep it as quiet as possible.”

It will still be hard for Houston fans to see Ching in the Impact blue, but give it time and all things will soon pass on.

One Houston writer is still betting on seeing Ching back in Dynamo orange by March 11. I tend to agree with him.

Let’s turn back to Ching, the all-time leading scorer in franchise history. The Dynamo and Impact have had trade discussions on and off since the start of preseason, so there’s still a chance that Ching will be back with the team for the opening of BBVA Compass Stadium.

I’m willing to bet Ching will be a member of the Dynamo by March 11.

With that said, the Dynamo also have inquired about other veteran forwards within in MLS, in Europe (Kevin Davies of Bolton turned the team down) and South America (Carlo Costly). You also know about Kris Boyd, the Scottish forward who snubbed them to sign with the Portland Timbers.

Yesterday the Dynamo did trade for forward Mac Kandji from the Colorado Rapids. That folks is no Ching replacement but it is a start.

A lot can and will happen between now and March. We’re a month out of First Kick and already this preseason has presented some interesting story lines.

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

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.

Fredy Montero looks to run all over New York again this weekend. (Getty Images)

So week number two in Major League Soccer is a short one. Seriously? After a full slate last week and what I believe will be a full one next week, how come so many clubs are off this weekend? Easter? Passover? NCAA Final Four? My bet is its due to Easter and clubs not wanting games on this weekend due to that.

Last night’s two western conference classes were decent. The Houston-RSL game was pretty much everything we expected it to be, fast paced and some pretty good action from both sides. Weird result in the two PKs in a matter of a couple minutes there but honestly I had no issues on either call. Sure Luis Angel Landin embellished that fall a tad bit but the contact was definitely there from the goat of the night for RSL Jamison Olave. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Olave is a good defender but man does he ever get his team in to trouble more times than not. That’s why I have trouble rating their defense high, discipline reasons like that can really do a number on a team.

At least for RSL they have Javi Morales going well again. His pace and vision on the field is fun to watch. I think he may be this year’s Schelotto in that he is normally an assist man but this year he’s getting the goals.

Further out west last night was the SuperClasico and it was everything but Super. It wasn’t the nasty rivalry that we’re used to except for a few chippy moments early on. Edson Buddle linked up well with Sean Franklin (hell of a ball on that one) and Landon Donovan for his second and third goals of the season. Chivas had chances but they have no finishers on that team.

Now it is on to the weekend with the three games mentioned above. Two are big inter-conference clashes. We’ll definitely find out more about a couple clubs that we’ve had some questions on after this weekend.

As always feel free to leave your score predictions below.

Chicago Fire – at – Colorado Rapids:

Home opener for the Rapids this weekend and they bring in one of the better road sides in the league with the Chicago Fire. Carlos de los Cobos’ squad looked decent on the road last week in New York but was unable to hammer home a shot. Their midfield definitely is lacking some creative power and against a deep midfield that Colorado has it could be another rough night offensively for them.

We know the Fire will be fine defensively with Wilham Conde in the back. Question is can he handle both Omar Cummings and Conor Casey this week? Last week he didn’t have to deal with as much against the Red Bulls. I think this task may spread him too thin. Another guys in the back will have to step up but look for Colorado to have an edge here.

I’d like to see more out of Collins John in this one for Chicago. If he can get going offensively it will open up things more on the wings, meaning Brian McBride will be even more dangerous if the service from the wings is there.

Part of me wants to go draw just because I know the inconsistent nature of the Rapids is still probably there but I think their side is a bit stronger in this one, especially through the midfield.

Player to watch for: Omar Cummings – Expect him to drift a little wider in this one and try to explose the Fire defense from the wings.

WVH Prediction: Colorado 2, Chicago 1

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New England Revolution – at – D.C. United

Two teams with a definite need for points. New England didn’t look half bad in LA last weekend while D.C. was a whole other story in Kansas City. I’d imagine Curt Onalfo will have done enough work this week to correct the defensive issues that gave up four goals last week to his old club the Wizards.

New England will still be without Shalrie Joseph in the midfield, which leads me to lean toward the home-side in this one. I can imagine this one won’t be too pretty to watch either with this one having its fair share of fouls and cards.

I think this one will be rather close with New England compacting things through the midfield and in defense to make it tough on D.C. to get anything going. But look for D.C.’s offense to show some life in this one and find a way to get one in the back of the net. Plus I still wonder where the offense will come from for the Revs here, until someone steps up I am left to wonder.

Player to watch for: Juan Manuel Pena – United’s newcomer may be a welcome sight in defense this week. If things work out and he gets the start look for the defense to be much better in week 2.

WVH Prediction: D.C. 1, New England 0

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New York Red Bulls – at  - Seattle Sounders FC

May be the biggest game on the weekend slate, the up and coming Red Bulls face their biggest test as they head west to Seattle. Is Seattle as good as we think and are the Red Bulls actually good here this season? Those are questions we’ll figure out in this one I believe.

New York looked much better defensively last week against the Fire and offensively they have a master-mind in the midfield now in Joel Lindpere. Look for Seattle to find a way to keep Lindpere off balance in this one though, Chicago didn’t do a good enough job pressuring him on and off the ball last week. Osvaldo Alonso and Brad Evans will handle Lindpere in the midfield, which could open some space on the wings for the Red Bulls.

Seattle should still have the edge on offense here. They probably won’t have Freddie Ljungberg in this one but look for Fredy Montero and company to still handle the attack in this one. Plus the play of Steve Zakuani has really stepped up this year, look for him to be a nightmare on the wings for the Red Bulls.

I still have my doubts about this Red Bull squad but I do see vast improvement over last year. Hans Backe has done a solid job turning the ship around here. Still a big road test is always a true indication of how far along things really are and I just like the Sounders a bit more here. Montero is still a handfull and I think he’ll find a way past Bouna Coundoul.

Player to watch for: Pat Noonan – His signing with the club is a big thing, he adds depth for the Sounders on the wings or up top. Bigger thing for this one though is he has been an absolute nightmare in the past for the Red Bulls. According to Big Apple Soccer, Noonan has scored 12 goals in 19 career appearances against the Red Bulls. Difference maker right there folks.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, NY 1

That would be a shame too.

Anyways, here are some highlights and thoughts on the 2-1 win over El Salvador from ESPN. Crazy finish to the game but a nice showing by the MLS All-stars USMNT.

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.

Fredy Montero leads the charge for the expansion Sounders. (Getty Images)

The playoffs are finally here and tonight they kickoff with a bang up in the Pacific Northwest as the Houston Dynamo travel to Qwest Field to face the Seattle Sounders FC in a big first leg western conference semi-final series.

Seattle comes into the playoffs as one of the league’s hottest teams and with the opening game at Qwest you have to believe Sigi Schmid and company will pull out all the stops to make sure the expected large crowd stays happy. Schmid will have to rely heavily on Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Leo Gonzalez in the back to slow down the attack from Brian Ching and Stuart Holden.

The Dynamo need to find a way to get a goal early and then rely on their strong defense to carry them in this game and in the series. Catching Seattle off guard on corner kicks or free kicks could go a long way for the Dynamo. However the most important thing for Dominic Kinnear’s bunch is staying out of card trouble. These last couple months have been nothing but yellow and red cards for Kinnear’s team. Make no mistake if they get into card trouble it will be another early exit for the Dynamo this year in the playoffs. You can’t beat a club like Seattle with ten men, you just can’t do it.

I think tonight’s game will be physical as Houston will want to use guys like Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell to keep Fredy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg off the boards. Look for Seattle to play the wings a lot in this game and also look for Ljungberg to try to live up to his DP status with the Sounders.

I like the homeside by a slim margin in this one. These two played two exciting games in the regular season and I don’t see anything different here tonight. Goals by Ching for the Dynamo and goals by Montero and Nate Jaqua for the Sounders.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, Houston 1

It's do or die for Toronto FC. (Getty Images)

Big time weekend ahead for Major League Soccer. Four clubs have punched their tickets to the post season dance with four remaining spots left open to possibly all get snatched up this weekend.

You can pretty much put a playoff implication on every game this weekend. Either a team will come closer to clinching a spot, will clinch a spot or will be eliminated from contention. Its pretty much as simple as that as we head into the final two weeks of the regular season.

Going into the weekend it is important to see where everyone stands. There will be plenty of scoreboard watching from players, coaches and fans this weekend.

Eastern Conference
1. Columbus (13-5-10, 49 pts., 2 games remaining) – X
2. Chicago (10-7-11, 41 pts., 2 games remaining)
Western Conference
T1. Chivas USA (13-9-5, 44 pts., 3 games remaining) � X
T1. Houston (12-8-8, 44 pts., 2 games remaining) – X
T1. Los Angeles (11-6-11, 44 pts., 2 games remaining) � X
Wild Cards
2. Seattle (10-7-11, 41 pts., 2 games remaining)
3. Colorado (10-8-10, 40 pts., 2 games remaining)
4. New England (10-10-8, 38 pts., 2 games remaining)
BOTTOM SEVEN OUT
Real Salt Lake (10-11-7, 37 pts., 2 games remaining)
FC Dallas (10-12-6, 36 pts., 2 games remaining)
D.C. United (8-8-12, 36 pts., 2 games remaining)
Toronto FC (9-10-9, 36 pts., 2 games remaining)
Kansas City (8-12-8, 32 pts., 2 games remaining)
San Jose (7-13-8, 29 pts., 2 games remaining) – Eliminated from contention
New York (4-19-6, 18 pts., 1 games remaining) – Eliminated from contention

For Colorado, Seattle and Chicago it is simple this weekend. You win and you are in. New England can do the same with a win along with a couple other items (DC, Dallas, TFC, and RSL all draw or losing their games this weekend).On the flip side for Kansas City they are all but mathematically eliminated here, they would need about 40 different things to happen to even have hope of reaching the playoffs. In other words this weekend will should put their eliminated status in for good.

Everyone is in action this weekend except for New York who played and lost again in the midweek. As always feel free to leave your score predictions and thoughts below.

Saturday:

Real Salt Lake – at – Toronto FC:

Both clubs need wins it is as simple as that. Toronto did themselves no favor last week with the draw at home against San Jose. I see nothing different happening this weekend out of this bunch as Toronto just hasn’t found a way lately to close out games at home. Even with RSL’s pathetic road record this season I just smell a draw for this game, which pretty much eliminates both sides from playoff contention this season. RSL will still have a little hope going into next week’s finale against rivals Colorado but they will need plenty of things to happen before they can rest their hopes on that game. I like Toronto getting on the board early again this week with either Ali Gerba or Dwayne De Rosario leading the way for the home-side. But look for Robbie Findley or Kyle Beckerman to lead the charge late for a draw.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 1, RSL 1

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Chicago Fire – at – New England Revolution:

The Revs need points in a bad way this weekend to fend off the likes of Dallas, DC, RSL and Toronto. They can do themselves a lot of good with a win here which would nearly kill off the chances of those below them. Thing is they are so banged up that I just don’t know how good they will be at home against one of the best road teams in the league. Chicago needs points to clinch as well as played very well against New England over the last couple years (won six out of their last eight meetings). Even without a few key guys in the midfield I still like the Fire’s attack better than the Revs. Shalrie Joseph will continue his MVP ways but I just don’t see him having enough gas in the tank to carry this club in a physical battle with the Fire.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, New England 0

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Will Robbie Rogers lead Columbus to a second straight Supporter's Shield? (Getty Images)

Columbus Crew – at – DC United:

The Crew have clinched home field through the eastern conference playoffs but now look to snatch up their second straight Supporter’s Shield title. The club standing in the way is the last team and the only team to win back-to-back Supporter’s Shield trophies. DC needs points in a bad way but haven’t looked like the same team at RFK Stadium that we saw go unbeaten for the first few months of the season. DC will be without too many key offensive players in this one and with the way their defense has looked at home recently I just worry about them going against a team like Columbus who rested most of their key guys last week in New England. Throw in the fact that the Crew get both Frankie Hedjuk and Robbie Rogers back this week from international duty and I think you could bank on the Crew eliminating DC from the playoffs while clinching their second straight Supporter’s Shield.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 2, DC 1

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Seattle Sounders FC – at – Kansas City Wizards:

Seattle can clinch with a win and a draw would pretty much get them there as well. You gotta believe Sigi Schmid just wants to make sure they get that ticket punched though with a win in KC. The Wizards as stated above aren’t officially eliminated from playoff contention yet but the question will be for Peter Vermes’ club, will they show up to spoil another club’s hopes? On the slimmer field you have to like the Wizards’ chances a little more. Seattle relies on using space and there won’t be enough in this game to get their attack going like they would like. I still like the Sounders to get the job done tomorrow night though on the road. They’ve gained some big time confidence on the road lately and that can be more than enough to get the job done.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 1, KC 0

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Colorado Rapids – at – FC Dallas:

Colorado would probably like to get out of this one with a draw if they could to eliminate Dallas from playoff contention. A win would certainly help their cause and should punch their ticket. Dallas on the other hand just needs to keep winning here. Which is what they’ve been doing these last couple weeks. Colorado comes into Frisco a bit banged up on defense and will be without both Medhi Ballouchy and Julien Baudet to suspension. That will be key for Dallas as Jeff Cunningham has been a man possessed lately. He along with David Ferreira have really taken things over in a big way for the Red Stripes. The Rapids need a big time game out of Conor Casey and Omar Cummings. If anyone is going to score on this Dallas defense it would be those two. The thing is Dallas has given Colorado fits these last couple years and I think it does enough to keep Dallas going for another week. This one could be a shootout but I think it will remain fairly close.

WVH Prediction: Dallas 2, Colorado 1

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San Jose Earthquakes – at – Chivas USA:

This may be the only game that doesn’t have implications on who will be going to the playoffs or who will be eliminated from contention. Both saw their fate last week as the Quakes were eliminated and Chivas punched their ticket. Look for the Quakes to frustrate Chivas a bit early in this one but I like Chivas to hold off the Quakes for a win tomorrow night. Preki’s side is starting to peak at the right time here and that is dangerous for the rest of the western conference. San Jose will also be lacking some key defensive players which spells trouble for Joe Cannon. Again, the Goats should walk with three points.

WVH Prediction: Chivas USA 3, San Jose 0

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Can Brian Ching and the Dynamo hold off LA? (Getty Images)

Sunday:

LA Galaxy – at – Houston Dynamo:

Best game of the week right here. Expect a very large crowd in Houston for this one as well. Brian Ching will be a man to keep an eye out for this one. I think his impact along with Mexican striker Luis Angel Landin should be a big one. LA will provide a lot of problems for the Dynamo in the midfield but on set pieces I think Houston has an edge in this one. This one should be a low scoring game with the way LA plays defense on the road. Look for them to go for a goal early with Landon Donovan and if that happens you can expect them to camp on the lead. Houston is no different. The thing is I think these are two very evenly matched teams. As much as I like Houston at home in this one something tells me it will end in a draw.

WVH Prediction: Houston 1, LA 1

The best goal for me was either Sainey Nyassi’s run against New York or Brad Davis’ strike against RSL.

(Note QuickKicks on the league site did not have the Columbus/Chicago goals)

Order of video: David Beckham, Edson Buddle, Brian Ching, Yura Movsisyan, Brad Davis, Dax McCarty, Jimmy Conrad, Sainey Nyassi, and John Wolyneic.