Toronto's O'Brian White looks to break out in 2010.

Normally in my season previews I go team-by-team but this year as I mentioned earlier in the week I am doing something a little different. Instead of the old way I’m trying something new to break up the content and give folks a little more room for discussion.

Today’s topic is all about who is the next guy to be a big impact player in this league. Or for someone to finally come out of their shell and help lead their club to the playoffs or even better a MLS Cup. I know a lot of these previews depend on the league and the player’s coming together on a new CBA but for the sake of things we’ll be optimistic here and say they do come to terms on something soon.

So I went club to club and asked a few folks who they thought would be the next big thing for their clubs. Some clubs will have just one guy to watch out for and some will have two. If a guy you think is going to break out this season isn’t on this list, hit the comments below with your reasoning behind it.

Now some are rookies and others are guys that have been around the league for a little while. I tried to balance it out between those two groups.

1. Patrick Nyarko (Chicago Fire): Even with the recent addition of Collins John I still expect a big year from Nyarko. His speed and skill (even off the bench) will be tough for some teams to deal with. I’ve always been a fan of Nyarko so in a way this is just me hoping he finally reaches his potential as a player in this league.

2. Osael Romero (Chivas USA): Its hard to pick someone on a team that has a bunch of veteran players, a bunch of young players and a batch of international players. I’m picking an international mainly because I have to think Romero may be the answer to their issues in the midfield. He’ll be the guy they look to distribute the offense and keep pressure off their defense.

3. Wells Thompson (Colorado Rapids): I really think a new address will be the key for this kid. He was in New England for the first few years of his career and did alright under Steve Nicol but I see bigger and better things out west with the Rapids for him. Look for him to add depth to the wings and help produce some offense this season. Colorado is dangerous when their wing play is going well and Thompson will provide that.

4. Jed Zayner (Columbus Crew): The Crew are still a dangerous team and with young defenders like Zayner I can’t see a reason not to consider them a contender once again in 2010.

5. Chris Pontius/Brandon Barklage (D.C. United): The Black-and-Red get two on my list. I see Pontius jumping out even more this season after a superb rookie campaign. Barklage is a guy I’ve been watching for a while now. I think this is a year he’ll get a lot more playing time and DC should be better for it.

6. Brek Shea/Bryan Leyva (FC Dallas): I honestly see this as Shea’s big year. He should be a starter this year for Schellas Hyndman out wide and I think he could make some noise once again with clubs overseas with his play. Leyva on the other hand is is a 17-year old project that should see some time this season. Believe me he’s got all the tools to be a very good player in MLS.

7. Cam Weaver (Houston Dynamo): Dominic Kinnear brought Weaver over from San Jose in a trade last year and it paid off right away with a couple goals. But injuries and setbacks got in the way. I think a new season will get Weaver a little more time on the field for a club that needs all the help it can get offensively.

8. Kei Kamara (Kansas City Wizards): With Claudio Lopez gone I fully see Kamara getting a lot more time on the pitch for the Wizards. Based on his preseason reports he’s doing pretty well so far. I think for the Wizards to reach the playoffs one of the things that need to happen is Kamara get to at least 7 to 10 goals. With his speed there’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to get near that mark.

9. Michael Stephens (LA Galaxy): He may be just a rookie but look for loads of good things out of Stephens this year. He’s exactly the type of player that Bruce Arena can mold into a good role player for the Galaxy in the midfield, an area they needed some youth in.

10. Zack Schilawski (New England Revolution): Another rookie I think will have a very good first year. With Taylor Twellman still iffy for the Revs, Steve Nicol will need another breakout rookie to shine, and Schilawski will be just the guy that does in 2010.

11. Tim Ream/Tony Tchani (New York Red Bulls): Weird that the Red Bulls would get two breakout stars and both be rookies but I’ll give you a reason for both. Tchani for obvious reasons like him being a total beast. Ream may be one of the most underrated rookies out there. Look for him to be the Darrius Barnes of 2010.

12. Andrew Jacobson (Philadelphia Union): He would have been on this list if he were still in Washington. With such a young team Philly really could have any number of breakout stars but I have a good feeling on Jacobson doing well for Peter Nowak this season.

13. Collen Warner (Real Salt Lake): Another rookie but Warner is one you need to start paying attention to right away. He might not get a lot of playing time early but coming off the bench he’ll prove to be very valuable for Jason Kreis’ team as they look to defend their title.

14. Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes): San Jose may have been the toughest team to figure out who would be a breakout star this season. I went with Wondo for a couple reasons, he’s still relatively young and second he’s got to be a guy that can provide a few goals off the bench or even as a starter if the Quakes want to be better in 2010. From what I’ve seen out of him I know he can do it, its just a matter of him hitting that potential this year.

15. Sanna Nyassi (Seattle Sounders FC): Twin brother of Sainey Nyassi (New England), look for him to get plenty of time off the bench this year for Sigi Schmid. They need quick players on the wing and Nyassi is one of the quickest.

16. O’Brian White (Toronto FC): Here’s a guy I’m very excited to see breakout this season. He didn’t come on to the scene last year until mid-way through the year due to injuries. Look for White to be a key part in the offense going forward this year for TFC. He showed a lot of promise late in the year and I see that momentum carrying over in to the new season.

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.

A decent amount of goals this week. I’ve once again put together the usual list of my favorites. I may have missed a couple others though but these are the ones I thought were the better goals out there scored this weekend. Lots of goals scored off set pieces this weekend or just sloppy goalkeeping.

Order of goals: Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus), Marco Pappa (Chicago), Christian Gomez (DC), Danny Dichio (Toronto), Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle), Richard Mulrooney (Houston), Cam Weaver (Houston), and Stuart Holden (Houston).

Folks, just face it if you haven't alread...Houston is good. (Getty Images)

One could say the 13th week of the season was sort of a changing of the guard type week. Entering the week we had two seemingly clear front-runners in each conference. After the dust settled on the week we now have two new leaders in each conference. The luck changed for some clubs looking to get out of the losing ways while others just continued to find new ways to lose.

Yes, week 13 was just about what we expected excapt for the lack of draws (more on that in a second). I jotted down the usual notes and thoughts from the week to share with you all. Forgive me if some of it is just randomness thrown your way. I ususally try to not dwell in the stats or numbers but I am slowly dipping my feet into that pool for a bit.

Playoff Chances

I know I am a buzzkill to some fans out there who’s clubs are doing bad. But the facts are these, if your club stinks and you think they still have a shot at things because this is Major League Soccer then you’re wrong this time around. The way this season is going, you won’t find a losing team in the playoffs this season but you will find at least one club with more draws than wins. I think it will happen.

Anyways, I’m no math major, nor was I ever during college. Math was actually my worst subject to say the least but I can do some number crunching when I want to and get fairly decent results out of it. Based on the way things are going this season I’d say the magic number to reach the playoffs this season may be right at 39 or 40 points just like a season ago. Which should mean we won’t see any losing clubs.

With that right there you can pretty much go a head and eliminate New York, San Jose and Dallas from contention. Especially New York who have played half of their season slate right now and are 2-10-3 in those first 15 games. To even reach the playoffs based on what they’ve done midway through their season they will need at a minimum of 10 wins (30 pts.). Which would be 39 total points. Anyone see the Red Bulls pulling off 10 wins in their final 15 games? Didn’t think so either.

Dallas and San Jose aren’t nearly as bad but aren’t that far off from New York’s pace. Their chances combined are probably a good 2-3%. In other words it probably won’t happen this season.

On the flip side I think you could nearly pencil in Houston and Chivas already. Both clubs can pretty much reach the post season with another three or four wins each.

Speaking of JCO

Remember how a lot of people were saying Juan Carlos Osorio would be a great coach in New York when he left Chicago? Well his number aren’t impressive at all as we now know. His all-time mark in MLS is up to 12-21-12. Most of that is due to poor scouting and player signings. Though some of it may also be to the fact that he isn’t that great of a coach afterall.

Who get’s the worst of this though? The Red Bull fans. For years we get loads of hype surrounding this club by the media machine and writers that cover the side. Thing is for years they haven’t been that good for a reason…well lots of reason actually.

NO Draws

Week 13 was good to the league in that there were no draws. In fact the league is possibly on a season long streak of no draws, nine games without a draw. Not bad considering what we’ve seen so far this year.

Look out for Columbus and GBS

We have never seen a repeat MVP in MLS but I think it is high time that it happens. Guillermo Barros Schelotto and his crazy hair is not only carrying Columbus on his back yet again he is doing it by the goal load. The Crew’s come-from-behind win over Chivas yesterday was all at the hands of GBS. Remember last year when he was dropping assists like no other? This year he is dropping the goals like no other. He’s the first this season to reach 10 goals. Yeah, 10 goals in 13 games for the 36-year-old designated player. Probably the best money the Hunts have ever spent would you say?

When Trades Work

It seems like every year Dominic Kinnear strikes a deal with some other club and it is instant pay for his Dynamo side. The pay keeps coming as Kinnear’s newest striker struck goal twice this weekend on the road against Dallas. I knew the Cam Weaver trade would be big for Houston but I honestly didn’t believe he would work out this well this quickly. Two goals and an assist in two games with the Dynamo is not bad at all folks.

When will other managers and GMs realize they only set themseleves up for disaster when they deal with Kinnear.

A Little Road Luck

I think it is fair to say that sometimes you just need things to go your way. In the case of RSL their season may have been slightly saved with a big time road win in LA. RSL managed just one goal in six road games all year until Saturday. With LA down a man it was a perfect time for Jason Kreis’ bunch to cash in on the chance at some road points and goals. For once Yura Movsisyan stepped up and hammered home a goal for his side. That may have saved his job with the club and his club’s season. Sometime it just takes one win to get going, though I do believe RSL still has a lot of work to do here this summer before I see them reaching the post season again.

Chivas Out of Gas?

I think it is fair to say right now that Chivas USA is spent. Preki’s side is still good don’t get me wrong but their last five games haven’t been their best. After racing out to a great start this season they’ve been dropping games like flyes here. It has been to quality sides like Houston, Columbus and Chicago which make me wonder if Preki’s side is ready for big time competition here or if they are just hitting a wall right now. Based on what I saw yesterday in the game against Columbus and the one last Wednesday in Houston…its a giant wall. Then again these international call-ups haven’t helped and one could say his side still isn’t fully healthy here but we know that excuse is old news with this club.

Maybe a break in league play will help them out as they have SuperLiga here soon.

Parity Is Fun

I look at the standings right now and see a bunch of clubs clumped together after Chivas and Houston. Its fun you know, this parity game we play. Seven points in the standings between the 3rd best side (DC) and the 11th/12th (RSL and LA – both with 15 pts.). That isn’t a whole lot of seperation. Though with clubs like KC and Toronto having five losses each makes me think there is still a bit of class between some of these clubs that are just clumped in the middle right now.

Streaking Sides

Some streaks left us this weekend: RSL’s road winless streak of six games; LA’s 10-game unbeaten run; and Chicago’s unbeaten road record.

Some decided it was best if they stayed a bit longer: New York’s woeful road record, now at MLS-record 20 straight games without a road win; San Jose’s winless road record now at six. Some good in DC’s unbeaten home record; Columbus’ unbeaten in their last nine, not to mention yet another home win; and Houston’s unbeaten mark in 10 games.

Butts in Seats

Yeah this weekend was better but that was due to home games in LA, Seattle, DC and Toronto. The one sub-par was once again in Dallas. Sad to say I failed to make it to that game (thanks to those who were kind enough to send me a get well wish over the weekend…I get migranes easy and they usually put me out for the day).

Rookie Michael Lahoud is expected to make his second career start tonight. (Getty Images)

Tonight’s western conference battle is a big one. Not only is Major League Soccer getting a primetime clash on ESPN2 on a night without the NBA Finals or the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. But they are also getting the league’s two best clubs showcased in front of a national audience. You really can’t beat that if you ask me right now for a league that needs a boost in terms of eye-balls watching.

Houston comes into tonight’s game red hot, putting their three-game winning streak and eight-game unbeaten streak on the line against the top team in the west and the MLS overall standings – Chivas USA. The AmeriGoats are six points ahead in the standings but Houston does have two games at hand.

The only downer on this game is the fact that both clubs are missing their marquee players at the moment. Houston is lacking Brian Ching to injury and Ricardo Clark to national team duty with the US. Chivas is also missing Sacha Kljestan and Jonathan Bornstein to national duty as well. So in a way we aren’t seeing either side at full strength.

1. What can Houston do to continue owning the league’s best defense?

It all starts and ends with defense up top. If your strikers and midfielders are defending well then it puts less pressure on your backline and keeper. Houston does it better than anyone though Chivas isn’t far off their pace as they’ve only given up two goals more this season. I think the play out of Stuart Holden in the midfield has been huge lately for Houston which has allowed the Dynamo defense to keep the other clubs off the board in recent games. Also throw in the fact that Houston has made some big changes to their offense these past couple weeks in getting Dominic Oduro and Cam Weaver will really help I think.

Though if you want another unsung heroes for the Orange and their defense you have to give some credit to two guys, Geoff Cameron and Richard Mulrooney. Both are playing very well and I’d say Cameron is playing like an All-Star these days for Houston.

2. What does Chivas need to do to overcome their history at Robertson Stadium?

All-time in Houston the Goats have not played well at all. Six games with four losses, two draws and only one goal scored. Houston in that timeframe has scored 12 goals. Thing is this is not the same Chivas club that we’ve seen the last couple years. Preki has put together a very strong defensive group that is getting results. I do worry though that the absense of Mariano Trujillo (suspended) and Bornstein in the back will hurt this club big time tonight.

Chivas just has to play their style of game. Pack the midfield and wait for their chances. They’re good enough to sneak one by Houston if they play their style tonight. They also need a big game out of young guys like rookie Michael Lahoud and veteran Jesse Marsch.

3. Player to keep an eye out for:

I think if Chivas is to be successful tonight on the road they need a big game out of Paulo Nagamura. He’s been the one guy this season for them that continues to impress me week after week.

Quick Thoughts:

This game really should bea  good one tonight even with the lack of big names that I mentioned above. I think if there is one club to cool off Houston, even at home, it is Chivas. Thing is I just think Houston is too hot to handle right now and that is why they will pull out the three points tonight at home. They’ve been too good lately and with the new additions I see them making an impact right away. It will be a tight game but Houston pulls it out in the end thanks to the play of guys like Holden and Brad Davis.

WVH Prediction: Houston 1, Chivas 0

On the surface it is a pretty fair deal considering how Weaver really never lived up to any expectation that most thought he would bring to San Jose at the start of the season. I see him really working out in Houston though with that attack. His size is something Hosuton needs up front with the way they score off so many set pieces that this deal makes perfect sense.

San Jose unloads another failed striker in some sense for them. Adding Wondolowski won’t vastly upgrade anything that they currently have right now up front.

What do you all make of this deal?

Freddie Ljungberg and Osvaldo Alonso have been huge additions to Seattle and to MLS this year. (Getty Images)

While rookies have been doing well this year so far, so have the list of newcomers to the league that aren’t rookies. It seems like last year we talked at length about the lack of positive newcomers until the summer months when guys like Darren Huckerby came into town for the San Jose Earthquakes.

This season is far in a way different as plenty of newbies are making a positive impact on the league. Most of the list below does contain a lot of Seattle Sounder players, but there are a few others that have made similar headlines this year that aren’t in Sounder green.

The list below is really no particular order here. After a while though I will still track the newcomers to the league this season as we gear towards the end of season awards. If you see a newcomer that I failed to remember, be sure to post his name below. Again, no rookies please, they have their own watch list that will probably be updated again next week.

Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle) – As some of you know, I am part Swedish so I am a little biased on this one when I see a Swede in the league and one doing well. So far Ljungberg is playing just the way Seattle needs him to be, a strong part of the midfield and one that hits the back of the net when called to do so. Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle) – He may not light up the scoreboard this year but he could actually be the best new addition to the league. How all the clubs failed to see this guy a year ago while he was in the USL-1 with Charleston is beyond me. Funny part is several clubs passed on this Cuban after he defected to the US. He already has three assists on the year and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him tally plenty more.

Fredy Montero (Seattle) – There really isn’t much to say other than what we’ve already said about this kid. He is more than a handful and as clubs are already seeing, they need to continue to find good young talent like this kid to help grow the league.

Eduardo Lillingston (Chivas USA) – For a while now Chivas has been looking for a go-to Mexican striker and maybe they have finally found it with Lillingston. He isn’t a big name draw for those Mexican soccer fans but that may just be what this club really needed.

Gerson Mayen (Chivas USA) – When I first saw him a couple weeks ago in Dallas I was like “who the hell is this guy?” But after seeing him play in person I realized the kid has some talent behind him. He’s been a handful for other clubs on the wings and could be a big part of this Chivas club this season if they continue to play well. Hard to believe he signed with the club a year ago and we are just now seeing him play.

Kasey Keller (Seattle) – Okay red card against KC aside, Keller has been far in away one of the best pickups by any club this year. He’s proving to everyone that he still has it at his present age and that his experience is still good enough to lead a young expansion club like Seattle.

David Ferreira (Dallas) – Schellas Hyndman is slowly starting to get what he needs and wants out of his number 10. While he hasn’t done anything wonderful yet for the club you are starting to see him get use to the MLS style of play here. I would be willing to bet by the middle of the summer he will have racked up his fair share of assists to Kenny Cooper and company.

Sebastian Le Toux (Seattle) – Another USL to MLS guy that is probably making some general managers wonder why they didn’t sign before this last year. Le Toux is quickly becoming one of my favorite Sounders.

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle) – Another Sounder on the list, this one is a defender that is showing his worth so far in the league. He hasn’t done anything too flashy but for the most part he has done enough to help his club only give up one goal on the year after four games.

Santiago Hirsig (Kansas City) – Still waiting to truly see if this guy helps this club out or not this season. I am holding out belief that he will keep their offense in tact and maybe even help relieve some pressure of their defense. If that is the case we could see a playoff club in the midwest.

Pablo Vitti (Toronto) – For the most part I think Toronto would be better off if they’d get this guy more playing time. While he may not be the full answer to the Reds offensive issues, I do believe he is better than some of the forwards John Carver currently employs on the field.

Cam Weaver (San Jose) – Another player I am pretty high on here but am still waiting to really shine this season. Weaver has a goal to his name this year and I really still believe he will be a huge part of this club’s offense in 2009. Once Darren Huckerby and Arturo Alvarez figure out how tall he is Weaver should be able to get more headers in the box, and more looks in the box overall. That can only make things better for the Quakes.

Bojan Stepanovic (Chivas USA) – Not a bad debut a couple weeks ago against Dallas. First touch lead to his first shot on goal, which ended up being his first MLS goal. Yeah, not a bad start.

I know there are plenty more on the way here this season. Off the top of my head I know of a few with New England that have yet to debut (their new African players for those who wonder), Gregory Richardson in Colorado has played a little bit for Colorado, Ade Akinbiyi in Houston, the few in New York that have been talked about for months now, and probably a few others that I am failing to remember.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto PK wasn't enough to beat TFC. (Getty Images)

Week number two is finally in the books here. We saw six games come and go with only a few goals this week to even mention. Loads of draws across the land early on Saturday, but the night came with the goals as the Seattle-RSL game and Houston-San Jose game saw more action than the first couple in the day.

So just what did week two bring us? A new saves leader in Kevin Hartman, an expansion club at the top of the standings, and a young Columbian leading all in goals scored (talk about a goal too!).

I try to be quick in my recaps here this year, since I don’t see every game it should be a bit easier to do so.

Columbus Crew 1 – 1 Toronto FC:

Say what you will about the result, you have to give it up to Toronto for getting four points out of their first two road games. I don’t believe last year’s squad would have come close to that. Their home opener next week will really give us a strong indication of how good they really are I think.

Anyways, as far as this one went the Crew really handled the possession in this one and came up short in the end with the late own goal.

Some shaky moments for Crew fans when MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto went down in the second half. He came off shortly after but no word on his status.

The one thing going against the Crew in this one had to be their finishing. They were missing Aljeandro Moreno to an international callup but for the most part the chances the Crew had came up short due to poor finishing.

Big story though was probably the crowd. These two supporter groups are really making this rivalry into something good here that the league really needed. A couple thousand TFC supporters crossed the border to make the trip and it really added to the atmosphere at Crew Stadium. Oh yeah, those Crew fans showed up pretty nicely on Saturday too.

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Chicago Fire 1 – 1 DC United

DC looked better in this one but still found a way for the Fire to get back in it and tie things up late. I’ve been saying for weeks that people need to keep an eye on Patrick Nyarko for Chicago, this week he comes through with a big time goal to give the Fire a big road point.

Like I said, DC looked better and the early goal from Luciano Emilio was very nice, maybe even goal of the week material. The Black-and-Red also seemed to do a good job controlling the midfield more this week against the Fire. Midfield was definitely bogged down a bit with the formation (3-5-2) that Tom Soehn put out on Saturday.

Chicago had their fair share of chances in this one though. I wasn’t as impressed with them as I have been here so far in 2009. It’s almost like their wow factor wasn’t there except with Nyarko’s goal.

The field was obviously an issue with the game too, very wet as we saw a lot of guys lose their footing throughout the game. Still it didn’t stop the large group of supporters for DC. Say what you will I still believe they are some of the best in the league, if not still the best.

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New York Red Bulls 1 – 1 New England Revolution

Another ho-hum kind of game for New England. Still they did enough late to get a road point. The late goal should be a good boost for the club going into their home opener. And really had it not been for the own-goal on Jay Heaps we may have just been talking about a 0-0 tie here instead of a 1-1 tie.

Early on I really liked what I saw out of Dane Richards. His speed on the wings was a lot to handle for New England and substitute keeper Brad Knighton (Matt Reis was a late scratch from the line up). But give credit to Knighton for coming up big a couple times against the Red Bulls. That has to be a good thing for Steve Nicol to know that if he needs a replacement for Reis for a game or two this year he has a solid one.

New England did have a few chances that I felt really could have seen the back of the net. Shalrie Joeseph looked real dangerous on a few times (not just the game-tying goal).

I still feel New York’s defense is a few weeks away from being good here. Their reinforcements still aren’t yet available to play but even when they are it will still take some time. Saying that they were better this week than in week one against Seattle. Then again it didn’t take much to be better than that.

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Kevin Hartman became the league's all-time save leader in the loss to Colorado. (Getty Images)

Colorado Rapids 2 – 1 Kansas City Wizards

After a pretty boring first half the Rapids broke through with a nice second half goal by Terry Cooke (remember him?!). But their defense quickly gave up a KC goal to Michael Kraus. Keeping the excitment going though a few mintues later Omar Cummings put home his second of the year to be the game winner.

Aside from that 12 minute span, this game didn’t have a whole lot to it other than Kevin Hartman’s record breaking save. Hartman is now the league’s all-time save leader. He now stands alove at the top with 1,137 in his career, passing Tony Meola atop the leaderboard.

KC had their fair share of chances in the opening 45 minutes but poor finishing an some bad touches didn’t help their cause.

The additions of Cooke and Kraus really changed the game though in the second half. Both really injected some much needed energy to the game. Goal of the game though had to go to Cummings with his game winner. Really nothing Hartman could do about it.

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San Jose Earthquakes 3 – 2 Houston Dynamo

For two clubs that have offenses that have so many questions it was surprising to say the least to get five goals out of this one. All in the first half nonetheless. From the half-hour mark until halftime this game really entertaining to say the least. Ryan Johnson started things off for the Quakes, followed quickly by a Arturo Alvarez goal.

The visitors quickly came back with two of their own with Brad Davis and Chris Wondolowski putting home a goal each.

Some how San Jose wasn’t done though, just before the half Frank Yallop got just what he was waiting for out of Cam Weaver, as the big man put home the eventual game winner.

I wasn’t too shocked with the result but the scoreline was definitely nice to see out of these clubs as we really didn’t expect this kind of offense out of either of them just yet this season. Houston didn’t look terrible though here but they did seem a bit shakier in the midfield than normal. San Jose did a good job in the first half taking advantage of those chances.

The second half was pretty exciting as Houston tried to battle back. Their chances just came up short however. I think we still need to see the Quakes on the road here this year before we can say whether or not they are for real. But based on Saturday night I thought they made a good argument for it.

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Seattle Sounders FC 2 – 0 Real Salt Lake

What more can we say about the Sounders here? While RSL looked good and dangerous at times RSL on all ends really showed some class on Saturday night.

Some of my questions about RSL’s defense were answered as I still think they are a bit shaky. The goal to Nate Jaqua proves that. You should never leave a guy that big alone in the box like that. Just a great play by the number one overall pick Steve Zakuani to set up Jaqua in the box. If you had questions about his ball skills you just need to watch that set up to Jaqua, it was very classy.

RSL did however press a lot in the second half to get the equalizer but again Kasey Keller showed us he still has it here. Big save after big save really seperated things for Seattle on the defensive end. Both Yura Movsisyan and Kyle Beckerman had their chances but it was Keller to the rescue for Seattle.

Late in the second half it was Fredy Montero with what has to be the goal of the week. Just a load of space in the midfield given by RSL’s defense to Montero and he made them pay for it in a big way with the 24 foot blast. After the goal RSL really cooled off as Seattle closed the door on the offensive end for the visitors.

Two games in and Seattle is at the top of the standings. Give credit all around to this club for it too. I want to see how they are on the road before I really say they are one of the better clubs in the league. If they can prove it on the road we may just have a true contender here.

Also, give a lot of credit to those Sounder supporters. A typical Seattle day, cold and wet, though they still showed up 28,000+ strong. A true credit to how well this club is being run here.

And one last note, Freddie Ljungberg made his MLS debut. Not a bad one but once he gets healthy he really could make this club that much more dangerous.

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Chivas USA 2 – 0 FC Dallas

A real bummer of a game to end the weekend on. Not only was the game a bit sloppy in the midfield but there was no one in the stands to see it. The game went back and forth for the majority of it but it was defensive mistakes again that costed the home side in this one.

Mexican striker Eduardo Lillingston found the back of the net mid-way through the second half to put the visitors on top. It was pretty much all the AmeriGoats needed to get the big three points on the road.

Dallas had their chances but the finishing just wasn’t there. Ther was better play out of playmaker David Ferreira in this one for Dallas but still not enough to put the club over the top. Dallas still struggled to get a good connection between their playmakers in the midfield and their two strikers up top. They did have a couple more moments in the attack than Chivas but nothing that really tested Chivas keeper Zach Thornton.

Late second half sub Bojan Stepanovic gave the visitors the two-goal lead. Stepanovic made his MLS debut Sunday and really made a great impact for Preki’s club.

Not a lot of people like what they see out of Chivas but they pretty much remind me of the “Little Engine The Could”. Everyone doubts them but Preki keeps plugging away with a bunch of no-names.

First of all we know what Seattle’s Fredy Montero did in week one. His two-goal effort against the New York Red Bulls was pretty much what we expected out of him. And as we all know if he keeps it up he will either become the Newcomer of the Year or he will be bought by some European club by mid-summer.

Montero wasn’t the only Seattle newcomer that turned some heads. Both Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Osvaldo Alonso stood out and former USL MVP Sebastien Le Toux wasn’t too shabby either.

Seattle’s newbies really started the year off with a bang. Other around the league didn’t do too bad either though it could take a few games to see real impact (rookies not included, that’s another post for another day):

Santiago Hirsig, KC: He didn’t go the full 90 last weekend against Toronto but we all know the offense will pretty much flow through his feet this year. I saw a couple times on Saturday where he really helped control things in the middle for KC, something that has been missing for years.

Gregory Richardson, Colorado: A guy that we may know of more in a couple months. He briefly saw action against Chivas but he did find a way to incert himself in the action as soon as he could when the Rapids were trying to tie things up late.

Eduardo Lillingston, Chivas USA: A Mexican forward for Chivas? Seriously though there were a couple times that I thought Lillingston looked good for Chivas in the first half against the Rapids. Once he gets use to his teammates (and when everyone is healthy) he should be a good pair with either Maykel Galindo or Ante Razov.

Mariano Trujillo, Chivas USA: I have to say I did like what I saw out of Trujillo against guys like Conor Casey and Omar Cummings. Trujillo isn’t a name that many will see on the stat sheet this year but I think he will be a good part of an underrated defense this year.

Cam Weaver, San Jose Earthquakes: Looked dangerous here and there for the Quakes but just like everyone else wearing black on Saturday night he couldn’t hit anything inside the box. The goals will come and I think Weaver will be a big part of the Quakes’ offense this season.

Dejan Jakovic, DC United: Looked alright for DC in the opener against LA. Thing was the defense as a whole are to blame for the poor showing late.

Any other newcomers show somep promise to you in week one? Let me know if I missed them.

2008 record and finish: 8-13-9, 33 pts., seventh in west, failed to reach playoffs

Offseason Player Movement:

Incoming:
Peter Byers (Montreal Impact – USL1)
Cam Weaver (via transfer from FK Haugesund – Norway)
Bobby Convey (free transfer from Reading – England)
Pablo Campos (via weighted lottery, recently with GAIS Göteborg – Sweden)
Andrew Weber (via signing, recently with Montreal – USL1)
Aki Riihilahti (vis signing from Djurgårdens IF – Sweden)
Chris Leitch (trade with New York)
Quincy Amarikwa (SuperDraft)

Outgoing:
Jovan Kirovski (trade w/LA)
James Riley (Seattle Sounders FC – Expansion Draft)
Francisco Lima (Taranto – Italy)
Ronnie O’Brien (out of contract)
Scott Sealy (signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv – Israel)
John Cunliffe (waived)
Michael Ghebru (waived)
Ned Grabavoy (waived)

Questions going into 2009:

1. Will the Quakes actually have consistent scoring in 2009?

Going into last year we knew the Quakes would struggle in this department. And for the better part of the season they lived up to our expectations with their low scoring. As we move to season number two for the 2.0 Quakes the scoring issue could still be one.

Yallop did do well though this winter in making sure his club would at least have a fighting chance when he signed Cam Weaver. He then got lucky with a lottery winning pick of Pablo Campos. I felt Yallop also drafted fairly well with the few picks he had this year. Also they still have young Davide Somma, someone Yallop expects big things from this year.

A lot of question marks surround this yound and unproven bunch but if it pays off Yallop and GM John Doyle could end up looking extremely smart for it.

2. Will the midfield really be that much better this season?

Aside from redoing his striking core, Yallop also took some gambles this winter with changing up his midfield. Out went Ronnie O’Brien and in came Bobby Convey. Ramiro Corrales or the recently signed Aki Riihilahti will probably be the ones holding down the defensive side of things while Convey will be left with the expectations of handling the offense.

I’ve always felt Convey was underrated as an attacker but switching from the wings to the center of the park is never an easy one. If it doesn’t pay off you could see Yallop and Doyle scramble in the summer to fix that issue and by then it could be too late.

3. Player to keep an eye on in 2009.

It has to be big 6-foot-4 forward Cam Weaver. This guy was a beast in the USL a couple seasons ago as well as in Norway last year.

One thing that Weaver will bring is a physical presence and an ability to hold-up play and bring others into the attack. Definitely something the Quakes lacked in 2008.

Look at the 2009 Schedule:

First of all, no big international dates schedule. Secondly, its a pretty balanced schedule with the exception of the final month of the year (the Quakes are away from home in their final three games).

Really though, early on in this schedule San Jose could see a fast start to the campaign if everything is clicking properly. Loads of early home games with few road stretches until the middle of May when they have their first three game roadie.

The thing that worries me the most is if this club is hurting for points late in the year it won’t come easy. The final two months they are on the road five out of the last eight games. Not a good way to get into the playoffs if they struggle in the summer.

2009 Season Outlook:

A quick start is what this club needs. Yallop and Doyle took gambles and hope they pay off quickly. If not summer won’t come soon enough for those two.

Defensively though this club is as sound as any in the league behind Joe Cannon and his defense. I fully expect the defense to be even better this year with Romario Corrales moving to his natural left back position.

It all rests on the offense for this club. If Weaver, Convey and company do well from the start they could see themselves in the post season. If they struggle they could see their way out of contention fairly quick. I love the addition to this club but with the unknowns in MLS play up top you just have to think they could be another year away from post season glory.

I for one though will probably go out on a limb with this club and say they will reach the post season in 2009 though. To me they just seem like a real darkhorse club.