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.

DC United fans are hoping for a return to playoffs in 2010. (Getty Images)

I wasn’t entirely sure I’d get to this offseason look at DC United today but extra time this afternoon came out of no where. So far these last couple weeks we’ve looked at a handfull of teams including Philadelphia, Chicago, Chivas, Colorado and Columbus.

Today is all about the Black-and-Red who have seen a pretty big change this winter. From Curt Onalfo taking over for Tom Soehn to seeing Ben Olsen retiring to not offering Christian Gomez or Luciano Emilio a new contract, this is a whole new United.

Let’s see exactly what they’ve done and what they need to work on before the season starts.

Keepers:

Who they have: Troy Perkins, Milos Kocic, Josh Wicks, Bill Hamid.

Notes: Obviously when they made the deal to get Perkins it was to sure up this area. Wicks was too on and off last year and Kocic and Hamid aren’t quite ready to take over. Perkins gives them stability in between the pipes and will help them win. No need to look elsewhere for any additional keepers right now. I am curious to see Hamid develop though, hopefully he’ll get some PT in some US Open Cup games.

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Defense:

Who they have: Julius James, Marc Burch, Dejan Jakovic, Devon McTavish, Bryan Namoff, Jordan Graye.

Notes: I like certain parts of this group like Burch, McTavish, Namoff and Jakovic but the rest not as much. Injuries are always an issue and right now Namoff is out with some sort of head injury and those can linger long depending on how bad of an injury it is.

If I were Onalfo I’d be worried about this bunch. Perkins will probably have to come up big for them more times then they’d like to admit right now. DC fans may answer this easier than I can at this point but who is the leader in the back out of this group? They have some veteran players but not one that you know right away is going to step up, maybe I am missing something here.

Right now I see them defending like Onalfo’s KC teams, solid for a game with a shutout and then give up two or three in the next.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Floribert N’Galula, John DiRaimondo, Danny Szetela, Christian Castillo, Clyde Simms, Tiyi Shipalane, Rodney Wallace, Brandon Barklage, Santino Quaranta.

Notes: This group will be fine if two things happen, Castillo lives up to the billing surrounding him and if Quaranta can help create some offense on a consistent basis. I do where they are in the back part of this group in terms of defensive midfielders.

Another interesting question will be whether or not N’Galula, the young 22-year old former Manchester United product will do anything of note. If he can be productive in the midfield for Onalfo he could end up being one of the bigger steals of the winter by any club.

With Christian Gomez gone you have to wonder where the offense will come from this group though. I think defensively in the midfield they will be fine and even on the wings they should be good with Castillo and Quaranta. They still however need that go-to guy in the midfield that will help with the attack, a playmaker if you will. Right now I just don’t see that. Maybe one of these young guys will surprise me.

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Forwards:

Who the have: Danny Allsopp, Chris Pontius, Boyzzz Khumalo, Jaime Moreno, and Adam Cristman.

Notes: An interesting group to say the least. One hand they are fairly young with Pontius and Cristman but on the other they aren’t with two 30+ year olds in Moreno and Allsopp.

I like the Cristman move for Onalfo and United though. You know he is familiar with Onalfo and his style of play. Moreno we know is going to get his normal amount of goals, mostly from the penalty spot.

I think the big thing to see is whether or not Pontius continues to develop into a goal scorer and if Allsopp can come in and produce at least six to eight goals. I think if those two things happen DC should be fine in the goal scoring department.

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Overall:

This will be an interesting season for the Black-and-Red. For one they are very young in respect to other teams in the league. Just like Philadelphia they only have three guys right now on their roster over 30 years of age. Finding a leader other than Moreno will be interesting to see. Hopefully someone steps up and leads this team because there will likely be a big drop off in leadership with Ben Olsen retired now.

With Gomez and Emilio out it looks like United aren’t looking for a big name product from South American to step in like they normally do. Its a risky move not to bring in a bunch of signings but as we’ve seen in recent years out of DC it doesn’t always work out. Instead they are now focusing on talent here and adding one or two pieces from outside MLS. I like the move on their part but it may take a while to produce well.

But we’ll see, this is a club that is bound to make a move or two more before the season starts so it will be interesting if they add depth in the back, find a playmaker and most importantly someone to be a leader.

Darrius Barnes is currently leading the way for the rookies. (Getty Images)

Its finally Friday, though I will admit this week has flown by for me due to it being a four-day work week and things being fairly steady on both the regular job front and this place. I had planned to do more than what had been posted today but I blame the weird rainy weather here in Dallas for me not getting around to some of it. Rainy days seem to do that to me.

Anyways I wanted to get back into some award talk for the first part of tonight’s post. Tonight I wanted to kick up my Rookie of the Year discussion and give you a sense of where I rate the current crop of rookies, which by the way have been nothing short of great this season. I know not every single rookie drafted has played this year but there are at least 10 or possibly 12 good rookies from this year’s draft. That usually doesn’t happen very often.

This is my current rankings on the rookies, whether or not this stays the same when I vote in a couple weeks for this award remains to be seen.

1. Darrius Barnes (New England): Yes a third round pick has a great shot right now at Rookie of the Year. Not like last year because the draft class was so weak but because he has truly shown to be the steal of the draft. Barnes has played in every minute of every game this season for the Revs and has truly become a guy that I think will be defending in this league for years to come.

2. Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy): A lot of people have him as the top rookie right now and I am starting to actually buy into his hype after last weeks’ game against LA. He’ll probably snatch up more votes than Barnes because of his pick number and because of where he plays but that should be the reasons why you vote for this kid. He’s good…and I mean damn good. That Sean Franklin and Gonzalez duo in the back for LA is going to be a tough one to get by for years to come.

3. Stefan Frei (Toronto FC): I nearly had him over Gonzalez but for some reason Gonzalez just came out slightly ahead of this kid. I think if TFC gets into the playoffs you will see this guy get plenty of first place votes for this award. If they fail to reach it he may not even get any third place votes.

4. Steve Zakuani (Seattle Sounders FC): Zakuani lived up to the top pick hype this year I believe unlike last year’s top pick (Chance Myers). He’s gonna need a monster last couple of weeks to the season to catch up to the guys ahead of him but he’ll surely get his share of votes for this.

5. Chris Pontius/Rodney Wallace (DC United): These two really split votes for me. One day I see Wallace as the better rookie then the next it is Pontius. Both have proven to be very valuable picks but as things get worse for DC here late in the year the less votes these two will see.

Others in consideration: Kevin Alston (New England), Sam Cronin (Toronto FC), Michael Lahoud (Chivas USA), Matt Besler (KC), and George John (Dallas).

Chicago's Patrick Nyarko and Seattle's Osvaldo Alonso battle again this weekend. (Getty Images)

We steam roll into another weekend of soccer here starting with one game tonight along with a full slate of games tomorrow. Week 19 is the final week before the league’s All-Star break next week.

Plenty of good things will come out of next week during the league’s usual meetings that will go. We should more than likely hear a lot about certain things going on in the league like Beckham’s return, expansion, CBA talks and more.

But until then we have to wait it out for the news to come down the pipe with all of those goodies. Thankfully the full slate of games this weekend should keep us entertained until then. Everyone is in action this weekend except for Chivas USA, good thing too since they really need a week to regain focus here after their stumble these last two months. They pretty much are the New England of 2009, hot out of the gate then cooled off too much in the summer. At least the Revs won SuperLiga last year, Chivas can’t say the same.

Anyways, as always feel free to drop in your predictions below as well.

Friday:

FC Dallas – at – Real Salt Lake:

One thing we know is RSL is possibly the biggest roller coaster of a team this season. One week they are way up and looking good (usually at home) and the next down in the dumps after a tough loss (typically on the road). All I can say by looking at this club, which is what I’ve been saying for month is they won’t make the playoffs until they win on the road. I’m even close to grouping them with their opposition tonight in the “won’t make the playoffs this year” category.

Anyways, the rant aside RSL is returning home after a tough blow in Columbus last week. Dallas comes off some much needed rest from last weekend to head back on the road to a place that they’ve done decently at before. Somehow Dallas has done well in RSL before but I just wonder if that will be the case tonight. I think Dallas will come in with a good bit of confidence after the week off and shock RSL early. Thing is I still don’t trust the Dallas defense on the road against guys like Robbie Findley or Javier Morales. This one will be close but I see RSL coming out with a Pioneer’s Day win thanks to a late goal (this series always has weird late goals).

WVH Prediction: RSL 2, Dallas 1

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Saturday:

Chicago Fire – at – Seattle Sounders FC:

Game of the week right here and even ESPN has it. Yes ESPN, not ESPN 2 (that’s the LA-KC game). Good thing too because Chicago should be right back on track after their 2-0 win last week against San Jose at home. They now take their show on the road. So far this year Chicago has been one of the best road teams in the entire league. They will need all they can get as they face a hot Seattle side. How Chicago hands not having Brian McBride going forward will be interesting to see. I’d take it Chris Rolfe and Patrick Nyarko are going to be called upon more up top for the Fire. Seattle should have the defense to handle what Chicago has up top in this one but will they handle Blanco? I think so because of the turf. Blanco’s play on turf usually isn’t nearly the same as it is on grass.

I think Seattle takes the three points here. Not because of the turf but because of just how well they are playing. Also throw in the fact that Fredy Montero is getting a lot of attention on the other side of the pond right now and you can bet he will be gunning for a goal or two in this one. The Fire will keep it close but Seattle will find a way to come out on top.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, Chicago 1

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Toronto FC – at – Columbus Crew:

Nothing like a little rivalry to get you into this weekend. If the last game mentioned wasn’t enough we get this tasty matchup as well. Columbus as we know are playing extremely well at home while Toronto really needs to find a good groove on the road here. What better place than Crew Stadium right? We know how their last meeting went back at the start of the season in Columbus, I don’t see it being much different aside from the late own-goal that gave Toronto a road point. I’m also curious to see how Toronto manager Chris Cummings handles his roster with their upcoming CONCACAF Champions League game coming up next week. I’d say he has to go for the valuable points here no matter what, which gets me thinking Toronto will jump on the board early to only see it slip away at the start of the second half. We know what Columbus can do without Guillermo Barros Schelotto last week and I think it will be enough to keep the stellar home unbeaten streak alive, but only with another draw.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 1, Toronto 1

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New England Revolution – at – Houston Dynamo:

If there is one club that can knock Houston off in Houston it is New England. Even with the strong performance last week against Chivas at home by the Revs I just don’t see them surprising Houston in this one. The Dynamo played pretty well to be without some key players last week in Toronto and I think they’ll only play better this weekend at home with a couple of them returning. I see Houston playing their typical style of play, get a goal (probably thanks to a set up from Brad Davis) and play tough defense the rest of the way out. Should be more than enough as I just don’t see New England having enough firepower to get by the Dynamo defense. I like Steve Ralston and Shalrie Joseph and I’d like the Revs even more with a healthy Taylor Twellman for this one but the lack of a big offensive punch hurts them yet again here.

WVH Prediction: Houston 2, New England 0

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LA Galaxy – at – Kansas City Wizards:

The second stop on the Beckham 09 Summer Tour takes us to the middle of the country in Kansas City. I believe this game is being played at the Wizard’s old stomming grounds, Arrowhead Stadium. I’m curious to see just how empty it will be there for this one. I’d much rather them jack up the ticket prices at their current place and have 9-10k there than an empty Arrowhead. But anyways, back to the story at hand.

If last week showed us anything, the Landon Donovan-Alecko Eskandarian-Edson Buddle group up top works. Best of all it doesn’t even have to use David Beckham that much. Now that Becks has had two games to get back into gear with the club (one league game and one friendly) we should see him more into the run of play with those three. That’s dangerous for KC due to how up and down their defense can play. KC is a good young club but without the proper parts they really aren’t anything great. Look for LA to be all over the place in this one and control the pace just as they did early against New York last week. KC just doesn’t have the offense to stay with LA, nor do they have the defense right now to slow them down.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, KC 0

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New York Red Bulls – at – Colorado Rapids:

What’s the key to getting back into the playoff race when you are on the outside looking in? A visit from the lowly Red Bulls. New York hasn’t won anything in a while and after last week’s game I wouldn’t expect them to start anytime soon. Colorado should be better than what we saw last week in DC out of them. So far they’ve only dropped one home game this year too. Look for Colorado to handle the play throughout this one and grab one goal to finish off New York in typical fashion. What do I mean by that? Expect a late first half goal to be the difference maker and it could also be an own-goal on New York’s part.

WVH Prediction: Colorado 1, New York 0

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DC United – at – San Jose Earthquakes:

Last game before the All-Star break is out west with the Quakes and United. San Jose looked pretty looks last week in Chicago and now they host another of the best from the east, that doesn’t look good for them as they head towards not making the playoffs for the second straight season. DC needs the points no matter what in this one so look for them to be gunning for a goal early on with guys like rookie Chris Pontius and Luciano Emilio. I like the Quakes but not enough to pick them in this one though. Darren Huckerby and company are nice but not enough against what DC has right now on the pitch. I do expect the Quakes to make it interesting but stumble late, DC is always good for a late goal.

WVH Prediction: DC 2, San Jose 1

After a couple weekends of SuperLiga play breaking up the flow of the season schedule the majority of the MLS clubs are back in play this weekend. Only Chivas, Seattle, and Toronto are out of action this week. Gotta love that unbalanced schedule the league has, I don’t see why a club like Toronto is off this week but oh well.

Anyways, time to get down to business. Feel free to send your game predictions as well.

Friday:

San Jose Earthquakes – at – Real Salt Lake:

The Quakes have been turning things around but so have Jason Kreis’ club. Last week RSL absolutely dominated another club at home. It was a result that I am sure was good to see for Kreis because his club needed a bounce back after giving up points to Houston on the road prior to that. This one will be big for RSL, three points at home should be a given with the way Yura Movsisyan and Clint Mathis are playing. I do wonder how they will play without Will Johnson (Canada) and Kyle Beckerman (USA) who are both with their respecitve countries for the Gold Cup. San Jose will need a big performance from Ryan Johnson and Darren Huckerby to get anything from this one. I think the difference will be the venue, San Jose hasn’t been very good on the road and RSL is still one of the best home clubs over the last two seasons. RSL needs this win to stay in playoff contention, another stumble against a club like San Jose would not look good at this point in the campaign.

WVH Prediction: RSL 2, San Jose 1

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Saturday:

DC United – at – Columbus Crew:

Probably game of the week material here folks, good thing too since it will be on ESPN2 for a primetime affair. Both will be missing their fair share of guys to the Gold Cup, while each look to remain at the top of the eastern standings (one a point separates the two right now). I want to see exactly how DC is set to stop Guillermo Barros Schelotto here this season. Last year he was a handful for the Black-and-Red and seeing how DC will be without Dejan Jakovic (Gold Cup) it could be a little more interesting this time around. DC needs a big game out of rookie Chris Pontius and veteran Christian Gomez if they want the three points. I think with what each club will be missing makes this game smell like a draw. I think Columbus has the chance to win this one but I’d like to see their offense click a little more than what I’ve seen out of them recently. Plus I know DC is always good for a late goal.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 1, DC 1

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Chicago Fire – at – Colorado Rapids:

Let’s face it both clubs need some points right now, especially the Fire who haven’t looked well in league play for a month or so. Colorado looked to be getting hot before last week’s cool-down in Seattle. The Fire have been one of the better road sides this season while I’m still waiting on Colorado to figure out their stadium there in suburban Denver. I’ve said before that I like the Rapids and what they have with Omar Cummings, Colin Clark and so on. But this is still a young team that hasn’t shown up enough and it is going to hurt them. I think SuperLiga refueled the Fire a bit and they will win this game due to some solid play from guys like Brian McBride and Blanco. This could be one of those go either way kind of games but the Fire have more confidence right now (even with the reserves losing in the Open Cup this week).

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, Colorado 1

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Houston Dynamo – at – Kansas City Wizards:

KC is another club in need of points right now. As tight as the eastern conference is they cannot afford to drop more games at home here. They may have some luck though as Houston comes to town missing a few key players due to the Gold Cup. Houston will have to bank on play by veterans Brad Davis and Brian Mullen to get through this one. KC will be lacking a strong veteran in their defense in Jimmy Conrad which makes me believe this one could end up on level terms. If Houston can find a way to get their offense to go through Cam Weaver like they did a couple weeks ago I’d be all over the Dynamo winning this one. I just feel like KC will keep them honest in this one and hold them to a draw.

WVH Prediction: KC 1, Houston 1

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New York Red Bulls – at – FC Dallas:

I seriously feel bad for the Red Bulls. This is game number 19 on the season for them while most clubs are at 15 or 16. Crazy. Anyways I’ve seen the Red Bulls in town each year for the last couple of seasons and sadly enough I won’t go this year (family obligations folks). The Red Bulls continue to stink up the place and on the road it’s hasn’t been a good thing to see in a while. Dallas is slowly turning the corner and a few guys will get a bigger chance this weekend with Kenny Cooper gone with the US national team. Word has it Jeff Cunningham looked really good in practice this week and so did a few others. I think the Red Bulls will keep it close but Dallas will pull through due to another mental lapse from one of the Red Bull defenders.

WVH Prediction: Dallas 1, New York 0

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New England Revolution – at – LA Galaxy:

Speaking of weird scheduling this is the Revs’ 13 game of the season. Weird how that works but anyways, I did think the Revs were like Chicago and used SuperLiga to turn things around a bit. LA is full of confidence though as they get Landon Donovan back for this one. Even though I like the Revs and how they play I just see an energized Galaxy in this one that takes the three points. LA can’t lose momentum right now in the west and three points will certainly make things more interesting. Usually I’m not as quick to make a selection in LA’s favor like this but I just feel good about them for once.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, NE 0

Stefan Frei has proven to be one of the better picks in the 2009 draft. (Getty Images)

We are nearly halfway through the 2009 campaign and it is a good time to review how the rookies are doing thus far. As stated before I think this year’s rookie class has been one of the better ones that we have seen in recent years. Plenty of rookies are getting a chance on the field and some are making very good impacts with their clubs.

For me right now the rookie of the year race is really starting to heat up. A few guys have really shown they are worthy of the honor already and continue to do so each week. While I won’t go into any particular order with this list I will say the few that are mentioned are definitely above and beyond the rest of the class here.

Steve Zakuani (Seattle Sounders FC): The number one pick continues to impress me. I knew a while back that this kid had some special talent and I believe we are seeing just that here this season. Currently he has two goals and three assists on the year. His number may not jump out to some but his skill on the field definitely do to me. Right now he has to be considered a front-runner for ROY honros. Good to see a number one pick live up to the expectations of the pick.

Stefan Frei (Toronto FC): I think Frei has made a lot of clubs second guess themselves this year to why they didn’t pick him until Toronto did late in the first round. He’s already proven himself to be a quality starter in the league. Hell he’s even gotten Toronto’s old keeper out of a job because of his play. While he has let in a few more goals than other keepers out there a lot of that could be due to the defense that plays in front of him, though I think that could be changing soon.

Rodney Wallace (DC United): When DC selected Wallace at the draft I had a good feeling for them with that selection. Wallace has shown a lot of growth in his first season with the club and continues to be a headache for other clubs with his runs out of the back. Also his defending hasn’t been too shabby either.

Chris Pontius (DC United): A lot of United fans hated this pick back in January. And I mean a lot! Fast forward to today and United is in first place in the east and some of that is due to the play of Pontius who is third in scoring for DC. Just like fellow rookie Wallace, he has seen action in every game this season for DC. Not a lot of rookies can say that. I see nothing but good things for this kid’s MLS future.

Darrius Barnes (New England Revolution): One thing I am sure of is that Steve Nicol sure knows how to pick them. A late selection in the draft was Barnes but none more valuable to New England this season who have been through a lot of injuries in defense. Barnes has been one of the better defenders in the league this year and I think he could easily grow into one of the top defenders in the league in a couple years.

A few others to watch out for:

Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy): Has shown plenty of potential in the back for LA. Still gives up a few chances for other clubs but that may be partly due to the fact that he is surrounded by a fairly young defense with a couple older veterans.

Sam Cronin (Toronto FC): Nearly put him in the top group but he is just outside of it for me right now. He’s played a lot of minutes for this club already this year and I think his value will continue to show as the season moves forward.

Matt Besler (Kansas City Wizards): Another guy that has seen a lot of minutes this season for his club. Besler has shown some good promise for a young club.

Kevin Alston (New England Revolution): When healthy he is as good as though in the top group. He hit a bit of an injury bug like the rest of his club earlier this season but he has returned to help get New England out of their early funk. I do believe he is a name that you could see eventually move to Europe in a few years.

Michael Lahoud (Chivas USA): Here’s a guy that is starting to see a lot more minutes here as the season goes on. So far I think he’s shown a lot of good potential for Chivas. I think given time he will prove to be one of the better picks in this draft.

Tonight we should get to see a full crowd at Qwest Field. Some folks on the web are even saying tickets are going for double face value. Amazing to think that a mid-week MLS game would be doing that but those Seattle folks are crazy for soccer.

1. Can DC make the most out of this west coast trip?

This is the start of a busy week for the Black-and-Red. Two west coast games, one in a place that they haven’t done well in recent years (Colorado) and the other a bit of an unknown in tonight’s contest in Seattle. Since Chicago is currently in the middle of a funk and that means any points DC gets this week the better.

For them to get the three points in this game they have to play an even controlled game through the midfield. Pushing forward at the right times to get Seattle’s backline a bit off their guard will be key. While Seattle has been better than expected this season for an expansion club their defense has been shaky in recent weeks. A good offense like DC will be able to get the job done thanks to rookies like Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace. Throw in the fact that Luciano Emilio will be back on the pitch and it could be a good night for the boys in Black (or white if they wear those kits).

2. Can Seattle hold their own with one of the league’s best?

Seattle needs another three points at home here to stay close to Chivas and Houston in the standings here. Right now they are still very much in the thick of things but they have been slipping up until last week’s win over San Jose. Sigi Schmid needs to rely a lot more on Fredy Montero and company in this game if he wants three points. He’ll also need to find a way to keep his defense from letting in a late goal that DC is known to score. That’s won’t be easy but it can be done with the right amount of luck.

3. Player to keep an eye out for.

Tonight keep an eye out on DC’s Rodney Wallace. The rookie has been breaking forward a lot in recent games and that kind of play out of the back can be very tough to defend.

Quick Thoughs:

This game should be a good one. Seattle has a lot of quality in their attack and should be able to hold their own with a club like DC. They do need to get over the hump and beat a quality side right now to prove to a lot of people that they deserve to be up there in the discussion of who could reach MLS Cup this year. I think end in the end this seems to be a fairly even match with both clubs giving up a goal. Seattle should go up early only to give up one late.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 1, DC 1

Rodney Wallace has proved to be one of the best picks in the 2009 Draft. (Getty Images)

A lot has been said about this year’s draft class. Going into the draft a lot of people thought it was a deep pool of players, more so than it had been in a few years. After eight or nine games for most clubs you could say those people figured right. Many rookies continue to get plenty of minutes and impress folks in the stands with their abilities.

I figured instead of doing the usual look at the potential rookie of the year today to do something a little different. Instead I will be looking at each club’s selections once again. I’ll do most of the first round and a few random picks here and there from that with a few other notes.

Most of all the clubs who had first round selections used them wisely as we can all see. A few others did not though. Then you have the clubs that hardly picked at all. Those are tough to grade.

As always feel free to post your comments below on the subject.

Seattle Sounders FC: This club made a big splash with Steve Zakuani at number one who has lived up in my eyes as a number one pick. Definitely more of a Maurice Edu-type pick rather than a Nikolas Besagno-type number one pick. Which is a good thing for the expansion Sounders. Zakuani has done enough to make the Sounder draft class one of the better ones this past year.

Toronto FC: Two picks in the first round usually mean the club will do fairly well. While one pick (O’Brien White) hasn’t played yet due to injury, the other pick has certainly lived up to his pick number. Sam Cronin was a worthy number two pick in the draft. Either off the bench or in the starting lineup, Cronin has shown he has what it takes to help make this TFC club a contender. But TFC’s best pick was probably in the last first round pick they had with keeper Stefan Frei. He probably has made the biggest impact of the three first round selections.

LA Galaxy:What can you say about their top two selections? Omar Gonzalez and AJ DeLaGarza have become pretty comfortable in the starting rotation. Each took sometime to get use to the style of play in the league but they are a big part of the reason why this club has only lost a single game this year.

FC Dallas: Had some good selections in the first round. George John has proven to be a very good pickup for this club in the back, who really needed help defensively. Peri Marosevic will get his time. Not a bad draft but then again not the best.

DC United: Two picks in a row in the first round have led to arguable the best draft class for this club in a very long time. Both Rodney Wallace and Chris Pontius are mainstays in the starting lineup for Tom Soehn and each are making big time impacts for the Black-and-Red this season. Right now I would say they are both in the thick of things for rookie of the year. Also, third round pick Milios Kocic has been a good pickup for them in goal when needed. He was a very underrated pick at the time and proves to be maybe one of the best steals of the draft.

Kansas City Wizards: A club with loads of picks this past year. Matt Besler has been a good addition to this club’s defense and Graham Zusi saw decent minutes to start the season. Overall their draft proved to be a decent one but nothing too exciting.

New England Revolution: Another club with a lot of picks, the Revs went out in typical Steve Nicol fashion and got a few good steals. Darrius Barnes and Kevin Alston have been big additions to the club’s defense and I would say Barnes could be right up there in the discussion of rookie of the year. Come on, the kid was a third rounder!

New York Red Bulls: Jermey Hall proved to be what we all pretty much expect him to be. A good pickup. Other than that the Red Bulls really didn’t end up with anyone else that has done enough to improve this club.

Real Salt Lake: Ah, most felt it was the worst draft of any club and I have to still agree with that. Jean Alexandre has really done little of note to be a first round selection. Raphel Cox has decent potential though to make up for it however. I wouldn’t mind seeing him get more playing time for this club as it is.

San Jose Earthquakes: No first rounder and really no big impact selection. Brad Ring hasn’t played but third rounder Quincy Amarikwa is showing potential. Either way its a draft class for this club that few will remember in years to come.

Chicago Fire: With this club being deep already adding a few rookies is tough. None have even had a sniff at the starting XI, much less even time off the bench so far this season. It may be a come back in a year and see if anyone does anything of note.

Chivas USA: Another club with few selections. Michael Lahoud has seen some decent time off the bench for this club. From what I’ve seen out of him in person this kid has some real potential to make the Chivas draft class for this year a good one.

Colorado Rapids: Another so-so draft. None of the players selected have even seen playing time this season. Hard to even say it was a good draft in that regards.

Columbus Crew: Kind of the same as the Rapids. Though fewer selections, one guy has seen time with the club so far this season. I do think third rounder Alex Grendi has turned into a solid selection for the Crew. He’s seen his fair share of playing time already.

Houston Dynamo: The club that took the biggest risks in the draft are seeing any sort of reward from it. Hey we kind of expected it when they took Daniel Cruz and Marcus Tracy with their only picks that it would be a high-risk/high-reward type of thing.

DeRo may have the best goal but the best team goal probably was the Crew’s first on Saturday with Ekpo.

Order of goals: Alan Gordan (LA), Paulo Nagamura (Chivas), Kei Kamera (Houston), Shalrie Joesph (New England), Chris Pontius (DC), Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto), Emmanuel Ekpo (Columbus), Gulliermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus), and Josh Wolff (KC).

The Cauldron will be loud tonight with DC in town. (Brian Stevens, WVH Photo Correspondent)

Two midweek games for week eight. A big night in general if you count Toronto FC’s game in the Canadian Champion tonight against future MLS side Vancouver. But I’ll just stick with the MLS games for the evening to preview.

RSL returns home to host the Galaxy who just scored their first win of the year. And in Kansas City, DC comes to the CAB for a big time clash of two up and coming eastern clubs.

DC United – at – Kansas City Wizards:

1. First place on the line, who steps up for DC on the road?

No Ben Olsen, Marc Burch, or Fred tonight for the boys in black. Guess the need to lead will come on Jamie Moreno who easily stepped into that role last week against Dallas. As long as the offense is rolling fine for DC they could be fine on the road here. Just remember DC only has a single loss on the season here so far and it was at Salt Lake (a place DC and no one else wins at). Also KC is a play DC typically sees success in as well. As long as guys like Moreno step up on the road they should be fine.

2. What does Kansas City need to do to pull this one off?

Remember KC had last week off so they should be nice and rested up for this one. With only a couple guys on the injury list we should see the same roster that Curt Onalfo has been using for the last few weeks on the field tonight. KC needs to get more from guys like Josh Wolff and Davy Arnuad in this one. Defensively they should have their hands full tonight with the likes of Emilio and rookie Chris Ponitus.

Most of what KC needs to do is control the midfield play from the start. On their homefield they’ve done a good job of taking care of the ball so far this season. Doing that and maybe catching a break on offense from time to time could help the Wizards move back into the lead in the eastern conference.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

With no Olsen or Fred in the midfield tonight for DC, I’m going to be watching Santino Quaranta in the midfield. If he can have a nice controlled game like what I’ve see out of him recently DC could be looking at another three points when the night is over. He’s a guy that can really sneak up on people and put home a game winner.

Quick Thoughts:

This game should really be competitive. Both clubs are really starting to come into their own this season and right now I see both contending in the eastern conference. So this game is big for the three points and for some bragging rights as well. Not having Olsen and Fred worry me a bit in the midfield for DC but the loss of Burch is also big to consider. KC has shown they can come back from a couple goals ot grab some points this season so even if they go down early in this one you cannot count KC out of it.

I think in the end these two are pretty evenly matched at this point so I am going with a draw for the night. It should be a tightly contested game in the midfield with a couple breaks for each club that lead to a goal for each. Pontius for DC grabs one and KC gets a goal from Jimmy Conrad off a corner kick to tie it up.

WVH Prediction: KC 1, DC 1

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LA Galaxy – at – Real Salt Lake

1. What can LA do to keep the wins coming here?

First of all they have to figure out a way to get points at Rio Tinto Stadium. A tast that has not been done so far this season. Secondly they still have a lot to prove to the rest of the league here that last week’s win wasn’t a fluke or a lucky win.

It could be a good time for LA to get points at Rio Tinto. RSL will be without midfield leader Javier Morales (suspension) and defensive beast Jamison Olave (suspended) and veteran keeper Nick Rimando (broken finger). Losing those three could be a break for LA to get points as long as Landon Donovan controls the offense and guys like Chris Klien and Eddie Lewis step up.

2. Without Morales in the middle, who leads RSL in this one?

Jason Kries needs a big game out of guys like Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson and maybe an even bigger game out of veteran Clint Mathis. RSL has plenty of talent in the midfield that should match up well against the Galaxy who are a bit shaky to say the least in the middle of the park. Also it wouldn’t hurt to see a guy like Robbie Findley put it to his old club either for RSL.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

Even though you hate to see Rimando out it does come at a good time for Chris Seitz. We’ve been wondering for a couple years now when he would get his chance in goal and the time is now for the youth national team keeper. A big game from him could go a very long way for this club if Rimando is going to miss any more time this season.

Quick Thoughts:

If RSL had been fully set to go with no injuries or suspension I would have easily thought they’d win this one with little trouble at home. They’ve been so good at home this season so it is hard to even think of picking against them here. However losing Olave and Rimando in the back is pretty big when you have a guy like Donovan coming into town. I think LA will get their chances in this one but RSL will have to battle a little more than they normally would at home for the three points. Donovan gets a goal for the visitors but Mathis and Yura Movsisyan put the game away for RSL.

WVH Prediction: RSL 2, LA 1