LA appears to be stacked again up front. (Getty Images)

Time for the final positional ranking group today, the forwards.

To recap, here are the keeper rankings from last week, Monday’s defender rankings, and yesterday’s midfield rankings.

For me the forwards were fairly cut and dry. The top eight or so teams were pretty simple to figure out and really you could argue any way between them and probably not be too wrong about it. After that teams 9-16 have a lot of questions to answer but all could make their way up the rankings by the season’s end. And the bottom three were fairly clear to me as well.

1. Los Angeles Galaxy – Hard not to place them at the top. With the likes of Robbie Keane and Edson Buddle, the Galaxy should have the top offense in the league again this season. The question will be, how long will it take them to get on the same page though. Keep an eye out for Jack McBean down the pine on the depth charts. The kid has the chops to be a stud in this league one day.

2. Seattle Sounders FC – Fredy Montero and Eddie Johnson. Boy that duo could either be great or a bust. I think the thing with Johnson that not many are bringing up is the fact that he won’t be expected to carry this club on his own like his days in KC or even as far back as Dallas. Montero will still get the bulk of the goals and Johnson will definitely have the best midfield distribution that he’s ever gotten. 

3. New York Red Bulls – So much talent up front it is scary. Thierry Henry will still make the headlines and lead the team in goals while Kenny Cooper will likely see his fair share. The biggest question will be about what happens with Juan Agudelo. He’s got too much talent to just sit on the bench in my book but he could jump over Luke Rodgers in the depth chart if Rodger’s visa issues never get sorted out.

4. Real Salt Lake – As long as Fabian Espindola and Alvaro Saborio continue to work at a high level and maintain the number of goals they’ve scored the last couple of seasons together, this club will be one of the better offensive side yet again. I do worry a tad about their depth behind those two as it is a bit unproven but knowing how Jason Kreis develops players, they will be fine. I’d expect we’ll see a little more of Cody Arnoux this season though, he’s got the tools and skills to be a stud.

5. Toronto FC – I’ve been super high on the Reds this winter and it mostly boils down to how Danny Koevermans is in his first full year in Toronto. I believe he has the ability to be a Golden Boot winner if all the stars align properly for him there. Joao Plata and Ryan Johnson are two underrated players in my book, they’ll definitely contribute their fair share as well. I think Toronto finally has an offense that their fans can be proud of here.

6. D.C. United – Biggest question in my mind is when will Dwayne De Rosario and newcomer Hamdi Salihi be on the same page with one another. I think once that happens this group could lead the league in goals. We know DeRo can score his fair share and Salihi proved in the preseason that he can score a bunch as well. The depth is a little aged and could be iffy though as Josh Wolff and Miacon Santos are good but not great options.

7. Vancouver Whitecaps – Boy did Martin Rennie go out and snag as many strikers as he could this offseason. I like it to be honest. I think with Eric Hassli, Camilo and Sebastien Le Toux, this group will score goals in bunches. I rated them this low simply because I think there will be some growing pains as these big names get used to one another. Still it is hard to argue with the amount of quality talent this group possesses. Big question will be the progression of Omar Salgado and rookie Darren Mattocks. Both could be major players for them this season.

8. Sporting Kansas City – The talent is there and is still young but after seeing what Peter Vermes was able to do with this bunch a year ago, I have little doubts in my mind that they will be strong again this season. Adding Bobby Convey to the mix certainly helps and if rookie Dom Dwyer can be any bit as good as CJ Sapong was a year ago they will be set.

9. Philadelphia Union – I really think this is Danny Mwanga’s breakout season. He’s looked good in this first two seasons but this should be the year he finally breaks out and carries this club offensively. This group is extremely young however, only one player over the age of 30 (Lionard Pajoy), but I like where they are going with that youth. Chandler Hoffman could be exciting to watch in his rookie season.

10. Portland Timbers – Landing Kris Boyd was a huge deal for Portland but it was also a big risk. I think he’ll provide plenty of goals however and we’ve already seen him bag one in the preseason. We know teams will mark him closely which is why Jorge Perlaza will have to step up more this season. Outside of those two are two younger strikers in Eddie Johnson and Bright Dike. I do believe Dike will have a strong season though off the bench for them.

11. San Jose Earthquakes – Chris Wondolowski has been a stud for two seasons in San Jose. That much carried this group to this high of a ranking. Look out for Steven Lenhart though to help carry the load this season. Outside of those two the depth is very thin.

12. FC Dallas – Blas Perez is the main man in Dallas but can he stand up and lead this team? Based on what I’ve seen in the preseason out of him I think it is certainly possible that he could be in the Golden Boot discussion. That being said this depth behind him is young, very young. I keep thinking that each season Ruben Luna will finally break out and be a solid contributor and this could finally be that season that he does so. I gotta think that Schellas Hyndman isn’t done adding depth to this position though.

13. Colorado Rapids – They’re this low simply due to the injury of Conor Casey, once he returns to full strength and gets back on the same page as Omar Cummings this ranking should be higher. The bigger question will be how newcomer Jaime Castrillón adapts to the league. From what some are saying, he’ll be a very strong contributor for them this season. But after those three the depth is very thin.

14. Houston Dynamo – I love Brian Ching and I think Will Bruin is talented but boy does this group lack a lot of bite after them. Can they find a double-digit scorer for this season? It’s been a score as you can mentality since 2008 out of this group and with Ching not getting any younger, it makes it hard to rate them any higher than this.

15. Chicago Fire – Dominic Oduro had a fantastic season last year and Patrick Nyarko provided plenty of assists. But the thing is this club lack a true target forward. Also, there are wonders around the league as to whether or not Oduro can replicate his form from last year. I think he will but someone else has to step up with him to lead this team in goals. Newcomer Federico Puppo could be the key to this group though, if he figures out how to play in MLS quickly enough, this group could be much higher by the season’s end.

16. Chivas USA – They got Juan Pablo Angel…and that is nearly it. I do like Alejandro Moreno still but the talent after the main two is such a big drop off. Rookie Casey Townsend looked good in the preseason and will likely be the wildcard of this bunch going forward this season.

17. Columbus Crew - Olman Vargas and Emilio Renteris could be good together. Keyword is could though. Renteria is a bit injury prone and after those two the depth is very young. Home grown player  Ben Speas could be the X-Factor of the bunch, the management in Columbus are very high on him and where he could help take this team.

18. Montreal Impact – I’ve always been a fan of Justin Bruan and I do believe a new location will help restart his career. Playing along side Mike Fucito will be interesting to watch and those two could easily elevate this group to be higher down the road. The depth is very thin however and they won’t get their top draft pick (Andrew Wenger) until May.

19. New England Revolution – A ton of questions surrounding this group going into the season. Newcomer Sene didn’t look great in preseason and José Moreno hasn’t joined the club yet to help provide a boost. The depth is thin and there really isn’t a proven goalscorer out of the group.

Peter Nowak and Philadelphia make their home debut this weekend. (MLSSoccer.com)

Are you ready for tomorrow? Seriously, are you ready? Eight games in one day, a new league record. We knew this day would come eventually with all the expansion in the league and kudos to the league for putting one so early in the season too.

If you’re like me, you’ll find tomorrow to be a tough one because of the amount of games on at once. Thankfully with my Mac I can at least throw up a few different game windows in multiple spaces.

So get your DVRs ready (if you can hold this many games), sign up for the league video package online (if you haven’t done so already), or be like most folks and just go to a game if you can. Its going to be a fun weekend for sure.

Feel free as always to leave your predictions below in the comments section.

New York Red Bulls – at – Chivas USA:

Lets just say that Chivas USA needs to figure out their offensive issues here. In to town is the new look Red Bulls who’ve won two straight shutouts. Hans Backe’s club has been solid defensively so far this season but a second straight west coast game will prove to be a bigger test than some will really think, even though Chivas has yet to score this season. We could see a potential letdown by the Red Bulls after they finally got their first road win a week ago after 27-games of coming up short away from home.

For me its going to come down to who scores in this one. Even with the two wins on the year the Red Bulls haven’t lit up the scoreboard so far (only two goals). I see a slight drop off in this one while Chivas continues to struggle to score.

Player to watch out for: Tim Ream – the rookie is as good as advertised here. Look for him to be all over Chivas’ Maykel Galindo in this one.

WVH Prediction: Chivas 0, New York 0

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D.C. United – at – Philadelphia Union

Home opener for Philadelphia is a big, big deal. They’re expecting about 30k+ tomorrow at the Linc, don’t be shocked if they reach a sellout figure (they’re caping the capacity for this one at 35k). This new rivalry will be heated, especially given how bad both have started off the year. D.C. has look awful all over the field while Philadelphia struggled on the road in their debut two weeks ago. Given the fact that Peter Nowak has had a little more time to prepare for this one I like the Union’s chances in this one a little more.

Curt Onalfo’s side has to figure out where to get their offense from. So far in attack they’ve looked uncreative and in result have been unproductive. You could say it comes down to their midfield not doing enough with the possession too. I’d imagine Nowak will do a better job with his lineup now that he gets Fred back. Look for their shape to be a little better in this one as they ride the massive fan support in the home opener. Its easy to go for a draw here given the poor results by these two so far but I like Philadelphia’s chances here.

Player to watch out for: Danny Mwanga – With Fred back and likely in the midfield, we should see more out of Mwanga in this one for Philadelphia. Hopefully Nowak learned that he belongs up top.

WVH Prediction: Philadelphia 1, D.C. 0

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Toronto FC – at – New England Revolution

Steve Nicol is looking for his 100th career MLS win in this one, and he probably couldn’t ask for a better opponent. Toronto FC is still in a bit of a state of flux after all the moves that have gone on over these last few weeks including the latest with the retirement of Jim Brennan. That loss thins out the Reds defense even more here. New England could possibly see Shalrie Joseph back for the home opener but even without him I like the Revs chances in this one. The Revs could also see Darrius Barnes back for this one as well, which would only make it rougher on Toronto to score in this one.

It seems like Toronto hasn’t scored a goal in league play or in exhibition play in ages here. I don’t see that starting back up right now. The Revs played their game last week in D.C. and I’d imagine Nicol will use some of the same tactics this week to get three more points.

Player to watch out for: Dwayne De Rosario – Really Toronto’s only hope to get on the scoreboard. If he can work his magic that we’ve seen him do in the past against the Revs, Toronto could sneak out with some points.

WVH Prediction: New England 2, Toronto 0

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Colorado Rapids – at – Kansas City Wizards

Here’s one game this weekend I’m looking forward to. Two clubs that everyone is still trying to figure out here. Are both contenders or pretenders this season? We think they could be contenders but its still too early to tell. The Rapids have to get their defense in line here for this one as the Wizards showed early on this year that they can score early and often.

As we saw last week, Kansas City’s best bet to get by the Rapids defense is to go right at them with some speed. Look for Ryan Smith and Kei Kamara to do just that on the wings as things in the center of the park will be a little tight. The Rapids haven’t won in KC since 2002 and something tells me that streak isn’t going to end here this season either. However I do think a draw sounds more likely with these two trading some goals early on in this one.

Player to watch out for: Omar Cummings – For me he is by far the most dangerous player on the field in this one. If he finds open space in the final third for Colorado he can score and create chances for Conor Casey.

WVH Prediction: Kansas City 2, Colorado 2

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LA Galaxy – at – Houston Dynamo

I love the promo the Dynamo are running for this one –  a flash light campaign, in case the lights go out again with these two on the field. Beautiful stuff.

Houston as we know is a bit banged up with Brian Ching on the shelf for a few weeks. Dominic Kinnear will have to look elsewhere for offense. Maybe we’ll finally see their Designated Player Luis Angel Landin finally step into the role. Or Kinnear can go with Cam Weaver. Either one with the speed of Dominic Oduro should be fine.

LA has been very good on defense so far this year, with no goals against. But both of those games came from the friendly confines of the Home Depot Center. Things are a little different for the Galaxy at Robertson Stadium, a place few get points at. I see this one staying close but look for the Dynamo to figure out a way to get one by Donovan Ricketts.

Player to watch out for: Brad Davis – Don’t expect another two goals from the PK spot this weekend for Davis but no matter who scores for Houston in this one it will be due to the play of this guy.

WVH Prediction: Houston 1, LA 0

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Columbus Crew – at – FC Dallas

The regular season version of the Pioneer Cup. Both teams had a week off last week to plan for this game. It will be interesting to see if Chad Marshall makes it back for this one for the Crew. If he isn’t out there their defense could be a bit exposed with him gone and Eric Brunner out. Guys like Andy Iro will likely have to step up to contain Jeff Cunningham.

Dallas isn’t too different in the back either as both Kyle Davies and Ugo Ihemelu are banged up. We could even see Brek Shea in the back for the Red Stripes in this one as a bit of a patch work job by manager Schellas Hyndman. Expect this one to come down to who can control things in the midfield. On one side we have Guillermo Barros Schelotto and the other David Ferriera. I’d be lying if I didn’t think that was the best matchup of the weekend right there. The visitors could go away with three points but a draw sounds more likely.

Player to watch out for: Atiba Harris – Dallas needs some big time play on the wings and Harris has to be that guy for them. He scored in the season opener and if he can work his way into the middle in the final third of the field we could see him score again.

WVH Prediction: Dallas 1, Columbus 1

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San Jose Earthquakes – at – Chicago Fire

We know the storyline in this one, Jon Busch’s return to Chicago. That should be a it awkward. The Fire looked a little better in week two but they still haven’t found that consistent play out of their midfield. Manager Carlos de los Cobos went with a 4-3-3 last week and it started to work for them as Collins John made an impact with the open space up top. Chicago has to get more out of Marco Pappa though in the midfield.

The Quakes just need to figure themselves out here though. In week one they looked more like an expansion team than a team in it’s third year. Frank Yallop made a couple changes to his roster and got former Quake Scott Sealy back. I’m not entirely sure if that move will get their club going or not here. The road hasn’t been kind to the Quakes lately either. Chicago should find a way to win this one.

Player to watch out for: Ryan Johnson – He’s the main guy for the Quakes, if he doesn’t get going in this one it will be a long night in the Windy City for Yallop’s side.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, San Jose 0

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Seattle Sounders FC – at – Real Salt Lake

Probably the game of the week in most folks minds. Rightfully so as both clubs are looking to rebound after dismal efforts in week two. RSL will look to resume their home dominance while Seattle will hope to get on the right track this year away from Qwest Field. Sigi Schmid has to find a way to get his club going offensively though to get any sort of points in this one. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Pat Noonan get the starting nod in this one for them to make an effort to kick start their offense.

RSL also has some decisions to make offensively. Do they start Robbie Findley over Fabian Espindola or Alvaro Saborio, or do they keep him as a second half sub for now? Either way I think we’ll get more Findley this week than what we’ve seen so far this season. I like RSL in this one though with the way their midfield plays at home. I doubt we’ll see the same defensive meltdowns that we saw out of them in Houston a week ago too.

Player to watch out for: Steve Zakuani – The one big chance the Sounders have in this one is for Zakuani to expose RSL on the wings. His pace could be a big difference maker.

WVH Predictions: RSL 2, Seattle 1

Kyle Beckerman and RSL have a tough road ahead in 2010. (Getty Images)

We only have a few more clubs to go in our preseason look-ins. Now we’re getting in the home stretch with RSL today and hopefully closing out the rest of the week San Jose, Seattle and Toronto.

Today we take a look in to see how the defending Major League Soccer champs are doing this winter. Jason Kreis and company have started to really get into building up a core group of players to work around. That was key to their late run and success last year in the playoffs.

Now it becomes a question of do they have the depth to deal with a bigger and tougher schedule in 2010? They lost a few key players this winter like Clint Mathis to LA, Yura Movsisyan to Europe and Chris Seitz to the expansion club in Philadelphia. They did however pick a couple guys off waivers, which has been their bread and butter these last couple years along with drafting pretty well in January’s SuperDraft.

Lets see how well RSL is doing this winter and what pieces of the puzzle that they have left to build on. (Note: I’d like to thank Randy Davis from Keepin It Real for helping me out with this preview)Keepers:

Who they have:  Nick Rimando, Kyle Reynish.

Notes: We thought for years that the movement to Chris Seitz would finally happen in Salt Lake City, turns out that won’t take place now that he is gone to Philadelphia to show off his stuff. Thankfully though RSL still has trusty ol’ Nick Rimando. As long as he is healthy this club has little to worry about in this department.

They are trying to figure out what to do in terms of a backup here. Reynish is an alright choice but not one RSL fans are use to seeing. They’ll probably look to sign a developmental guy for their 3rd keeper as well. Davis tells me they’ve had a couple keepers in camp but so far none appear to be signed by the club.

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Defense:

Who they have: Tony Beltran, Robbie Russell, Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Chris Wingert, Rauwshan McKenzie, David Horst, Chris Schuler.

Notes: A solid group but at time last year could be really shaky due to lack of discipline. I think depth wise they could use a little more with the amount of games they will be taking on late in the year. I do like the fact that they are a seasoned bunch, not too young and not too old to handle this upcoming busy schedule.

Now I do wonder if they need more help on the outside of their backline. I think in the middle they’re set for now but something tells me they could wear down easy on the wings. I do expect Horst to stick around and get a roster spot but as for Schuler and McKenzie it may not happen at this point unless the rosters are some how expanded with a new CBA.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Andy Williams, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Alex Nimo, Jean Alexandre, Will Johnson, Ned Grabavoy, Collen Warner, Nelson González, Luis Gil, Raphael Cox.

Notes: The success and failures of this team rest on this group. Beckerman is a beast that I’d take on any team but say he gets a callup somehow this summer to South Africa (long shot at best for him at this point), you will see an immediate dip in this club’s performance. He’s the work horse on the field. Same goes for Williams who is just a class act all together.

Keep an eye on Warner, he has real potential to be a quality player in this league, possibly even a ROY candidate if he gets the proper playing time.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see Cox be released once the roster compliance date is set. With the additions of Luis Gil in the last couple weeks it will put pressure on RSL to figure out what to do with Cox.

I think this group has some quality to it but again a lot of pressure is on them. Morales needs to return to his quality form of 2008 and not go in and out like in 2009. If he has another down year so will this group. Johnson also needs a good season as well, he wasn’t as impressive to me in 2009 as he was when he first came to the club in 2008.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Robbie Findley, Abe Thompson, Fabián Espíndola, Tino Nunez, Pablo Campos.

Notes: Findley is the X-Factor for them. When he is on he is damn good but sometimes he goes a bit too cold for my liking. He came on strong when it counted late last year so we do know he has some fire in him which may also lead him to South Africa. He has to know he needs a strong start to the season to be in South Africa.

If he does make it onto Bob Bradley’s team in June it will hit this club hard offensively. With the loss of Movsisyan I just don’t think they’ve done enough this winter to balance things out. I know they believe a lot more in Campos and Espindola than I do. I like those two but I’m not totally in love with the idea that they will be enough to carry this bunch offensively if Findley is gone for a while this summer.

They did make an effort by trying to get some guys from South America, particularly a couple young strikers from Quilmes: Quique and Olivares. Bad luck would have it that neither are coming to RSL anytime soon.

I think down the road they’ll need to add another part here to handle the heavier slate towards the end of the season.

(Update: RSL released Thompson earlier today.)

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Overall:

A lot is going to need to take place for RSL to repeat as MLS Champions in 2010. This team is good but let’s not forget for a minute that they were a sub-.500 team last year that got hot when it mattered. There are still plenty of holes to fill not to mention they have the added pressure of being the defending champions now.

Another thing they must improve on quickly is their road performance. With only two wins during the regular season on the road last year it is still a mystery to some how they even did so well late.

This team has talent and can win we know that but the inconsistent play has to stop if they want to repeat. The schedule won’t be too kind on them either, especially late in the year. But if Kreis can pull off another magical run this year it could be fun to watch.

Order: George John, Maykel Galindo, Brandon McDonald, Justin Braun, Josh Wolff, Nate Jaqua, Luciano Emilio, Jim Brennen, and Fabian Espindola.

My favorites were Beckham’s and Richards. What did you all like?

Order of goals: Dane Richards, Julien Baudet, David Beckham, Pablo Campos, Bryan Namoff, Steve Ralston, Wells Thompson, Ramon Sanchez, Pablo Campos (Chivas game), Fabian Espindola, and Robbie Findley (1 and 2).

Conor Casey and Colin Clark lead Colorado over NY. (Getty Images)

I guess one could say things are getting a little more interesting here. Summer is here which means clubs either distance themselves from others or some start to figure things out and turn things around for their season. I think after week 11 we saw some of that with some clubs flipping a switch and making things even tigher in the standings.

Honestly it was an interesting week as a whole. The midweek games gave us a preview that it would be an interesting weekend. Loads of goals and loads of cards too carried over from the midweek to the weekend. And of course some more draws happened along the way but not as in other previous weeks. I think the gulf in class is starting to show between some clubs and we are seeing that it is a very long season.

While some clubs near the bottom of the standings got wins this weekend for the first time in months, I’m not about to jump on board and say they’ve all gotten things figured out here. Some may be getting close but others are still a good bit away from being where most thought they’d be. One thing is certain though I believe we will see a very tight race for those final playoff spots this season. Sure a couple clubs will see themselves out of contention by the All-Star break but I do believe the competition for those final spots is where the league wants and needs them to be here.

As for the games this weekend, I did write down a few notes from each.

Casey Strikes Twice for Colorado

I’ll say it again, as Conor Casey goes so will the Rapids. I saw a few weeks back that this club has some real potential to be good this season and right now I think we are seeing that true potential come out in this club. In what was a pretty exciting game against New York, Casey found the back of the net twice to up his season total to eight (which also now leads the league).

Colorado is quickly proving themselves to be a contender here. I see them fighting things out here as long as guys like Casey and Colin Clark are staying hungry out there.

New York on the other hand continues to let chances slip away from them here. They had a shot at this game, they really did but offensively they aren’t synced up like we’d think they’d be and defensively they are still lacking in quality. Jon Conway continues to prove that he isn’t the best option at goal (though he is the only option for this club right now). With a long road swing coming up for New York it will be tough to expect them to turn it around anytime soon.

Dallas Shocks Us All As They Hand Chicago Their First Loss

Maybe the biggest shocker of the weekend was Dallas’ 3-0 win over Chicago. Maybe it was Jeff Cunningham finally getting more involved and being on the wing instead of up top. Or maybe it was Kenny Cooper finally waking up and getting out of his slump. Or maybe it was Chicago just being tired from their crazy come-from-behind win over Chivas on Thursday.

Whatever the case it was a shocking result, possibly even more shocking that the way the Chicago-Chivas match ended on Thursday night. Chicago did look a bit gassed and the visitors took full advantage of it from the start.

While it may be the first loss of the season I wouldn’t read a whole lot into the result. Blanco wasn’t involved in this one to spread the offense around to Brain McBride and Chris Rolfe. While I’m not one for making excuses it did change the game for Chicago to not have their full starting lineup involved in this one.

But let’s give the credit where it is due, especially for those Dallas fans who get to celebrate another Brimestone Cup win this season. Schellas Hyndman played around with the lineup enough and finally hit the right buttons. I guess if you try enough combinations something will evenutally work. I will say I love seeing Brek Shea come in late for this Dallas side, he is exactly what they need off the bench in late game situations.

Oh Look LA and Columbus Drew Another

Both the LA-KC game and the Seattle-Columbus game smelled like draws before the weekend and both ended up as one. I didn’t call them draws in the predictions because I am honestly tired of doing it that way but I wasn’t at all shocked to see these results on Saturday.

Seattle now has played to five straight draws here. Nate Jaqua’s late rally helped save some points for the homeside. This game really could have gone in favor of Seattle early had Freddie Ljungberg connected on a PK. But it also didn’t help when Tyrone Marshall got red carded shortly after the missed PK.

I was shocked to see Columbus go without Guillermo Barros Schelotto in the starting lineup (yes I know the reasoning for not starting). He did help spring his club offensively in the second half when he came off the bench.

Overall it was a very evenly played game. I didn’t see a whole lot between either side. I do still believe Columbus is in line to continue to move up the standings here but they do need to close out some games better, that is for sure.

As for the LA-KC game. I’ll skip ahead to the end of the game because the last 10 minutes is really where all the action was. Of course the middle official Terry Vaughn had to send off a player and hand out a few yellows before the goals but it overall there wasn’t as much to this game as I thought there would be. Davy Arnaud connected for this forth of the season and then Edson Buddle tied it up a couple mintues after that for the Galaxy.

LA now has nine draws on the season. Yes, nine.

Houston Dominates Toronto

No way around this one. I honestly can say I saw little of the Houston-Toronto game and I feel bad for it since Houston really looked to have controlled this one all over. From the highlights I’ve seen it was just a short stretch early on where Houston found their three goals and from there they let their dominating defense do the rest.

From the reports the second half had very little to it do to the lead and probably the heat. Houston now extends their run to seven unbeaten games here. They also inch a little closer to the top of the west with Chivas losing on Thursday.

San Jose Responds With Win

Real Salt Lake goes on the road and loses another one but hey they did score! I know cheap optimisim on my part but this one was mostly San Jose’s game on Saturday. First of all how about that goal from Arturo Alvarez? That goal was something else.

Jason Kreis tried to spice up his offense but in all honesty got little out of Fabian Espindola and Luis Miguel Escalada. Both were subbed after the half by Robbie Findley and Yura Movsisyan. The new additions on the field did help RSL get on the board but not enough to get some valuable road points.

From watching this game I really felt that these two were pretty evenly matched out there. RSL continues to both me here this season. They should be good but something just isn’t working for this club. Right now I think they lack a big time scorer and a quality central defender in the back. I know they have Findley but he can be too hot and cold for my liking.

San Jose on the other hand is staring to look better here. Not great but better. There was a reason why I wasn’t putting Frank Yallop on any sort of hot seat here yet because I believed he still had some talent in place to turn things a little bit around. This may be a one time thing for a little while but we did get a glimpse of how good this club can be here.

Revs Get Late Points In Twellman’s Return

What do you know, Taylor Twellman returns and New England gets a win. Plus the late penalty didn’t hurt them at all. It did hurt DC however who were missing some key players. Bryan Namoff’s take down of Twellman in the box late was a pretty weak call. Possibly up there with the PK call late in the Chivas-Chicago game on Thursday.

Having Twellman back on the field definitely helped New England. His spark was much needed, as were the points. And the Revs defnese did just enough to keep DC’s high powered attack from scoring more than they did. Plus giving up the lead shortly after the start of the second half showed the DC defense can have a slight mental lapse out there at times.

Overall it this game just made things in the eastern conference that much more interesting.

Anyways, another load of games this weekend all mostly on Saturday with the usual lone Sunday game. San Jose gets the lovely task of having the week off, a good time for them too since they are in need of a break to find their form here this season.

Plenty of good games to talk about here this weekend. Chicago at Toronto is an interesting clash in the east but the game of the week has to be Chivas hosting DC, a meeting of the two conference leaders.

As always feel free to post your game predictions below.

Chicago Fire – at- Toronto FC:

1. What does Chicago need to do to start winning again?

All these draws have to mean something here for Dennis Hamlet’s group. They aren’t losing but they also aren’t winning. Going to Toronto won’t be easy either right now with the way TFC is playing right now. Thing Chicago has to get through their heads is that they are better than what they are playing right now. Closing out games is a big deal in any sport, especially soccer and right now the Fire just aren’t putting a full effort in 90 minutes.

I think if they rely on the fact that Toronto had a game in the midweek against Montreal in the Canadian Cup and hope that they are a little gassed from that. Chicago is deep enough to be able to run a few fresh legs onto the pitch late in the game and really mess with the other club. Defensively this club just needs to lock down the Reds and control the ball in the midfield with Blanco spraying balls all over the pitch for Chris Rolfe and Brian McBride.

2. How can TFC keep rolling here?

The Reds are now unbeaten in their last four league games and last six overall in all competitions. They’ve been playing a lot better due to the fact that they’ve finally figured out how to have both Amado Guevara and Dwayne De Rosario on the pitch working together. It hasn’t hurt that they’ve gotten some big plays out of guys like Danny Dichio and Chad Barrett too. If they are to beat Chicago and put an end to their unbeaten mark here on the season they have to continue to play their style of game. They weren’t satisfied with the win over Montreal the other night which means they are starting to get real hungry here. For TFC fans that is a good thing because this bunch is talented enough to keep rolling here.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

I know I’ve mentioned him a couple times before this season but watch out for Chad Barrett. He may miss a bunch of easy goals but if you saw the goal from the other night he really still has a lot of talent to offer. That goal against Montreal may have saved his season with the club in my opinion. He needed a goal like that more than his club did.

Quick Thoughts:

For some reason I like Toronto in this one. While I think Chicago is deep enough to have a little more energy in this one, I just think TFC will be high enough from the win the other night over Montreal to beat Chicago here. The Fire haven’t really played well lately and need some sort of kick to get going again and a loss may just be that. This will however be one of the better matches this weekend you can mark that down. Toronto finds some way to score in the first half and holds on to the lead for the rest of the game.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 1, Chicago 0

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Colorado Rapids – at – New England Revolution:

1. Can New England keep the momentum up from last week’s result and slow down the Rapids’ attack?

Thankfully for you Revs fans your club is slowly breaking out of it’s funk here. Getting guys like Steve Ralston and rookie Kevin Alston back in the line up totally helped last week and as you saw they are still good enough to get quality results without key players. The thing is I still have concerns for your defense doing against someone like Conor Casey, who has been a beast against weak defenses this season. He will be a big task for guys like Darrius Barnes and Jay Heaps. If they slow him down and also neaturalize the midfield attack from the Rapids they could see three points.

2. Did the week off do more harm than good for Colorado?

I am a bit concerned for Colorado who got a great win two weeks ago against rivals RSL and then had to sit last week out with the buy week. They had huge momemtum from that win but I am worried that they won’t have it to carry over to this game in New England. The thing they have to do is just start their attack from the start in this one. Finding ways to get Casey the ball in space and in the pentalty box will be key. New England has also given up a load of goals on set pieces this season so it will be interesting to see how Colorado attacks their defense around the offensive third of the field. If they can work Terry Cooke into the attack on set pieces they could steal three points here.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

I’m looking at Colorado’s Nick LaBrocca in this one. He was given the keys to the midfield by manager Gary Smith in the win over RSL and the offense from the Rapids saw a big improvement in the process.

Quick Thoughts:

This inter-conference clash should be an interesting one to watch. Both clubs need a momentum starter here (yes even the Rapids need it, I do believe the week off killed whatever momentum they had) and they also need the three points to stay in contention in their respective conferences. I figure this one will be fairly tight for a while but I do see each getting on the board. I kind of thing it will end in a draw though because defensively I do think New England can slow Colorado down enough to not give up a lot of goals at home but offensive they just lack the punch to put up a bunch of goals here.

WVH Prediction: New England 1, Colorado 1

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Houston Dynamo – at – New York Red Bulls:

1. Which Red Bulls club will we see tomorrow?

I was pretty quick to say that after the 4-1 win over San Jose that we should get too crazy here about the Red Bulls being back. They were never that great to begin with. I would imagine the offense does have a new life here after the four goal outburst. The thing is they played a weak defense last week and now face on of the better defenses in the league in Houston. While clubs have scored on this Dynamo club this season I wouldn’t think they’d give up four in the same manner as the Quakes did last week. Houston is however still looking for their first win at Giants Stadium.

The thing is consistentcy is key in this league and so far the Red Bulls have been anything but that. They need another huge game from Albert Cedades in the middle of the park. His expereience should be a big difference maker for the homeside.

2. What does Houston need to do to score in this one?

Houston needs to get their set pieces and attack from the wings. New York is still very suspect in the defense and I would imagine Houston could get a couple goals on counter-attacks or set pieces if the Red Bulls aren’t careful enough with the ball in the midfield. While the Dynamo attack isn’t scary it is still dangerous enough to win games.

3. Player to keep an eye out for.

While Jorge Rojas and Cedades will get a lot of attention in the midfield for New York a guy like Seth Stammler becomes very tough to break. Some will agree that as Stammler goes the Red Bulls will too this season. He’s a steady player in the midfield for this bunch and can be a big part of this club’s winning too.

Quick Thoughts:

This may be the most underrated match of the weekend. If New York is on the verge of turning their season around then it will be the game of the weekend. Neither club got off to a good start this season but Houston has been playing extremely well lately and defensively have been the toughest team to score on in the past month. New York will pose a big challenge for that mark and will likely get one by Pat Onstad in this one. I do however like Houston to stay with the Red Bulls in this one. While New York has some quality experience in the midfield with guys like Cedades and Rojas I just feel that Houston is more experienced in actually playing well for 90 minutes. It will be a draw, a very close draw indeed. Houston battles from behind to get a road point.

WVH Prediction: New York 1, Houston 1

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Seattle Sounders FC – at – FC Dallas

1. Things looked better for Dallas late against Houston, will it carry over against Seattle?

Houston is as tough defensively as any club gets in this league. While Seattle isn’t nearly as tough as Houston they are probably just as good defensively as the Dynamo. Sigi Schmid’s bunch play in typical Sigi-fashion, tight and compact in the back which leads to less attempts on goal and few chances. Dallas is a club that has already struggled to get attempts on goal lately so this will be a big challege for the likes of Kenny Cooper and company.

Dallas can’t afford to come out flat from the start or Seattle will gobble up early chances against a defense that is the second worst in the league right now.

2. What do the Sounders need to do against Dallas’ midfield?

One thing is certain, if you beat Dallas in the middle of the field and control the possession you will beat them. Seattle already does a good enough job at controlling the pace of the game and not giving up a bunch of silly turnovers in the midfield. Dallas on the other hand does the exact opposite. Too many times the Red Stripes will get the ball in the midfield and immediately give it right back to the other club. Seattle is too good of a club right now to not take advantage of those mental breakdowns.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

This could be a big game for wing players for FC Dallas with Seattle not having James Riley in the back (suspension from last week’s red card). Dave van den Burgh and Andre Rocha could see a little more free space. If they can spray some balls into the box because of some open pitch it could be a good evening for the homeside.

Quick Thoughts:

Sadly enough I doubt a lot of people here in Dallas will come out for this one. Though you can play Plinko at halftime which has to be a draw in itself if you ask me. But as for this game goes I think Seattle is just too good of a club right now to not win this game or at least get some points here. They need three points in a big way to stay on course with Chivas in the western standings and to hold off up and comers like Houston. Dallas defensively and in the midfield will dictate whether or not they will win this game. Turnovers are going to be key and Dallas just gives the ball up too much right now. Should be a fun game to watch though. Seattle goes up early with goals from Nate Jaqua and Fredy Montero and never looks back.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, Dallas 1

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Kansas City Wizards – at  – Real Salt Lake

1. Should we expect another turnaround at home for RSL?

So far as we all know RSL has been great at home and terrible on the road. However in their last home game they had a wild finish with the Galaxy in that crazy 2-2 draw a week ago. This club hasn’t really looked all that great in a couple games but they do have the likes of Javier Morales back in action. The thing they need to do in this one is not let Kansas City play their style of game. They allowed LA to do that briefly last week and they lost points for it in the process. Kansas City is dangerous enough behind Josh Wolff and Claudio Lopez to steal three points here.

2. Will Kansas City be able to come into Rio Tinto and do what only a couple have done? Win?

Both clubs are in a bit of a slide right now but Kansas City is still a very tough club to figure out. The Wizards are one of those few clubs that have gotten points at RSL over the past couple years. For them to do it again this season they need to get Josh Wolff back into the attack more and in the box to test a defense that has been a bit shaky as of late. If they can rattle RSL in the midfield and in defense you could see a couple easy goals for the visitors on Saturday.

3. Player to keep an eye out for.

I am curious to see if Jason Kreis stays with Yura Movsisyan up top or if he makes the wise move to Fabian Espindola like some would like him to. Espindola is a tough cookie up top to stop and could pose a big problem to a young Kansas City defense.

Quick Thoughts:

I want to like the Wizards in this one but it is hard to go against a club that plays so well in their home stadium. RSL should bounce back from their three game slide in this one with a win behind the likes of Kyle Beckerman and Espindola. Offensively this club hasn’t looked the same since that 6-0 beating of New England a few weeks back. If they can even get half of that spark back they will be fine against the Wizards.

WVH Prediction: RSL 2, KC 1

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DC United – at – Chivas USA:

1. What can DC do to beat Chivas?

Chivas has been one tough club to beat this year. Only Toronto was able to slow them own enough to get three points away from them. Thing is the club hasn’t had to be too flashy or amazing to be where they are right now. DC on the other hand has had to fight their way to the top of the eastern standings and their lead is not nearly as nice as their counterparts on Saturday. For United for come into the Home Depot Center and get even a point they have to be very organized defensively and not allow any little mistakes to happen. Chivas is too good at taking advantage of little mistakes in the midfield and scoring off of them.

While DC is leading the league in goals right now they are also giving up a lot of goals. Something Chivas does not do right now. DC has to get their attack going early and catch Chivas off guard. One thing I do know about Chivas is they aren’t a club that comes from behind often.

2. How does Chivas hold off the DC attack?

Simple enough you frustrate their attack in the midfield. You don’t allow DC to create quality chances for guys like Chris Ponitus and Luciano Emilio. You also keep a tight defense to neutralize runs from players out of the back like Rodney Wallace. Tom Soehn’s bunch will bring a lot at you but Chivas is one of the best at slowing those kinds of runs down. We’ve seen them do it against Seattle and also against clubs like Columbus and Dallas.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

Maykel Galindo is starting to get more minutes by each game for Chivas USA. The more the better as he is starting to get loose in the attack and that is good for Chivas fans. Galindo is a speedy player that could come off the bench in this one. In a late game that is tight he may be a real difference maker for the homeside.

Quick Thoughts:

Obviously the game of the week right here. Two clubs that are playing extremely well face off in an early season clash. DC hasn’t lost in five straight now while Chivas is continuing to show their impressive form week after week with their eight-point gap on the rest of the standings. This one will probably be very physical from the start and I look for Chivas to try and control the tempo of the game as well. Chivas can’t let up for a second, espeically late since DC has scored five of their league-high 15 goals in the last 15 minutes of the game. A draw sounds likely here even though Chivas has an impressive home record right now.

WVH Prediction: Chivas 1, DC 1

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Columbus Crew – at – LA Galaxy:

1. Both clubs are starting to win, but who has the edge right now?

Both finally got off the mark here in the past couple weeks and got the first win of the season. Amazing that despite their records LA hasn’t lost in six games and Columbus hasn’t lost in five. I will however give the slight advantage to Columbus here since it was last week that they got their first win of the year. The monkey is finally off their back and they should start winning more games here.

2. What does the Crew need to do to pick up some points here?

One thing is certain, another win and the Crew are very much in the thick of things in the eastern conference. This is certainly a good time to start a winning streak as the Crew have been a very tough club for the Galaxy to beat in recent years (partly due to Sigi Schmid when he was there). I think the Crew just have to play their tough style of play and rattle the very yough Galaxy defense early and often in this one. As long as Gulliermo Barros Schelotto controls the pace of the game in the middle for the Crew they should be fine in this one.

3. Player to keep an eye out for.

One guy I am going to watch for is LA’s Edson Buddle. He is finally getting healthy here this season and that should mean more offense for this Galaxy club that desperately needs someone else to go to soon when Landon Donovan leaves this summer for national team duty.

Quick Thoughts:

At first glance I was thinking this would be yet another draw for these two sides but I think the Crew have to be hungry now that they have their first win of the season. It didn’t come easy but you know veterans like Frankie Hedjuk will rally this club together to get another win. I like the Crew to keep their momentum up from last week’s win over the Galaxy.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 2, LA 1

I went with Real Salt Lake’s Fabian Espindola’s two goal effort against Colorado on Friday night because not only was it the games two goals but watching Espindola perform on Friday night was fun to watch. He’s back from an injury and looks great. Plus he got some help from some sloppy defending from Colorado.

Again, to be quick, week 23′s Player of the Week goes to RSL’s Fabian Espindola.

Now as for the goal of the week it was a little bit harder but there was a couple worth mentioning. You had Toronto’s Jim Brennan striking early for the Reds against Chivas; Darren Huckerby’s game-winner of Kansas City; and Brian Mullen’s far post strike against Chicago.

But the goal that stood out to me was Landon Donovan’s second of the night and 16th goal of the season. Just a perfect threw ball from Eddie Lewis to Donovan and he made it look so simple against New England.

Just watch and see the magic…