BMO Field finally turned into a fortress in 2009. (Getty Images)

2009 was expected to the be year that Toronto FC turned the corner and really made a splash in Major League Soccer. The moves were made to get local star Dwayne De Rosario at the start of the season and things looked promising early on but midway through the first full month of action manager John Carver stepped down and if you ask me the club never really rebounded from that change.

Chris Cummins took over as interim manager for the rest of the season and even with the moves that brought in guys like Ali Gerba and the club’s first designated player Julian De Guzman, Cummins never really took control of the locker room and the club. Guys like Danny Dichio never really got their full run under Cummins.

The club never got real consistent with their play under Cummins. One week they’d play so well many including myself figured they would be a lock for the post season. Then they’d do what they do best and suck up the place like they did on the final day of the season when they got spanked 5-0 by the lowly New York Red Bulls.

What Went Right In 2009?
To be honest few things really went right for this club this season. But pinpointing a few items would certainly start with their 6-1 beating of Montreal in the Canadian Cup to secure their bid in the play-in round of the CONCACAF Champions League this year. TFC needed a handfull of goals to advance and some how on a night that saw them on the road in Montreal, the Reds pulled out all the stops and stole a trophy away from a Vancouver club that was looking on from the stands. Another would certainly be the play of Dwayne De Rosario. The club wouldn’t have nearly been as good as they were had it not been for DeRo. Lastly their home play this season was finally something to brag about as they turned BMO Field into the fortress that we all knew it could be. Eight of their 10 wins on the year came from the friendly confines at Exhibition Place.

What Went Wrong In 2009?
Consistency was a killer and so was their defense. Mo Johnston made a bold move to get veteran defender Nick Garcia from San Jose and it was a move that never panned out for them. Even though they had a solid group of rookies like keeper Stefan Frei, the defense would constantly let him down. Offensively they never seemed to find a go-to scorer other than DeRo. Chad Barrett and Pablo Vitti constantly let folks down in front of the net.

What’s Next?
For this club finding a manager that will pull the right strings with this bunch will be key. With so much talent in the midfield they need to find a way to keep the pressure off their defense and find ways to score. Finding a classy finisher around the net will go a long way for this club and finding a true central defender will really help out. This club is so close but yet so far away.

The Toronto Star is reporting that the meddling by the league was all that Carver could take.

“You can only put up with so much,” Carver told the Toronto Star in an interview yesterday, two days after news broke of his resignation as head coach six games into his second season.

“I’ve had restraints on me ever since I got here,” the native of Newcastle, England, said of the league and its officials. “If ever you do anything or say anything out of order, they’re straight on the phone complaining to the owners and that’s how they work because, in my opinion, it’s all about image.

“Obviously I wasn’t the right image for the league.”

In New York, MLS officials refused to get into a tit-for-tat.

“The league prefers not to respond to Carver’s criticism,” said MLS spokesman Will Kuhns.

Whatever the case was it sort of seems like Carver was just packing his bags before this took place. He wanted out of the league probably before the start of the season and had his club not played well this year he may have gotten canned anyways.

Toronto FC is already looking to announce the next head coach. Either Chris Cummins or Nick Dasovic will be named the club’s interim coach on Wednesday.

I’m very curious to see how Toronto handles this coaching change here as they are in the middle of a very important stretch of their season with upcoming Canadian Cup games.

Weighted Lottery System In Question

First up is Kyle McCarthy’s Musings for the day. His big point is about the league’s weighted lottery system and how it needs to go. Honestly I couldn’t agree with his main points any more.

This all stems from last week’s lottery winner RSL who had a 5% chance to win U.S. U-20 captain and former Southampton defender  Kyle Davis. While the club won this lottery fair and square it does seem like it is time to do away with a system that isn’t all that good to begin with.

I think McCarthy hit this one on the head saying that if the player in question is allocation worthy let them go through that process (though even that needs an update to a degree). If the player doesn’t worthy an allocation he should just go through a normal waiver process.

Philly Coaching Search

Funny that the club that will come to be next year is already searching for a coach before it has a name or even team colors. Saying that though the club hasn’t officially said they are looking for a coach just yet here, it’s just a writer in that area putting put a list of coaches that could be a good fit.

Mark Chajkowsky wrote for the Examiner.com about the possibly list of coaches for the Philly club. Chajkowsky made some good points that the club needs to find a guy like Bob Bradley type of coach, one that leads the club to a rare MLS Cup visit in their first year and not the extreme opposite in RSL’s old coach John Ellinger.

The list gives some usual suspects but a couple names pop out to me that I think could be good fits in the end. Dave Sarachan is the top choice here on the list. For one I totally agree with though I think his current boss Bruce Arena could also be under consideration for this position in Philly (espeically if things continue to go sour in LA this season).

Arena going to an expansion team just makes sense at this point to me. Though Sarachan would also make a great candidate.

Two other names worth looking into. The usual coaching candidate Paul Mariner from New England and Mike Sorber, the current second-in-command to Bob Bradley with the National team.

I honestly love the idea of Sorber for this position if he’d take it.

Ottawa Likely Out

It is not looking good up in Ottawa for when it comes to getting a MLS club. Some would say their hopes were already dead a month ago but now it appears things are going cold. Apparently the CFL group won the cities vote over Eugene Melynk and his MLS effort.

Melynk doesn’t appear to want to work with the CFL group so the MLS bid has taken a definite turn for the worst.

I agree with others out there that hope this means Montreal will get back into the fold here.

Carver Fined

That didn’t take long. A few weeks in and John Carver has been fined by the league for his comments regarding Tim Weyland after a 3-2 loss to FC Dallas on Sunday on a penalty in the 84th minute.

Well he was commenting on one of the worst refs so far this year in Weyland. I kind of don’t blame him for it.

Who are these guys and why are they leading the league? (Getty Images)

Got to love the random mid-week games that Major League Soccer sometimes gives us here. Toronto FC plays host to league leader Chivas USA tonight up at BMO Field. The visiting AmeriGoats are looking to extend their league lead with another win tonight, while Toronto is hoping to bounce back and get their second win of the season.

I may try to do some live twittering later on during this game (and the USOC game between Dallas and DC), but no live blogging. If you haven’t added WVH to your twitter you can do so to get quicker updates from me here.

As always feel free to post your game predictions for tonight below.

1. What will John Carver do without Dwayne De Rosario?

In all honesty I think Carver and TFC will be fine for a couple games without DeRo. Sure he is their offensive leader but I see a guy like Amado Guevara stepping back up and leading this club on the offensive side of things.

But on the flip side of things, losing DeRo could also mean more pressure on the backline for Toronto, which has been pretty bad in the last couple games. With the way Preki’s club has been playing thus far this season it could be a long night for the fans at BMO Field.

2. Will Chivas continue their dominance of Toronto?

Let’s face it, even in the short couple of years Chivas has owned Toronto. Especially in Toronto. Two games in BMO Field and the homeside has only scored a single goal to the AmeriGoats five.

I think for them to continue their streak against the Canadian side they need to control the pace of the game from the start and attack the backline down the middle. Chivas has done a good job so far this season getting players in the box and forcing more shots than most defenses want to give up in the penalty area. Chivas hasn’t been pretty but they have been effective this season in the offensive third of the field.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

For me its actually two guys, Carl Robinson and Sam Cronin for Toronto. Those two have to step up and control the defensive side of the ball in the middle of the pitch for TFC tonight. If they can keep the pressure of the backline and rookie keeper Stefan Frei you could see Toronto have more success on the offensive end due to better amount of chances.

Quick Thoughts:

No doubt it is hard to pick against Chivas right now. The AmeriGoats have played above and beyond what most expected them to do this season. Fun part is they’ve been doing it without the help of some key starters and with a cast of guys that we had never heard of before until this season.

With the league’s best defense going against one of the more shaky attacks you’d have to think it smells like three points for the visitors right? I think so. Normally I would call a draw for a game like this but I see Chivas moving forward here with another three points and Toronto continuing their slide here at home. Until TFC can prove to us all that they can put together a full effort for 90 minutes consistently it will be hard to pick them in these games.

WVH Prediction: Chivas 2, Toronto 1

Time now for the final preview if you will, the season predictions. I will go through who I think we need to keep an eye out for, some rookies that could make a splash, and some coaches that could be on the hot seat this year. Later on today (or maybe tomorrow morning) I will have the year’s first power rankings.

Keeping in the tradition of past season predictions there will be some random stat guesses. Like them or hate them, I do them every year and sometimes actually end up correct on them.

As always feel free to add your own predictions below.

Players to watch in 2009:

• Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew – The MVP, probably the best player even for his age in the league. Even if GBS is half as productive as he was a year ago the Crew will be alright. The man can make anyone look good on the field. Sure he is a DP but he is well worth the pay in my book. Still for the Crew to repeat GBS needs another 15-20 assist year, with probably 6-9 goals too.
• Christian Gomez, DC United – The main reason why I have him here is because he is back in Black…the Black-and-Red that is. Getting Gomez back in DC is a big thing, plus this time he seems like he really wants to be there. Good thing too because this could either be a good DC team or a terrible DC team.
• Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas – For Dallas a lot still rests on Cooper. How much longer will he be with the Red Stripes? And can he produce like he did a year ago? A 15-20 goal season shouldn’t be far off with the addition of David Ferreira, but will he stay on board for the full year? I just doubt it.
• Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy – Just like Cooper, how long will the Galaxy be able to hold on to LandyCakes in 2009? For me this should be his last year in MLS. Maybe even last couple months. I really was shocked to see Bayern Munich not pick him up and I wouldn’t be shocked to see another club in Europe come get him before the year is out. As for the MLS side with Donovan, I fully expect him to pick up where he left off in 2008.
• Dwayne de Rosario, Toronto FC – The big guy is finally home in Toronto. Just how good will the Reds be with him in 2009? I think the potential is certainly there but as we all know it comes down to his pairing with Amado Guevara. Its a pairing I have to say I like though and one I think will work. If it doesn’t it could be another long year at BMO Field.

A couple coaches already feeling the heat in 2009 (no particular order here):

• John Carver, Toronto FC – Should TFC get off to a slow start or start to stumble in the summer again we could see Carver and even GM Mo Johnston get the boot from upper management. I think if one goes the other will have to do the same. They both built the team but its more up to Carver to get the results on the field now. If it doesn’t happen fast enough he could be the first to go this year.
• Curt Onalfo, Kansas City Wizards – I know some Wizard fans will get on me for this one but I’ve had the same feeling about Onalfo since he took over this club. I always feel they are a below-average club because of him and I really believe that if the club isn’t looking good before going into a new stadium he could be one to blame. Management seems pretty true to their guys but if the club isn’t producing points and playing inconsistent like they have in years past, Onalfo could be looking at a pink slip.
• Bruce Arena, LA Galaxy – Bruce has total control over this club, which is a good thing and a bad thing. Good in the sense that he can control the roster and get who he wants in. Bad in the sense that if he fails to deliver quality play by the All-Star break he may get fired for it. Oh yeah, and he still has the Beckham Soap Opera to deal with.
• Juan Carlos Osorio, NY Red Bulls – I know Osorio made it to the MLS Cup last year with the Red Bulls…I know that. I put him on here for the same reason I put any NY coach on here. No coach has ever stayed with that club long enough to give anyone a reason to not expect them to get canned if the club doesn’t do well. Osorio is in danger if the guys he brings in this year fail to work out and the club fails to reach it’s full potential.

Rookies to keep an eye out for in 2009:

• Sam Cronin, Toronto FC – For me out of the gate he should be the leading candidate for ROY. I fully expect him to be a big time contributer for this club in 2009.
• Steve Zakuani, Seattle Sounders FC - With the number one pick comes a lot of hype and pressure. Zakuani has the skills and the talent to live up to the hype and the pressure. He will have plenty of time to develop his skills to behind guys like Nate Jaqua and Fredy Montreo
• Omar Gonzalez, LA Galaxy – There was a reason why people loved this kid coming out of college. He has the size and tools that Bruce Arena needs as a center back.

The rest of the bold season predictions:

1. A MLS club will win SuperLiga. – New England did it a year ago, I sort of see them repeat it this year.
2. A MLS club will win the US Open Cup – Some think the margin between the USL and MLS is closer than ever, I sort of disagree. Its all about getting up for these games, which the MLS clubs don’t do as well as the USL clubs do. I think a club like Chicago will win the Open Cup in 2009.
3. MLS will expand to Portland and Vancouver. – Not much of a prediction but we will hear them announced by the end of the month.
4. MLS will also announce plans for the 2013 round of expansion. – Cities like Miami, St. Louis, Montreal, New York, Las Vegas, Ottawa, Atlanta and Phoenix will all enter their name in the hat with a surprise city or two (Milwaukee and Edmonton).
5. One trade in the mid-season will shake up everything. It happens nearly every year, a trade that helps get one club to a MLS Cup while helping a less fortunate club get some salary cap room that they need for the following year.
6. Another club will add a DP by the end of the summer. I see Toronto finally doing it.
7. A couple Yanks abroad will return home. Maybe a Preston Zimmerman or someone like that. Gregg Berhalter maybe?
8. MLS will field four clubs in the CCL. I think Toronto comes out of Canada to join Columbus, DC and New York in the group phase this fall. None do all that well though as usual.
9. Houston and KC will see stadiums slowly go up. I may have mentioned this before but I see big things for these two clubs once their stadiums are done. Both will play another year or two in temp venues but will have very nice stadiums afterwards, everything breaks this year for them.
10. DC will finally get their stadium deal in place. Sad to say but I have been adding this to the predictions for the past couple years. I really believe this is the year though.
11. MLS will win the All-Star game. Yawn.
12. Juan Pablo Angel will lead the league in scoring. I think Angel will net at least 17 this year, if not 19 or 20.
13. GBS will lead the league in assists. Shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. But RSL’s Javier Morales will make it interesting in that race.
14. Kasey Keller will lead the league in saves. Weak defense, new club. It smells like a good bet.
15. Blanco will lead the league in fouls suffered. It was a easy pick a year ago, so why change it.
16. Blanco will also be a finalist for the MVP even though there is a better candidate. It’s happened before so why not again?
17. A late season run will help…San Jose. I see thinks falling in line for the Quakes this year. But it won’t come easy at first.
18. Frank Yallop will win coach of the year. The late run will help.
19. Sam Cronin will win rookie of the year. The kid is golden.
20. GBS will repeat as MVP. Who else can step up and knock him off right now? No one, that’s who.
21. Chicago will win the Supporter’s Shield. Something about the Fire I like.
22. Houston will once again win the western conference. Until someone knocks them off, why not?
23. The east will go as follows: Chicago, Columbus, Toronto, New England, New York, DC , KC.
24. The west will go as follows: Houston, Salt Lake, San Jose, Chivas, Seattle, Dallas , LA, Colorado
25. The playoffs will include: Chicago, Columbus, Houston, RSL, Toronto, San Jose, New England, Chivas.
26. Columbus will repeat as MLS Champions. Even with the heavier schedule I just can’t see anyone knocking them off just yet.

And I’m not talking about a Dr. Pepper either. Toronto FC manager John Carver gave his club an ultimatum today, “give me a designated player next year or I am out.”

“I’ve gone on record and I’ll say it again, because no matter what happens, at the end of the season, if I’m going to be here at this club, we have to do something about it. We have to bring in that quality-type of player,” said Carver, who is on a one-year contract with a club option for the 2009 season.

Added the Englishman: “The club is aware of it, the management is aware of it, the fans are certainly aware of it, and we have to do it, because if we don’t, I will definitely, definitely go home. No buts about it.”

“We need to build the product on the field. In the first two years you take the view that you have to walk before you can run. Now we’re ready to run and the time is right. That’s why I’m making a big thing about it.”

“Even if we make the playoffs in this situation and we don’t [sign a DP], then I’ll go home. I won’t hang around. I couldn’t do a job thinking I promised something and couldn’t produce the goods,” Carver said.

Eh, honestly this dude is good as done in Major League Soccer. He hasn’t been able to cut it and really he could also blame a bit on his management, more importantly on Mo Johnston for the moves that he has made here.

Toronto has the money to spend on next year’s bunch and there is little doubt that they won’t spend it all too. They don’t actually need a high profile player to bring in the fans either, they will still be there no matter what I think. They just need a true play maker and one that can score goals in bunches.

What do you think about Carver here? Is he as good as done in MLS after this year or will he stick around once TFC gets a designated player?

Okay, while I was gone a lot changed in the landscape of Major League Soccer. And by a lot, as you all probably know by now means a lot. One club punched their ticket into the post season while everyone else made it a little more interesting to see just who will get in the playoffs.

East v. West

One thing that is funny is how we talked all year how great the East is and how poor the West has been. Funny story though, right now four eastern clubs are in the playoff picture and so are four western clubs. That’s exactly what MLS went for when they changed their playoff format in the manner that they did. It created more push for the playoffs and right now its all about who’s got the hot hand and out west you are seeing some hotter hands.

Not to say the East is losing their steam this season but it means the West is finally waking up and realizing that in order to play for a MLS Cup you have to reach the playoffs to do so. A 30-game season is long, and as some say its a marathon and not a sprint. The clubs that have paced themselves the best are doing the best while the others who ran out in front too soon lost momentum and now are looking at a top three draft pick in January.

MLS Calendar Still Sucks

MLS Commissioner Don Garber told Luis Arroyave last week that there is still little that can be done to help out the clubs in terms of scheduling.

“There are 13 weekends affected by international play and we have a 30 week season,” said Garber. “To not play on those dates is impossible.

“In those markets — and Toronto is one of them — where they can play a disproportionate number of games during the week, then we’ll schedule more games during the week up there. But most markets are unable to handle that.”

“Starting at the end of February would be a little difficult to do here [in Chicago],” Garber said. “Even the first or second week in December would be almost impossible to do in most markets.

“We could look at extending it a week or two, but we can’t fit those 13 weeks into our schedule while we’re playing in this part of the world and have a fan base that disproportionately comes to games on weekends versus during the week. In almost all markets, the difference in attendance is over 50 percent for games played on a Wednesday or Thursday night than a Saturday night.”

Read more of Arroyave’s interview with the Don here, its pretty typical stuff really but worth a read when you get the chance if you haven’t already.

Probably the biggest nugget we got from that interview is SuperLiga and CONCACAF Champions League discussion. It sorta sounds like the league is listening to people when it comes to which clubs they send to which tournaments. Again I am all for the league sending its top three (plus USOC champion) to CCL and the next four to SuperLiga. Its a win-win for all in my book.

Speaking of CCL

The MLS clubs are still struggling. Surprise right? Also those USL teams are still rolling. Crazy right? I’d honestly love to see a USL club do well in that tournament and so far we are seeing two USL clubs do extremely well. I guess low expectations do breed good results sometimes.

Coaching Hot Seat Update

Keeping Carver at the top again. But adding KC’s Curt Onalfo to the bottom between DC’s Tom Soehn and New York’s Juan Carlos Osorio. I think it is safe to say all four should feel heat. For some reason should RSL really bottom out I would consider Jason Kreis, even if their management really does have a boy crush on him.

Hot and Not

Hot

Dallas: Probably one of the hottest clubs at the moment thanks to Jeff Cunningham. Looks like that deal is working out after all for the Hoops. Three game unbeaten mark right now has them within reach of a playoff spot. Not just an automatic spot but a wildcard spot as well.

Not

New England: The Revs chances of a MLS Cup look slimmer and slimmer to me after seeing them drop a vital home game to Columbus. The Revs will still be in the top three in the east but don’t be shocked if they just run out of gas by the start of the first round.

Hot

Colorado: Maybe this club really just needed to get rid of Fernando Clavijo sooner. They’ve been on a solid run as of last and their big win against New York (5-4…gotta love those scorelines in New Jersey) has their fans believing once again. I’m starting to think that final game of the year against RSL will determine which of those two head into the playoffs.

Not

Toronto: Look at who Mo Johnston has gotten rid of in the past couple seasons: Edson Buddle, Jeff Cunningham and Alecko Eskardarian. Yup, at least the first two have produced plenty of goals. Oh yeah, he also had to part with Ronnie O’Brien and others who just didn’t want to be there. Tough times. At least they have around a million (yes a million) in allocation money and few early draft picks.

Chivas was cool with it, but the league wasn’t.

An MLS spokesman stated the league did not want to set a precedent by re-scheduling and felt it was unfair to other teams that might be missing players.

The more I think about this the more I start to feel bad for Toronto. Now had this only been one or two players it wouldn’t be an issue or even a thought to think Toronto would be in the wrong by petitioning this re-scheduling. But since they are missing NINE players it makes things very tough for a team in a league that doesn’t have enough depth to begin with anyways.

Still, the issue remains the same, is that the league’s continued insistence on playing a full MLS schedule on an international fixture date. MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis told media this week that the league is looking hard at trying to work around international fixture dates but that the limited number of available dates makes avoiding them all impossible.

For a year that is as close as it has ever been in terms of the playoff race, wouldn’t it be wise to let teams have a level playing field? I get that the schedules are tough to make but let’s be honest they aren’t made very well as it stands right now. The league wants to be known on an international stage but they continue to work their teams in a frenzy when they don’t have adequate roster limits and the right amount of salary cap space.

Hopefully this kind of thing will get a serious look at this offseason and the league will work hard to increase roster size and salary cap space for each club. I know the money issue is easier said than done but if they want to be ‘major league’, they need to act like it.

The Fish has landed with his new club on the way to this retreat. Good news too and probably a huge sigh of relief out of Carver who’s had to dodge Ruiz questions all week.

“It’s a chance for him to get to know the guys, and get in amongst them,” Carver said.

“I’m not going to bring him in and have a war against him (and) I think that’s what happened in L.A.,” said Carver, referring to the rocky relationship between Ruiz and Ruud Gullit, the Galaxy’s former coach. “This is a guy you might have to cuddle.”

Rightfully so. A gutsy move by a coaching staff that is in the middle of a playoff race. Toronto currently sits a couple points out of contention in the east. Getting the distractions and regrouping as a team though at this time of the year is not a bad thing at all. These kinds of things either do a lot of harm or a lot of good. That is why they bumped this trip up from later on in the season.

Plus it is a chance to play on the el naturel of surfaces.

“We’re going to take them up to Blue Mountain resort, wherever that is,” Carver said after yesterday’s 90-minute practice. “It’s a great opportunity to train on grass.”

You think these guys can’t wait until BMO Field gets a natural surface next year? I think so. But what do you make of a club like Toronto doing such a thing this time of the year? Will it pay off for the club who has seen a lot of change in recent weeks or will it do more harm?

So with that said it is time to figure out who is next in line or who is getting a warmer seat.

A little recap though for those keeping score at home. Below are the three coaches that have either been fired or have “resigned” on their own terms.

Fernando Clavijo, Colorado Rapids: Saw it coming from day one of LAST year. Finally happened though it probably wasn’t the way we all expected it to go down.

Ruud Gullit, LA Galaxy: I had him on the hot seat for the majority of the season, even during their decent spell of games that they won earlier in the year. While I didn’t expect him to get the boot this year the writing on the wall was pretty clear about it happening.

Steve Morrow, FC Dallas: Just as I start to mention him on the hot seat he gets canned this year. I previously mentioned at the start of the season that he would feel the heat and be in the discussion to get the boot if his club didn’t play well. Yeah, we all know how that one went.

So who’s next here? I’m closing the poll on the side of the page about this because of Clavijo’s resignation, most of you felt that it was his time to go as well but a few of you have picked on the other candidates that I provided.

Some of you have been pointing out to me about the top three now on the site and have asked why I put the three that I have. Simple, I will tell you as I always do. Pretty much this list is more geared towards this fall and winter. I highly doubt any more coaches will get the boot during this season but it is never too early to look ahead at these types of things.

1. Juan Carlos Osorio, New York: Osorio is feeling the heat because he is coaching in New York. The club has never been stable in terms of coaching and Osorio is trying to buck that trend. I for one hope it happens but until I see it he will be on this list, near the top, because of where he is at. Not to mention his club hasn’t been all that great this season anyways. His last two games have certainly helped his cause and some of his new players are making him look smart once again.

While I think New York will keep him for next year here it wouldn’t shock me to see him go if the club fails to reach the playoffs this season. They are in the playoff picture right now with 28 points and their schedule is certainly doable from here out. But some stumbles in games they should win will not give Red Bull fans hope for this club in the playoffs with as tight as the eastern conference is this year. They don’t appear to be a lock for an automatic bid at this point with the way Columbus, New England and Chicago have been playing…not to mention DC is right now there in that mix.

A wild-card at best right now for this club. If they stumble in the playoffs look out.

2. Tom Soehn, DC United: I put Soehn near the top for a couple reasons. One, his club has been largely inconsistent all year due to injuries and a packed schedule. Secondly, some questionable roster moves early will be blamed on him for not working out by some people (which isn’t always the case but does happen).

People in DC expect winning and at 9-10-1 right now, that isn’t exactly winning. Again, blame a slow start, a packed schedule, injuries, whatever things just aren’t as good as we’ve seen out of this bunch as before.

DC should make the playoffs but another stumble out will not work out well for Soehn this year.

3. John Carver, Toronto FC: Even with some recent moves I think Carver has to get a mention. I usually hate putting first year coaches on this list but with someone like Mo Johnston running the show in the background I wonder exactly how well things are working in Toronto. Plus, look at all the comments Carver makes in the presses, he isn’t exactly thrilled with how things go in MLS.

Should this club fail to reach the playoffs, expect there to be some serious heat on Carver. He’s had to juggle a line up a bit this season and in all honesty he needs some help in certain areas from Johnston in terms of players on the roster (defensively and up until the Ruiz trade, offensively).

If he reaches the playoff he will be fine but for now he has to be feeling some heat going into the final third of the season.

A couple to keep an eye out:

Preki, Chivas USA: While I think it would be a big injustice to Preki due to all the injuries his club has had to deal with it wouldn’t shock me to see this club try another direction if they fail to reach the playoffs this year.

Curt Onalfo, Kansas City Wizards: A lot of Wizards fans hate me for putting their coach anywhere near this list but come to reality folks, even with a  young roster if you fail to produce results, then things have to change. I highly doubt he will get the boot anytime this year (offseason included) but I’m still not overly thrilled with the roster this club has right now. I think come the middle of next year if things are still floating around where they are now he will definitely be feeling the heat.