Its late-July and that means its trade season in Major League Soccer. Today we have a good one to discuss. The Chicago Fire have sent midfielder Justin Mapp to the Philadelphia Union in exchange for allocation money.

The nine year veteran has spent most of his career with the Fire helping them win a US Open Cup in 2003 and in 2006.

Its a fairly big move for the Fire, it shows they are re-doing some of their roster here and are getting a new look in some ways. Philadelphia on the other hand gets a veteran in the midfield that they need and some much needed depth on the wings. For the Union I really like this move as Mapp was in need of a location change in my eyes.

What do you make of this move? Fire give away Mapp for too little here? Or is this a fair deal?

How will the Fire fare going forward in 2010? (Getty Images)

Today is the start of a new series. As teams get into training camp and new players come on board its worth looking into each club to see how they are stacking up and what else they need to do to get ready for the 2010 season. I got this idea from the post I did a few days back on how the Philadelphia Union were looking. I figured it would be good to do something like that to all the clubs.

I’ll go in alphabetical order here with this series. Now I don’t know if it will be a daily thing or what yet, it all depends on my current work schedule but I do plan on getting each club by the end of February.

Keeper:

Who they have: Jon Busch, Sean Johnson (GA), Andrew Dykstra

Notes: Busch is the main guy we know that and with rookie Sean Johnson waiting in the wings with that Generation adidas contract things should be looking pretty bright in this department for years to come. I honestly don’t know much about Dykstra so it wouldn’t be too shocking to hear if the Fire waive him or send him out on loan this year at some point to get him some playing time.

Defense:

Who they have: CJ Brown, Tim Ward, Wilman Conde, Daniel Woolard, Dasan Robinson, Austin Washington, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Krzysztof Król, and Steven Kinney.

Notes: Getting Krol and drafting someone like Watson-Siriboe should make up for the losses of Gonzalo Segares and their lack of depth down the stretch in 2009. Conde will obviously still be the rock in the middle and adding Krol to the outside should work. I’m curious to see if Frank Klopas and Carlos de los Cobos add anything else to this group. Its good but not great right now, maybe one more center back would do the trick to keep Jon Busch from having to come up with big games.

Midfield:

Who they have: Logan Pause, Baggio Husidić, John Thorrington, Marco Pappa, Mike Banner, Justin Mapp, Peter Lowry, Corben Bone, Julio Martínez, and Drew Yates.

Notes: I really like what they’ve done to make up for the losses of Blanco and Chris Rolfe this winter so far. Adding Martinez on loan makes up for Rolfe on the wings and getting lucky in the draft by landing Bone was something else. For some reason I really like this group and hope it turns out to be as good as I think they can be in 2010. I’m very curious to see the development of Husidic in 2010 and I hope Thorringtoncontinues to grow as a player too.

One thing I kind of see happening at some point is a trade involving Justin Mapp. For some reason I get the feeling his time in Chicago is almost up. Just a hunch at this point from me but all I am saying is don’t be shocked if at some point this season we see him in a different uniform.

Forwards:

Who they have: Brian McBride, Patrick Nyarko, Calen Carr, and Stefan Dimitrov.

Notes: I’d say this is the one area Klopas has the most work to do. There are rumors that Collin John could be headed to Chicago. John was a former teammate of McBride at Fulham. I’m not entirely sure if that is the best move for the Fire at this point but they definitely need someone else along with McBride and Nyarko. Someone younger than John would probably be the best fit in my eyes. (ignore that comment on finding someone younger, I thought I read that John was 34, but he is only 24. Wow, it is Friday)

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Overall:

The Fire aren’t looking too bad overall considering the talent they lost this winter and the coaching change. I still have my doubts defensively with this group and I question right now whether or not they have enough offense to remain a top dog in the east. Also with SuperLiga on their schedules again this year I wonder a bit about their depth. On the surface it seems decent enough but a couple more quality moves like Krol and Martinez before the season will put my worries to rest with this group.

Klopas and de los Cobos have done a good job so far this month. Their draft a couple weeks ago was one of the best in the league. Usually a coaching change in the winter will see its ups and downs but seeing how de los Cobos is letting Klopas take control of picking out a good majority of the talent I think this team will be just fine in 2010.

Expect a new look Fire in 2010. (Getty Images)

The 2009 season for the Chicago Fire was expected to be a big one. Talks of MLS Cup and Supporter’s Shield were all the rage to begin the season. Early on this year it looked like the expectations were being met as the Fire lost a single game in the first three months of the season.

Then came the summer where sometimes good teams go to waste. The Fire found some injuries got in the way of a dream season as Brian McBrdie went out with a shoulder injury while head coach Denis Hamlett struggled to keep a locker room happy. The Fire defense, which was once one of the best in the league started to come up short and even more so once Bakery Soumare left town.

Down the stretch the Fire kept coming up short as injuries piled up and their home play was anything less than stellar. In the final 12 games the club only won four games while never really finding any sort of consistent play.

In the end PKs did the club in against Real Salt Lake in the eastern conference finals. Their home play at Toyota Park was still a weakness and now they head into an offseason with a load of questions.

What Went Right In 2009:
When things were clicking and all parties involved were healthy this was one hell of a club. The depth early on was there for this bunch but towards the end even that depth wasn’t enough to push them towards a MLS Cup. McBride and Blanco were still a force to deal with and guys like Wilman Conde in the back were still some of the best in the league. On any given day the Fire could beat you any way around the field they wanted to with Blanco leading the attack.

What Went Wrong In 2009:
Let’s just say expectations were not even close to being met in the Windy City. Sure they reached the conference final but this bunch had better things expected out of them to start the year. The injury to McBride was a real killer in the middle of the year as the offense really never found it’s punch even though guys like Chris Rolfe were still tough to hold up around net. Once the word got out about Hamlett and Soumare and the locker room issues there the club really never was the same again. Questions surrounded whether or not Hamlett would return and they still will for the coming weeks.

What’s Next:
A lot of changes are going to take place over the next few weeks. Blanco is going to Mexico as we know. Rolfe is out to Europe and I’d expect a few more changes to come after that. No word yet on if McBride is coming back for another year and I would imagine a lot of that comes down to who will be coaching this club next year. Hamlett may still come back for the 2010 season but one has to wonder if he really is the right man for the gig. I’d imagine we will hear about his status over the next week or so before the expansion draft. After that expect some moves to happen and some player to leave.

Who to protect and who to expose is the guessing game for the Fire. (Getty Images)

This year unlike the last couple the expansion draft caught up with me here. I almost feel like I am a little late getting these lists out for the draft which is a couple days after MLS Cup. Starting today I will release a team-by-team list of who I think will be protected and who I think will be left exposed.

Now I know I don’t have connections to every club but I will say this year seems to be a little easier to do than in year’s past. Maybe it is because I’ve been doing this for a couple years now and I am starting to get how clubs do this sort of thing.

Today I am starting at the top of the alphabet with the Chicago Fire. I know they are still in the running for MLS Cup here but they too will have to make a decision or two about who to keep and who not to keep.

Chicago is an interesting group that should see plenty of changes this winter. The two I go back and forth on are Blanco and McBride. We know Blanco has signed in Mexico for next year but has an option to return to Chicago if he wants after the World Cup. So do you protect a guy that may not come back? Or protect a high salary of an older guy who’s future is also a bit uncertain?

The one guy I could see go in place of McBride is Justin Mapp, but even his higher salary seems like a gamble to take in this draft so for now I have him unprotected. Also keep in mind Rolfe is gone after this year is up so no need to protect him.

See anyone you think I missed on the protected list? Let’s hear it.

Dwayne De Rosario was a handful for KC this past weekend. (Brian Stevens, WVH Photo Correspondent)

We got one week under our belts and already a lot to discuss. Week one left us with plenty…and I do mean plenty of quality goals. We also got a few surprises on the week as well like Chivas’s Paulo Nagamura and his random two goal effort over the Rapids. Lastly we got some solid crows for the opening week (Dallas may have been the biggest shocker after reports of only 5,000 tickets being sold a couple weeks ago).

I felt like doing something a little different for this week’s recap. Instead of going game-by-game here I thought it would be more appropriate to go team-by-team in a first impressions kind of mode. I am a big believer in the eye-ball test for teams, meaning that first impressions do go a long way.

As always feel free to pipe in your thoughts on the first weekend of action below.

Chicago Fire:

Offensively they didn’t impress me all that much. They put a decent attack together against a rather mediocre defense in FC Dallas. Still a three goal effort on the road is good no matter how the attack looked. The goal with Justin Mapp is exactly what you expect out of this club though and it is something I can see this club doing a lot this season. Blanco’s free kick was pretty sweet too.

Defensively they weren’t bad, giving up an early cheap goal from Kenny Cooper. Giving up a goal from beyond midfield is a keeper issue and just a smart play by Cooper. Really nothing to go crazy over.

Still this club gave me what I expected. A slow start with a strong finish.

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Chivas USA:

I said in the season predictions and previews that if this club stays healthy they will be really tough to handle out west. They don’t have a lot of flashy talent but they have the guys that aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty to get the job done. Head coach Preki still finds a way to get everything out of what he has on the field, even if it isn’t his best 11.

How about Paulo Nagamura and his two goal effort? Four career MLS goals and he nets two to start the 2009 campaign. Not a bad way to start at all. It didn’t hurt that the Rapids really gave him a lot to work with on each goal.

Defensively this club didn’t look bad but I have to say they need a new keeper in a bad way here. Zach Thornton is decent but he is no longer a reliable guy between the posts. His little give-away in the goal mouth can’t be done on any level.

I thought the new additions weren’t too shabby either. Striker Eduardo Lillingston and defender Mariano Trujillio had decent debuts for their new club.

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Columbus Crew:

What can you say about this club? In 2008 they were the toughest team to beat and that is carrying over in 2009. I felt offensively they had the bulk of the chances in their game against Houston but were unable to really capitalize on what they had until late. Guillermo Barros Schelotto is still a genius in the midfield and really no one can handle him, even one of the better defensive clubs in the league.

This club is still dangerous on all ends though. I kind of felt they could have had the early advantage with the Chad Marshall goal that was called off due to a foul on Marshall. That call really could have gone either way but kudos to the official for sticking to his call on it.

I think overall things will still run through Columbus in 2009.

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Colorado Rapids:

I have a feeling this will be a long year in Colorado. While the one goal was a positive thing the defense and the midfield play were rather pathetic. They were able to put some decent pressure on late but no one made a solid enough effort to really test Chivas keeper Zach Thornton late.

I think for me it comes down to a lack of creativity in the midfield for this club. We know Christian Gomez failed to work out there last year but I think it is already time to begin looking for a DP-level playmaker in the middle for this club. Someone like a Schelotto or a Blanco that elevates this club to a new level. I really think that is the biggest thing missing for them and could be the difference between making the playoffs or not this season.

Still Conor Casey showed me that his late run a year ago was no joke. That is a good thing for Rapids fans.

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DC United:

We thought it in preseason play but now in regular season play we still believe it. It could very well be a long season in DC. Tom Soehn is probably already on the hot seat for his club’s performance in the second half against LA. Sure some calls (that handball call, are you kidding me?!) didn’t go his way and that nasty collision between Devon McTavish and Greg Janicki didn’t help either.

I thought early on things were going to be different for DC. They came out and impressed me early on with a nice two goal lead. But their downfall was due to their biggest weakness, their defense.

Still some pluses to note, I really thought both first round picks played well this weekend which means things could quickly get on the rise in DC. Rodney Wallace recorded an assist and Chris Pontius recorded the first goal by a rookie this season.

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FC Dallas:

Ah, the home club for me. Well the crowd was much better than we expected. The new dance team looked alright and Kenny Cooper scored from midfield. Not much else to really leave you with here.

Defensively the club didn’t look any better than what we’ve seen out of them for the last couple years. In the midfield we saw a couple decent bits out of David van den Burgh (no surprise) but nothing too great out of newcomer David Ferreira. He has to find a better way of controlling the game for Dallas in the midfield. If he doesn’t no one else will.

I thought offensively aside from Cooper’s long-range blast, there wasn’t a whole lot there. The chances looked decent but after reviewing them a couple times they actually weren’t all that great.

Not a great start, and not a real surprise either in their start. I kind of feel it will be a very long year in Dallas for this bunch.

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Houston Dynamo:

Pretty much what I expected out of this bunch. Sound on defense yet only to give up a really good goal that not too many could score like that (and not too many keepers could save). I gotta say I was impressed a bit by Chris Wondolowski in the offensive end for Houston. While I don’t think he will be the best partner to Brian Ching in 2009 he certainly made his case for it. He found himself in a decent position more than once but he just needs to find a better way to put the ball home in the back of the net.

Overall though not bad out of this bunch. The only real downer was probably the field at Robertson Stadium, it was a total mess.

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Not the greatest start to the season for Jimmy Conrad and KC. (Brian Stevens, WVH Photo Correspondent)

Kansas City Wizards:

Defensively it was about what I expected. The lack of defensive quality in the midfield always puts more pressure on this club’s backline. When you add in the fact that Toronto now has some serious talent in their midfield it really showed up for me on Saturday night. I watched a few highlights a couple times and noticed just how out of place some guys in blue looked. It may have been the quick counters that Toronto was getting but it just seems like KC has more guys committed forward than what their defensive midfield can actually handle.

Still they were in this game thanks to two amazing strikes by Davy Arnaud. Pick either one and they could be goal of the week material. It seems that just as last year Arnaud will carry this club on his back offensively. Thing is those types of goals don’t always come every week.

A positive note to finish them off here, rookie Graham Zusi looked real solid in the offensive third for this club.

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LA Galaxy:

Looked okay. The slow start defensively was expected for this bunch but the two late goals by Landon Donovan put the defensive issues to rest for the day. The equalizer was something else though, very clutch.

Still growning pains are going to be apart of this club for the next couple months. They have a solid core of rookies, a decent amount of veterans and then Landon Donovan. Thing is Donovan can only carry this club so much like he has done in years past.

Their rookies showed up in the starting lineup weren’t bad but did help DC out more than their own. Omar Gonazlez has talent but man did the kid ever give up a goal for DC.

Its going to take a lot to get this club to the next level but if everyone can be patient and also if they can get a little luck this club could surprise some.

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New England Revolution:

Their game was no biggie. Defensively they were more impressive than I expected without Michael Parkhurst and offensively they were able what I expected with no Taylor Twellman. Their two rookies looked great though. Kevin Alston showed his quality was really locked down a tough player in Darren Huckerby on the wings. Darius Barnes also started in the backline with Alston and really impressed me, plus the kid has a cannon for a throw-in.

I said on Friday that Kheli Dube would have to carry the scoring load for the Revs and he came through. The Revs really didn’t show a lot of negatives but then again didn’t give up a lot of positives either. I did think that the Quakes would score a couple on them but give Steve Nicol credit for picking a defense out that not many would have expected to see a couple months ago. Starting two rookies in the back is always bold but Nicol always finds a way to make it work. It also didn’t hurt that San Jose couldn’t hit anything on Saturday night.

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New York Red Bulls:

Lets get real honest about this club. If their defensive additions don’t pan out quick this could be a long year for them. Plus the key guys in the midfield that are expected to produce failed to do so against Seattle. I wonder how long it will take before Juan Carlos Osorio realizes that Juan Pietravallo is just not a good idea.

This club has a lot of expectations surrounding them and really I am wondering exactly how they will live up to them this year. The first impression they gave me in 2009 was not a good one. It was similar to what I said about them a season ago. Sound offensively, a bit over hyped in the midfield, lacking in defense and nothing special in goal.

I said it Friday and I will say again, is Danny Cepero really an upgrade to Jon Conway? I wasn’t a Conway fan but after reviewing some of Thursday night’s game I am starting to wonder if Cepero is any better.

It will get better in New York, but Osorio better get use to hearing his name on the hot seat again if it doesn’t come quickly.

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Real Salt Lake:

Off in week one, check back next week.

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San Jose Earthquakes:

They picked up where they left off a year ago on offense. No one could hit anything, okay, well that wasn’t true as they hit the post a few times. Still it wasn’t a good offensive showing by the Quakes. Though I think we saw what is to actually come from this club. The first goal is always the toughest to get in a new season and it will come for this club soon enough.

I think once Weaver and Huckerby settle into this season they will start seeing more chances come their way. I thought the Quakes held New England off pretty well in the midfield, which isn’t always easy to do with Shalrie Joesph out there.

Again another rookie showed promise out there. Quincy Amarikwa looked pretty solid for San Jose. I think he will eventually link up well with Weaver and guys like Shea Salines.

Defensively they are still as solid as before. The one mistake ended in a New England goal. I don’t see this club giving up too many multi-goal games though this season anyways.

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The eye-ball test was real good for this club. I think everyone will see them more as a club that isn’t in their first year than one that is. They became the first expansion club since Chicago in 1998 to win their first game…and we all know what Chicago went on to do in that season.

Hard to really find a lot of faults in this club after their first game. Fredy Montero was a beast. Osvaldo Alonso may have been the best USL-to-MLS addition that we’ve seen since Brian Ching. He answered a lot of questions that I had about him and his ability to go from USL to MLS.

Defensively the club looked okay. Nothing great but Kasey Keller did show that he still has it.

Oh and that crowd looked amazing.

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Toronto FC:

A nice group of TFC supporters decended on KC. (Brian Stevens, WVH Photo Correspondent)

Aside from two You-tube worthy goals given up this club looked a lot better than what we had seen out of them a year ago. I said on Friday to keep an eye on Amado Guevara and he did not disappoint with his two-goal effort. Dwayne de Rosario was a handful in the midfield for KC, as he set up a couple goals for the Reds.

Defensively they looked better, not great but better. I think their offense will easily carry them this season while their defense could cost them some games down the stretch.

Make no mistake, this club should contend in 2009 though.

If you got someone who was snubbed let’s hear it.

I’ll keep with the same 3-5-2 formation that we’ve been using for the All-Star game.

Keeper:

Jon Busch, Chicago Fire: Easily putting up the best numbers of any keeper this season. It was clear that it was going to be tough to beat out Matt Reis but surprising enough Busch had to contend with Pat Onstad too. The Canadian won since the game is in Toronto and Busch is left with nothing.

Defense:

Gonzalo Segares, Chicago Fire: Hmm, another Fire player snubbed. But Segares was one I was pretty upset about. He’s one of the best defenders in the league and continues to show he is the most underrated defender in the league today.

Nat Borchers, Real Salt Lake: There is a reason why Salt Lake is starting to contend this season, and it is because of this guy on their backline. They finally wised up and signed some defense this season and it is paying off.

Gonzalo Martinez, DC United: He wasn’t a high profile signing in the offseason but something about Martinez works for me in DC. I think he is having a solid season and those early season struggles are why he was left off, then again its why any DC player was left off.

Midfield:

Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew: Three goals and eight assists have GBS sitting out of the All-Star game while one goal and two assist have Juan Toja on the roster.

Jesse Marsch, Chivas USA: We talk about veterans that lead clubs like Jimmy Conrad and Steve Ralston. Well, if it weren’t for Marsch the Red-and-White would be down in the dumps of the west with Dallas and San Jose right now and not in the thick of things.

Javier Morales, Real Salt Lake: Three goals and seven assists seem Morales sitting at home while one goal and two assist have Juan Toja on the All-Star roster. Man someone dropped the ball with picking Toja huh?

Carl Robinson, Toronto FC: Probably one of the most underrated players on the Toronto roster.

Justin Mapp, Chicago Fire: Another Fire player…hmm…I say Mapp because even though Blanco is making most of the magic in the Fire midfield, its Mapp that creates a lot of space for him on the wings to do that magic. Plus five assists is three better than Toja’s two.

Forwards:

Luciano Emilio, DC United: I don’t need to explain this one do I?

Alejandro Moreno, Columbus Crew: He may have cooled off but he still has six goals on the season. That’s not too shabby for Moreno.

This very well could be a deal that could signify a possible deal with Chicago before long regarding US striker Brian McBride. Toronto makes up the roster space to get the room for a possible player that Chicago will be giving up.

What player might that be? Toronto had strong interest in Justin Mapp, while Wilman Conde would also be a good addition for Toronto. I’m still thinking they could/should go for a Chris Rolfe or Chad Barrett.

New England makes out very well in all of this by acquiring a versatile and highly-regarded rookie in Phelan, who can provide cover both in the back and in defensive midfield. Adding a defensive player like that to increase their depth going into the summer is a move I really like for the Revs, plus I am still pretty high on Phelan to be a quality player in this league.

It will be interesting to see what Mo Johnston has under his sleeve now and just what the Fire will give up for the chance to add McBride. I think to say that Toronto doesn’t have leverage in this deal is a bit silly but it is MLS we are dealing with here when it comes to a high profile player.

Let’s face it, Chicago looked like the better side last night and in the end they walked away with the three points after another stellar effort. Not to mention the fact that they OWN DC in RFK Stadium like no one else in this league. The 2-0 win looked easy for the most part.

It wasn’t anything special either. The first half, Chicago created chances and in the later stages of the half they were rewarded with a Justin Mapp goal. By the way, that was Mapp’s first goal since 2006. As for DC in that first half, they failed to create any real chances against Chicago. It wasn’t a defensive stranglehold on DC by the Fire defense, it was merely a United team that didn’t look at all comfortable on the pitch with one another.

There it is, this club still hasn’t come together this season as a team.

Chicago on the other hand has. Seven games in and this club is sitting atop the entire league with 16 points, one ahead of idol Columbus.

DC remains the cellar dweller of the east with six points. Ouch. I know they had a slow start a year ago but this may take the cake.

Let’s drop some credit where it is due. Fire boss Dennis Hamlet may easily be the front-runner for this season’s Coach of the Year award. Whatever magic he throws out there seems to work. Seven games and only three goals against. That my friends takes a lot of effort. An effort that only the Fire are putting out right now.

Oh an by the way, the Fire also are tied for the lead in goals scored this season with LA. Major kudos going out right now to that Fire offense who really impressed me last night. The header by Chad Barrett to set up Mapp’s goal was simple and great to watch. As for the goal, it was just something that all you kiddies need to learn how to do out there. Stay calm, cool and collected in front of net. Mapp did just that. It wasn’t a power shot but one that saw placement with some pace. Very nice work.

We talk about how designated players work in this league, well one that continues to shine is Blanco. He scored his third goal of the season and for the most part was the reason why the Fire had the chances that they did last night.

DC on the other hand has a DP who sat out with an injury (Marcello Gallardo) and now another one that still couldn’t make anything happen (Luciano Emilio). But I will say this, there was a couple players for DC who did at least make the effort on the offensive end. Both Jamie Moreno and Fred at least tried to make things happen in both halves of play. Neither really connected on goal but at least someone was trying in a Black-and-Red kit.

I must say the more I see Chicago, the more I am impressed with them. And the more I see DC, the more I continue to question what’s going on with them. Maybe we need more time with them or something but right now things just aren’t what they should be in DC.

Tom Soehn has a lot of work to do. To say that they’ve been here before may start to get old but I think now we are seeing just how much passion this team doesn’t have out there. Sure they miss Ben Olsen a lot but even more so they miss the intensity that he always brought. Right now, they are missing it in a big way.