Another amazing stadium opens this weekend. (Wilf Thorne / Houston Dynamo)

All eyes this weekend will be on Houston. Major League Soccer get to open up yet another soccer specific stadium and BBVA Compass Stadium will certainly be a proud one to display to the world. The bright orange seats and the oven-like feeling inside will almost certainly give the Dynamo a tough home environment to deal with.

Aside from that Week 10 in MLS also has some other good games of note including a huge showcase game in Seattle between Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders. That clash will open up the Western Conference race a bit and show who really is the top dog in the league.

There are plenty of talking points for the weekend so here are some items I will be keeping a close watch on.

1. BBVA Goodness. I said yesterday in my predictions of New York and Houston that the Dynamo would likely not come out on top. The club would have their mind’s elsewhere and mostly they would be on Saturday’s home debut at their new stadium. Houston comes into this match with a respectable road record of 2-3-2 after seven games. Good but not great and certainly better than previous clubs who’ve started out the season with long road stretches while a stadium is being finished.

The Dynamo need a spark though. They’ve been marginal in seven games and really were just playing like a road team throughout. Hopefully the home game, in front of their fans, in a new environment that they can call their own will be enough of a spark to see just how good this team really is.

2. Can the Impact stay hot? I said it earlier in the week in my weekly recap, Montreal is the hottest Eastern Conference team going right now. Yeah, going 3-1-1 in their last five tells you that Jesse Marsch is finally hitting some of the right buttons. The midfield is coming around nicely and the defense isn’t giving up a ton of ugly mistakes.

They host the struggling Galaxy in one of the final games at the Big O this season for them. Naturally this will be another big draw for the expansion city. David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and company all come to town hoping to finally get going for good here this season.

Honestly, after nine games you have to think the Galaxy may be as good as they’re going to be here this season. They obviously have the talent to do some serious damage still in this league but something hasn’t clicked for them this season and I don’t see it happening on the road in a game like this. Montreal plays a physical brand of soccer, not one that LA will do well against unless someone sees an early red for the Impact.

3. Sporting to get back on track. Two straight surprise losses to Portland and Montreal have everyone really wondering about Sporting Kansas City. The club started out strong winning seven in a row before falling in their last two. Either clubs have figured out how to contain Sporting or maybe Peter Vermes’ side just hit a bit of a wall here. No matter which way you look at it if they go three in a row without a win, some serious questions will be raised about them.

They head to Chicago this weekend to face the Fire, a club that is still searching for an identity. The Windy City bunch are coming off a solid home draw to Real Salt Lake last night. Marco Pappa is looking dangerous by the minute for the Fire and defensively Frank Klopas’ side is getting better as well – last night’s shutout proved that.

4. Pioneer Cup weekend. This isn’t a major rivalry in MLS but FC Dallas and Columbus do play for a shiny trophy. The two Hunt Sports Group franchises are struggling big time though at the moment. Each side is dealing with a ton of injuries to key players and both come into this game searching just for points.

If anything this could be a game that comes down to the wire. Dallas looked strong last night against Seattle for the first 60 minutes or so but just failed to convert any chances. Columbus on the other hand has an offense that you really can’t write home about here so far this season. Six goals on the season puts them near the bottom of the league in that department. Dallas isn’t a ton better with 10 goals scored but something tells me after last night that they’ll have a better shot at things with Blas Perez back on the field.

5. Battle for the top spot. While San Jose may have something to say about things on Sunday with their game against Chivas USA, both RSL and Seattle will be dogging it out Saturday night to try and take hold of first place in the Western Conference and MLS. Each side are playing very well these days and the Sounders are certainly the hottest club in the league right now.

Sigi Schmid was wise and lucky enough to rest some key players last night in Dallas for Saturday’s game. He mentioned afterwards that getting Fredy Montero and Mauro Rosales some rest will certainly go a long way for this weekend’s result.

Defensively though should be a fun clash. Seattle is on a nice shutout run while Salt Lake proved in Chicago that they can win without Nick Rimando in goal.

6. New York looking for more. I have to give it up to the Red Bulls. Without Thierry Henry they continue to grind away at the 1-0 results (now three in a row). Dax McCarty has stepped up nicely as a leader in the clubhouse while the young defense in front of rookie keeper Ryan Meara continues to shine.

Hans Backe has finally gotten his side into position to succeed in my mind. At 19 points after 10 games, the credit goes to the unlikely sources like Meara and McCarty.

The Red Bulls have to deal with a Philly club that is still struggling to find a footing into this season. The Union have one of the worst attacks in MLS right now and defensively have struggled to stay in games. I’d imagine this one will be a physical affair, possibly one that sees a few cards. But given the style of play out of these two sides right now I really wouldn’t expect anything more than a 1-0 or 2-0 game here.

Aron Winter and Toronto FC are hoping to get their season back on track this weekend. (Getty Images)

We’re already off to a good start to the new week in Major League Soccer. Week 7 had two extra games to kick us off early last night with DC tying Montreal and Sporting Kansas City continuing their good form by improving to 7-0-0 after beating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1.

Three of those four teams from last night have double dips this week and will see action this weekend.

For the first week in I don’t know how long, we only have a couple East v. West matchups on the slate. The majority of the weekend schedule sees conference rivals clashing against one another. Should make for a fun weekend when it is all said and done.

So here are some items I’ll be giving a closer look at this weekend.

1. Can Toronto get over the hump? One thing is clear, due to the unbalanced schedule we don’t know a ton about the Chicago Fire. I’d imagine neither do their Week 7 opponents Toronto FC who are hoping to get their first point of the season. Aron Winter is quickly getting placed on the hot seat by fans and pundits around the league. For good reason too, his team has been dreadful this season except for three games in the CCL. 

The defense for Toronto has been terrible but the offense hasn’t been up to speed yet this season either. Something has to give with this group as they do have enough talent to do well in this league. Danny Koevermans, a preseason favorite to win the Golden Boot (by me and plenty of other people) hasn’t done much and fellow DP Torsten Frings has been hurt. Something has to give with this club and the Fire could be the club to get a least a draw from here.

2. Is LA really back? The Galaxy’s 3-1 win over Portland last week was a good indication that Bruce Arena’s club wasn’t going to stay down in the cellar for too long. They have just too much talent to be down in the dumps. But that was last week and now this club heads to the road to face a good Colorado Rapids squad that is getting the most out of good teams like Seattle and Salt Lake.

The Rapids pose a tough test for the Galaxy who got Landon Donovan back on the scoresheet for the first time this season. Oscar Pareja’s club does an excellent job of frustrating teams within the midfield and uses an underrated defense to keep them in games. If the Rapids can find any bit of offense for this one, it could be a tough out for the Galaxy to get two wins in a row here.

3. Double dips for DC, KC and Vancouver. You have to love the unbalanced schedule. D.C. United, Sporting Kansas City and the Vancouver Whitecaps each play two games this week. Both D.C. and Vancouver got two games at home but neither really made a good start of it last night with a loss by Vancouver and a draw for United.

I’ll get to Sporting’s run in a moment. But for D.C. and Vancouver, this is a good chance to stay in contention in their respective conferences. United has to get more out of their offense here as it won’t be easy to stay with the Red Bulls’ attack this weekend.

Vancouver on the other hand needs their entire team to step up here. Two games in a row with disappointing defense and still a lack of offense has to worry the locals. The Whitecaps need to also take advantage of a FC Dallas squad that will be making one of their longest road trips of the season here on Saturday.

4. Sporting going for a record. With a win this weekend at Portland – Sporting KC will tie a league record for consecutive wins to start a season – set all the way back in 1996 by the LA Galaxy. Impressive to say the very least. SKC’s style may not be loved by other teams in the league but there is no doubt that they get the job done here.

A trip to Portland won’t be easy though for Peter Vermes’ club. Even though the Timbers are currently down in the standings and are not playing well at all right now, they do pose a tough threat to this record. Not to mention, the crowd at JELD-WEN is always worth noting.

Thing that Sporting is riding at the moment is their defense. A total team defense really. The back four for Sporting has easily been the most consistent and complete group this season. If they stay healthy, there is no doubt they’ll continue to win games.

5. Chivas and playing at home. So we get that Chivas USA can win. Three wins this season prove that but all of them have come on the road. Robin Fraser has to get his team in the same winning mentality at home as he has on the road. They get a Philadelphia Union squad coming off their first win of the season at home this weekend. I don’t want to spoil my predictions for tomorrow’s post but this one has a draw written all over it in my mind already. Chivas, while improved, still lacks that bite in the attack. The Union on the other hand haven’t really shown us enough this season that they have a go-to scorer.

Still with saying all of that, this one is one of the more intriguing games in my mind of the weekend. It should answer a lot of questions about each side as we’re still figuring them both out here.

6. Quakes and RSL meet up. Easily the match of the weekend in my book, Real Salt Lake at the San Jose Earthquakes. A smaller field certainly helps San Jose but we know just how good this RSL squad is here too. Defensively the matchup in this one has to be one of the best we’ve seen this season.

RSL doesn’t lose two in-a-row very often these days so don’t expect them to lay down for the Quakes here. RSL needs to get their offense going early in this one to put pressure on the Quakes. So far this season, in the one loss for San Jose, their offense didn’t get going against a team (Houston) who scored early. With no Marvin Chavez or Shea Salines on the wings though for San Jose, we’ll really get a true test of how good this squad is in terms of depth. My concern is without those two, they’ll revert to their 2011 style of play, which is not good.

LA hopes to stop Kei Kamara and Sporting KC this weekend. (Getty Images)

Happy Good Friday to you all here. Major League Soccer is off for the day but tomorrow will be full of action as Week 5 finishes up with seven games – including two big rivalry games.

So far Week 5 has already given us two Western Conference wins over Eastern Conference sides. Neither were too pretty by Real Salt Lake or FC Dallas but three points are three points.

Here is how I see things shaking up for the weekend, feel free to leave your picks below as well.

Toronto FC at Montreal Impact – Neither club had a good midweek match on the road but you’d have to think Toronto will be emotionally drained coming into this one after losing in the CCL semifinals the way they did on Wednesday down in Mexico. The Reds hit the road for this one and honestly, it sets up nicely for the expansion Impact. If Jesse Marsch can find a way to get his offense going in this one with Justin Braun (who’s had some success in the past against TFC) or with guys like Justin Mapp, they could sneak out with some points. I would call this an upset but neither team are playing that well here. I’m going with the Impact to get their first win.

WVH Prediction: Montreal 1, Toronto 0

New York Red Bulls at Columbus Crew – This one will certainly be watched by many. Can the Red Bulls keep up this amazing run with their attack? Thierry Henry and company haven’t really faced a good defense in the last two weeks (Colorado was missing players and Montreal is well…and expansion team). Columbus is a little more tough in the back and will pose a different challenge to the Red Bulls. Shutting down Henry will be one thing but also containing Kenny Cooper and the rest of the Red Bulls midfield will be another thing. I think Columbus keeps it tight but it is hard to go against a team that is scoring as much as the Red Bulls are.

WVH Prediction: New York 2, Columbus 1

LA Galaxy at Sporting KC – This one thankfully is on national TV. KC goes for their fifth straight win to open the season out while the Galaxy are just hoping for something positive here. This one will not be easy for the Galaxy on the road, in the Blue Hell of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. KC’s speed and skill up front will cause a lot of problems for the Galaxy. If LA can somehow get their offense going with David Beckhanm, Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and Edson Buddle all being on the same page than it could be close. I’m going with form though over stars, KC has proven a lot over the last four weeks and I think they get number five.

WVH Prediction: SKC 1, LA 0

Vancouver Whitecaps at San Jose Earthquakes – Two extremely tough defenses square off in this one. They’ve combined to give up ONE goal this season. Yes just one, it was San Jose back in week 2 on a PK. Both teams have quality players in the attack but the defenses will be on display in this one. The shorter field favors San Jose more but Vancouver has the talent to handle it. This one feels like a draw.

WVH Prediction: San Jose 0, Vancouver 0

Seattle Sounders FC at DC United – The mini Open Cup rivals square off in RFK Stadium. I have to admit this is one of the more intriguing matches of the weekend card. DC looked great last week in their 4-1 win over Dallas while Seattle dropped a game at home to San Jose. The Sounders need to find their offense in this one or else DC will have an advantage with their guys up front. This one looks like it has a draw written all over it given  but I wouldn’t be shocked to see another DC win here.

WVH Prediction: DC 1, Seattle 1

Colorado Rapids at Real Salt Lake – Oh the Rocky Mountain Cup. I do enjoy these matches as they are intense. No doubt RSL will want to play better than they did on Wednesday at home. Its possible they were looking ahead to this match more and nearly overlooked Montreal. The two games in a week thing shouldn’t hurt RSL that much for this one. They are the deeper squad as it is. Colorado has played well this season and has proven they can score goals in bunches. This will be a midfield battle which I think gives the edge to RSL. Typically in this series the home team comes out on top so I’m going that route.

WVH Prediction: RSL 2, Colorado 1

Chivas USA at Portland Timbers – Two teams in desperate need of points already. Chivas is the lowly bunch in the West while Portland cannot afford to drop any more points at home. The Timbers have the better attack going into this one and defensively should be able to shut down the Goats. Chivas does have one win away from home this season and their only goal did come on the road. I don’t see that same magic/luck happening in Portland though.

WVH Prediction: Portland 2, Chivas 0

Just an incredible scene last night in LA. I won’t go into the sad facts of Seattle down in Mexico but let’s all tip our hats to Toronto FC for being the only MLS side left standing in the CCL after last night. Wow. I never thought I would type that little bit of info.

Now LA, Toronto and Seattle have to move on to another weekend of league play. For LA and Seattle, home games should be a little bit of comfort after losing in the CCL. Though for LA it seems that home is not where the heart is as they’ve lost two in a row at the HDC. Weird times indeed.

We have a massively large weekend ahead of us with nine games on the menu – seven of them set for Saturday. The lone team not included for those keeping score at home is the Columbus Crew.

There certainly are plenty of good talking points going into the second weekend of the season so here is what I’ll be watching out for.

1. The Big O. Montreal is planning and hoping to blow the roof of the Olympic Stadium. Over 50,000 are expected to be on hand and the Impact are hoping to make it closer to 60,000 by kickoff. Yeah you read that correctly, 60,000. The Impact host a hungry Chicago Fire team that had last weekend off. You have to figure the Fire are ready for this one, even though they’ll face a monster crowd at the Big O.

Montreal is looking for their first MLS goal as well. Last weekend they struggled on offense against an up-and-coming Vancouver defense. I’d expect an even tougher task against a Chicago defense that is stronger this season. Second-year defender Jahil Anibaba is a guy that will dictate a lot in the defensive third. 

2. Is San Jose for real this season? One of the bigger questions to come out of week one surrounded the San Jose Earthquakes. They pretty much dominated the New England Revolution in the season opener and got yet another goal from Chris Wondolowski. But is this club legit? I know it is too early to tell but momentum is one thing and so is confidence. A win like last weeks had to give Frank Yallop’s side a good bit of confidence going into a tough week two match with the Houston Dynamo.

One interesting nugget to point out is this one will be at AT&T Park, not at Buck Shaw Stadium. Yay for the Quakes getting a game to boost their season attendance numbers. But I digress, back to the point at hand.

Houston will certainly bring a stiffer challenge to the team from the Bay Area. Defensively the Dynamo are as strong as they come in MLS and if Brad Davis can get things going for the Dynamo on offense, the Quakes will certainly have their hands full. If anything, this game will show us what this San Jose squad is truly made of this season.

3. Dallas depth to be tested. One thing Dallas fans will constantly hear this season is how weak their midfield depth is, and for good season. Brek Shea will be gone with the U-23 national team for Olympic qualifiers and Fabian Castillo could be out with a knee injury. So who is left for Schellas Hyndman on the wings when they host the Portland Timbers on Saturday evening? We’ll likely see newcomer Carlos Rodriguez on one side, and if Castillo can’t go, look for Generation adidas player Andrew Wiedeman to be on the other. Wiedeman had a strong preseason for Dallas but a lot of those goals he scored did come against college sides. Translating that kind of play against higher level competition will be tough.

Portland will bring a squad that has a ton of confidence after their season opening win over Philadelphia. But the best way to get by Portland has always been on the flank, if that part is cut off for Dallas it will turn into a battle in the middle. The advantage could go to the visitors then, who only won two games away from home last year.

4. Trouble brewing for NY? Let’s just say it, without a quality defense, this New York side is going to struggle a lot this season. Thierry Henry can only do so much in the attacking third. Last Sunday in Dallas, Henry got absolutely no help from his midfield. I don’t think it will get any easier this weekend for him in Salt Lake. RSL’s midfield is easily one of the best in MLS and they proved it last weekend on the road in LA.

New York will have to get their act together in the defensive third however. Rookie keeper Ryan Meara did well in his debut last weekend but his defense gave up two real silly goals. RSL is much stronger in the attacking end than Dallas and you have to believe Jason Kreis will be eating up the film he saw from Sunday’s game in Dallas. Look for him to add a ton of pressure on the back four of New York, particularly against Roy Miller and Markus Holgersson. Neither one of those two had a good game in Dallas and were the weak link in the back.

5. The high and low at Qwest. On one end you’ll have a team riding high after a huge CCL win and the other will be hoping to forget what happened down in Mexico. Seattle got spanked around by Santos last night. The first half was close but the second half was just down-right ugly.

I’d expect this one to be a bit close as Seattle will have to get their legs underneath them a bit after making the long trip back to the Pacific Northwest while Toronto will be coming off an incredible high of winning in LA. I’ve been raving how much I like Toronto this winter and this is a game that they can use to prove themselves even more. Yes the LA series was a big stepping stone for Aron Winter’s club but doing the same against a tough Western conference side in league play is just as important.

6. Will LA bounce back? Let’s point out one thing, now that LA is out of the CCL they can at least get back to concentrating on the MLS regular season slate for a while. LA fans should be able to rest easy knowing that fact. They host a D.C. United squad on Sunday in a match that should be a tough one for the Galaxy. Teams are obviously finding ways to win at the HDC this season and you have to think this will be a big opportunity for Ben Olsen to get on board with winning there.

Olsen has to get his offense going though, particularly with Dwayne De Rosario, who was neutralized pretty well in the season opening loss to Sporting Kansas City last week. Juninho and guys in the midfield will have to lock down DeRo, while hoping David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle and Robbie Keane can carry the offensive load against a young defense from United. It is as simple as that, those four have to carry the load while this defense of LA’s gets settled here this season.

LA and Salt Lake resume their rivalry to kickoff the season. (Getty Images)

The 2012 season is finally here folks. After a few months of offseason and preseason madness, the new season is ready to kickoff. Many clubs have reason to be optimistic going into the new season while expectations are already being placed on the big boys in the league to do well again once more this season.

Three clubs are without games this weekend while everyone else is in action. The first weekend of the season is spread out on three days with plenty of decent games to discuss. (For more look at my What To Watch For post to see the main talking points on the weekend)

Let’s get down to the game predictions, shall we? Feel free to leave your score predictions below as well.

Saturday

Montreal Impact at Vancouver Whitecaps – The new season gets started with an all-Canadian feature. Vancouver has a new coach and a loaded offense while Montreal is an expansion team playing in their inaugural MLS game. BC Place will be rocking in this one and while I like what Jesse Marsch has done with his squad going into their first season, the growing pains will be tough to overcome in time for this opener on the road. Vancouver has some growing pains to go through as well with a new coach and new system but I love their offensive weapons. If their defense holds up this could be a fun team to watch this season.

WVH Prediction: Vancouver 2, Montreal 1

Columbus Crew at Colorado Rapids – A playoff rematch, and one that has some interesting points to look at. Colorado has a new coach and a new formation while the Crew are once again going into the season with lots of questions. Fitness will be a key element of this game and the Crew have some injuries in the back to worry about with guys like Rich Balchan sitting this one out. Colorado always seem to have Columbus’ number at Dicks Sporting Goods Park, I see that trend continuing.

WVH Prediction: Colorado 2, Columbus 1

Sporting Kansas City at D.C. United – Both teams with plenty of offensive fire power to make this one enjoyable to watch. Dwayne De Rosario and company look to get on the board early in this one and make a statement to the rest of the Eastern Conference that they can contend with the big guns like KC. Sporting will have to keep watch in the middle of the park on DeRo and newcomer Hamdi Salihi. Both are great in space and know their way to goal. I think this one will be fairly tight and could come down to a late goal (KC fans know that all to well from last year). This one feels like a draw for that reason.

WVH Prediction: DC 2, KC 2

Real Salt Lake at LA Galaxy – Health and fitness will be a key for both squads in this one. LA will be getting back into things after their CCL clash in Toronto on Wednesday, while RSL has a number of key guys that are questionable for this game (Borchers, Morales, Wingert, Saborio all iffy for this one). LA hasn’t had a ton of time together this offseason with Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane both in England. They showed flashes late in Toronto on Wednesday of how dangerous they can all be when they are on the same page. RSL will put up a fight but I think LA gets three points in this one, just too much talent up top from LA.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, RSL 1

New England Revolution at San Jose Earthquakes – Still a big question about who will score for the Revs this season. Their midfield looks good and I’m sure they can handle anything the Quakes bring to this game in the middle of the pitch. The thing is I like where San Jose is going here, and they’ll want to get off to a good start with all of those additions that were made this winter. Chris Wondolowski always does well against New England too, so expect more of the same from him in this one.

WVH Prediction: San Jose 2, New England 0

Sunday

New York Red Bulls at FC Dallas – Plenty of interesting questions going into this one. No Rafa Marquez or Luke Rodgers for New York. While FC Dallas could go with a 4-4-2 with Brek Shea up top with newcomer Blas Perez to make up for having no David Ferreira. These two should trade blows a couple times in this game as I think it will end on level terms.

WVH Prediction: Dallas 1, New York 1

Houston Dynamo at Chivas USA – While I do have concerns about who will score for the Dynamo this year, I do really like their defense and midfield. Chivas has a ton of issues and questions going into this season and they did not look good at all last week in the Portland tournament. The big thing to look out for Houston is the return of Brad Davis, if he can get off to a good start and put his injury from last season behind him then I’d expect a fairly easy go of things for the men in orange.

WVH Prediction: Houston 1, Chivas 0

Monday

Philadelphia Union at Portland Timbers – I love this matchup to start out the season on ESPN2. Newcomer Kris Boyd going up against two of the toughest defenders in the league in Danny Califf and Carlos Valdes. Expect some double teams on Boyd leaving guys like Darlington Nagbe and Jorge Perlaza open. Philly looks healthy going into this season and I like Danny Mwanga to have a big season. This one really could go either way but that Portland crowd makes me lean towards to boys from the Rose City.

WVH Prediction: Portland 2, Philadelphia 1

BC Place will be rocking for the season opener. (Getty Images)

We are finally back to the normal weekly posts here. It is Thursday which means it is time to take a dip into the stories I’ll be focusing in on this weekend as Major League Soccer kicks off their 17th season.

We got things off to a bit of a bang last night in the CONCACAF Champions League, with Seattle downing Santos 2-1 and Toronto and LA playing to a 2-2 draw in front of a rocking crowd at the Rogers Centre.

The First Kick schedule this weekend last three days, spanning Saturday through Monday. The unbalanced schedule however means that there will be a team or two off each week. Both Seattle and Toronto will be off this weekend, thanks to their involvement in the CCL.

Let’s get started shall we?

1. Great White North. The first game being mentioned to start the season off is in fact a game pitting two Canadian teams against one another. Last year it was the Vancouver Whitecaps hosting Toronto FC, but this year the Caps will host the newest club to MLS, the Montreal Impact. Vancouver went out and snagged nearly every available striker that they could get their hands on in the offseason including a trade with Philadelphia for Sebastien Le Toux. The Caps looks strong in the preseason, winning the annual Disney Pro Soccer Class in Orlando. They scored a ton of goals and their defense proved to be up for the challenge. If Vancouver’s defense can be as tough as some think they can be, then I’d expect them to steam roll over the expansion Impact here.

I like what Jesse Marsch has done with his expansion club though. The big thing will be getting the chemistry right early. Once guys get on the same page with one another they could do well but it will take some time.

2. DeRo and Salihi. The two big names lead D.C. United into what could be a big make or break season for Ben Olsen. His team is young but talented. The big thing however is getting Dwayne De Rosario, the 2011 MLS MVP, on the same page as newly acquired Designated Player Hamdi Salihi. The two didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time in the preseason together. But one thing is clear, both know how to put the ball in the back of the net. Salihi showed in Charleston, SC last week that it won’t take much for him to find the back of the net.

3. New boss in Denver. I’ve always been a big backer and fan of Oscar Pareja and I knew it was only a matter of time before some MLS team took him from FC Dallas (truth be told most FCD fans were hoping he’d stick around long enough to take over for Schellas Hyndman when he retired). Pareja now has a team to call his own in Colorado and will be employing a new formation for the Rapids, a 4-3-3 set up. I like the idea of this club in that kind of formation but they do have some issues on the flanks and in the defense that could make this a challenging transition. Anthony Wallace is out for several months now, which means the full back spot is going to be up for grabs. Also, the midfield isn’t getting any young with Pablo Mastroeni and Brian Mullan.

The bigger question will be who scores for this team until Conor Casey returns. To answer that you have to look no further than to Omar Cummings and newcomer Jamie Castrillon. Pareja went south and picked up a few Colombians and Castrillon could be one of the better ones to come to MLS in some time.

4. CCL fatigue for LA? Its certainly possible to expect some sort of let down for LA as they travel back across the country to host a very talent and dangerous Real Salt Lake team this Saturday. LA showed last night that they can be beaten pretty easily in defense without Omar Gonzalez on set pieces. Look for Javier Morales and company to exploit that issue in LA’s defense.

But saying all of that also means that LA does have the ability to come back from any score. We saw last night that a two goals lead against LA means nothing with the likes of David Beckham, Edson Buddle, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane in the line up. I really feel that once those four are on the same page that no one, and I mean no one will be able to contend with them. Salt Lake is pretty close to LA’s level so this one should be a fantastic season opener.

5. Quakes and Revs bring intrigue into new season. One thing is certain, not too many people outside of Boston or San Jose really know what to make of the San Jose Earthquakes or the New England Revolution going into this new season. The Revs have a new manager in Jay Heaps and he has some talent on his roster. The big question boils down to who will score for this bunch. That won’t be the question for Quake fans as we know Chris Wondolowski is already looking good going into the new season. As long as someone steps up with him the Quakes could be a dark horse contender out West this season.

While this game doesn’t have the big story lines to it, I wouldn’t be shocked if it is one of the more interesting games this weekend.

6. NBC and MLS. We get our first real look at what NBC will bring to the table for MLS broadcasts. We know of the booth set up with Arlo White and his color commentator on the field (yes on the field, not in the booth) Kyle Martino. I’m pumped for this one merely because it is here in Dallas and I’ll be attending this one. Dallas is expecting a sellout or at least something very close to one for this game against Thierry Henry and New York. FC Dallas CEO Doug Quinn stated yesterday to the press that less than 2000 tickets are left for this season opener and more than likely they’ll get to the sellout.

Having NBC do this game is obviously huge for both teams and the league though. I do believe the league and NBC picked a good opener with New York and Dallas. Plenty of stars to showcase between Brek Shea and Henry. Too bad Rafa Marquez is suspended for this one though.

7. Year of the Timbers? Monday’s lone game should be a fun one. Portland hosting Philadelphia in prime-time on ESPN2 is exactly how the league needed to close out it’s first week of the season. Two up and coming teams, in front of a rocking JELD-WEN Field crowd. That makes for good soccer and good TV in my book. (Note for Dallas folks, I’ll be hanging out at the Big D Soccer Pub Night, come join if you are in town)

Both the Union and the Timbers made plenty of interesting moves in the offseason. Portland added Kris Boyd to their attack and he will certainly be tasked with being the difference maker in this one. But keep an eye out for second year stud Darlington Nagbe. I think we’ll see him infused into the offense a little more this season.

Philly will certainly be interesting to watch this season as they move on from having Le Toux and will rely more on Danny Mwanga and Freddy Adu. Both are young but I have a good feeling about Mwanga being a dark horse Golden Boot contender this season.

Rafa Marquez tossed the game ball at Landon Donovan – which quickly caused a couple other players like Juninho and Adam Cristman to get involved – Stephen Keel also stepped in and probably paid for it in a way.

You have to wonder if Marquez will be given an extra game or two for his attempted head butt and punch that he tried to throw. In most sports here, just attempting to do what he did usually adds a game or two on to the suspension. There really is no place for that in soccer.

So what do you all think of the NY-LA series? Think the Red Bulls can bounce back in LA this week?

Brek Shea sits atop the MVP race, can he hold on to it? (Getty Images)

With only a few weeks left in the season the awards race in Major League Soccer is pretty dang hot. The MVP race alone is very interesting this season. In my book if I had to vote today for the top three in the MVP race would be fairly simple but there are a few dark horse candidates to keep a watch on.

The Top Contenders

Brek Shea, M, FC Dallas: This one is fairly simple. If Shea isn’t at the top of most folks list right now it means they either hate Dallas or don’t watch the league at all. The second one probably speaks more truth than anything if someone doesn’t have Shea in their top three once it is time to vote. Shea has done everything right for Dallas since the injury of last year’s MVP, David Ferreira. He’s scored plenty of big goals and has come up with a few quality assists. Simply put, Dallas is nothing without his service from the wings.

Mauro Rosales, M, Seattle Sounders FC: In a way Rosales has really just come on strong in the last two months but overall he is a huge reason why the Sounders are in the thick of things in the Supporter’s Shield race. His five goals and ten assists are something to marvel over but for me it comes down to his distribution and setting up the Sounders’ attack. I don’t see Lamar Neagle or Mike Fucito getting the goals that they have gotten this year without Rosales. Bold statement to make, sure, but it is one I feel pretty good about.

Landon Donovan, M, LA Galaxy: Of course, another season with Donovan in the MVP mix. His 11 goals and three assists will keep him in the discussion even though he hasn’t played as many minutes as Shea or some of the others here.

Still In The Mix:

Thierry Henry, F, New York Red Bulls: The New York Red Bulls’ season goes with Henry. As he goes, the club goes. He may lead the league in goals scored with 12 and have four assists on the year  but the way his club has played these last couple of months are hurting his MVP chances. He needs to continue to score goals and help get his club in the playoffs to get this award.

Brad Davis, M, Houston Dynamo: Another player who’s team goes as they do. Davis is always overlooked but there is no reason why he should be. His league-leading 13 assists are the main reason why the Dynamo are even in the playoff hunt to begin with. You want a valuable player to a club, look no further than to Davis.

David Beckham, M, LA Galaxy: Donovan and Beckham will likely cancel one another out in this race but consider Beckham’s stats at the moment, 12 assists and two goals isn’t bad at all. To be fair, this has been his best season to date as a member of the Galaxy.

Jack Jewsbury, M, Portland Timbers: You want some good stats? Seven goals and eight assists. That’s quality folks. Portland would be a really bad expansion team without Captain Jack.

Dwayne De Rosario, M, DC United: Another player with monster stats on the season, nine goals and eight assists. What will hurt him is he’s played on three teams this season. That really shouldn’t be the case as he’s really helped improve United’s offense.

Some Potential Dark horses:

Dominic Oduro, F, Chicago Fire: Hard to ignore Oduro right now. He’s scoring loads of goals (and missing loads too). He’s a long shot at best but he’s worth mentioning.

Sebastien Le Toux, M, Philadelphia Union: I think if he can continue his scoring (six goals on the year) to go with his assist numbers (eight assists), he’ll easily move up this order here. Last night’s great come back performance against New England was a sign that Le Toux will be in the mix.

Kyle Beckerman, M, Real Salt Lake: With Javier Morales going down earlier in the season, it was Beckerman who had to step up and be the midfield general. Looking at things today, RSL isn’t far away from an automatic bid into the playoffs.