Shalrie Joseph will be called to lead in 2010. (Getty Images)

The winter months can either be good or bad on a Major League Soccer club. Its all really on who leaves the club and who comes in to help out. Take the New England Revolution for instance, each year its seems they lose one big name after another either in a trade, a transfer or just someone not wanting to re-sign with them.

Yet somehow the Revs always seem to bounce back in some form the following year thanks to manager Steve Nicol. But looking at this winter one has to wonder did they lose and give up too much?

Its time to find out as we take another preseason look-in to see how the club is doing and what they need to add before the season begins.

Keepers:

Who they have: Matt Reis, Preston Burpo, and Bobby Shuttleworth.

Notes: On paper right now this group is set but dig a little deeper and the club has to be concerned about injuries issues for at least the next couple months with Reis. That’s why they made the play for Burpo, a solid backup plan if you ask me. Once Reis is back to full health the Revs will continue to be find in this department.

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Defense:

Who they have: Kevin Alston, Darrius Barnes, Gabriel Badilla, Emmanuel Osei, Cory Gibbs, and Seth Sinovic.

Notes: On paper this seems a little light but the youth there is so solid. I can’t tell you how big of a fan of Barnes and Alston I am. I also like that they went out and got Gibbs this winter too in that trade with the Rapids. Gibbs wants to be in New England and word has it he is a happy camper right now which is good to see for Revs fans.

They may have given up a bunch in the back this winter with Jay Heaps retiring and the trade of Chris Albright to New York but as long as they add one or two more parts back here, which they will, I don’t see a big drop in this club’s defense.

Right now it seems like they could still use at least one more outside back and one more center back for depth reasons.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Shalrie Joseph, Chris Tierney, Sainey Nyassi, Mauricio Castro, Michael Videira, Nico Colaluca, and Pat Phelan.

Notes: They took a beating in this department this winter losing both Steve Ralston to AC St. Louis and trading away Jeff Larentowicz. Honestly the loss of Larentowicz is harder on them as he allowed Joseph to be himself more than anyone out there. However they do have a young guy in Phelan who will help ease the loss of Larentowicz more than some realize.

Unfortunately they have not addressed the loss of Ralston just yet. I know Nicol is looking but the clock is ticking away here and waiting around until the summer to bring someone in to help get the attack going may be too risky. They need an assist machine like Ralston was and right now other than Joseph possibly stepping into that role I don’t know who else will do it here. Maybe one of the rookies like Zac Boggs who will likely end up in the midfield rather than as a forward on the pro level (if they end up keeping him).

Adding a playmaker or some depth on the wings will go a long way here to help this bunch compete in the east.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Taylor Twellman, Kenny Mansally, Kheli Dube, Edgaras Jankauskas, Zack Schilawski, and Zac Boggs.

Notes: The Revs have to bank on a couple things here this season. The big one is getting and keeping Twellman healthy for the season. I think if he can play at least 20 games (or more) this year it will be a positive thing. After that they have to hope Schilawski produces goals or helps create them…not to mention remembering that it was the Revs that picked him, not the Crew.

I still think they need to go after another scorer here. They can’t rely solely on Joseph to do the work this year. Mansally, Dube and Jankauskas have to step up more for them to be successful in the east.

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Overall:

Like I mentioned above we have seen this club lose a lot of quality players over the year but I honestly don’t know how they bounce back from this winter. Don’t get me wrong their draft wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good enough to make people comfortable right away. Defensively I think the club is going to be alright but just like last year they will be in a lot of close games until a scorer steps up or until Twellman is back to his old self.

I’m one that usually drinks the Steve Nicol kool-aid but this winter has me thinking now that Paul Mariner is gone along with Ralston and Larentowicz and the injury issues to Reis and Twellman that this could be a very long year for Revs fans.

A couple more moves may change my mind but I get a sense that the Revs are going into this season just like they are now.

Shalrie Joseph lead the way for the Revs in 2009. (Getty Images)

Sometimes less is more, and in the case of the 2009 edition of the New England Revolution less nearly became a lot. If you would have told me that the Revs would have lacked both Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman for the majority of the season and still made the playoffs this year I would have called you crazy.

Turns out crazy happened. The Revs were lead by Shalrie Joseph’s MVP feet all year long and while I believe Joseph played nearly every spot on the pitch except the one occupied by Matt Reis, the Revs ended up getting into the playoffs and nearly came away with a first round shocker over the Chicago Fire. But a trip to the Windy City over the weekend finally did in this group that saw more injuries during a season then any team that I can recall over the last few years.

Offensively the Revs were one of the worst in the league, just slightly behind the New York Red Bulls and the Kansas City Wizards for fewest goals scored this year. Defensively they were middle of the pack, which is impressive after losing Michael Parkhurst and having guys like Chris Albright sidelined for the majority of the season.

The Revs for some folks probably over-achieved in 2009 based on what they had and the amount of injuries they suffered this year. Steve Nicol proved why he is still a quality coach in this league when he plugged in third-round draft pick Darrius Barnes to the lineup, along with fellow rookie Kevin Alston to fill the void left when Parkhurst left over last winter. If you’d throw out out a blowout or two early in the year there is a change this club could have had one of the best defenses in the league. If Nicol can retain the young nucleus and a couple veterans like Jay Heaps in the back this defense could be good for years to come.

What Went Right In 2009:
Having Shalrie Joseph be the MVP that he is and carry the club pretty much all year was good to see. Finally Joseph is getting the long-overdue recognition for his efforts in New England this year. Some how battling through the injuries and making the playoffs as the third-seed in the east is remarkable. They remained consistent enough to get in the playoffs which should help them out in the coming years as the younger group of players mature with this club.

What Went Wrong In 2009:
You lose your best scorer for the majority of the season its always going to be a long year. Twellman played in two games this year, just two and he scored in both! Throw in the injury to Ralston that sidelined him for the most important part of the season, the final couple months and it is still remarkable they reached the post season like they did. This club clearly lacked some offensive punch without these two and at times their defense was a victim of it.

What’s Next:
I think keeping Jeff Larentowicz in a Revs kit will be a big thing in the coming months. If I am not mistaken his contract is up after this season and believe me this club would take a huge hit without him on the field. Second of all they have to find some reliable offensive parts. Kheli Dube is good but he isn’t a top scorer yet in this league. Also getting Twellman back to full health will be a big priority this winter. It also wouldn’t hurt to see this club spend some money this winter but we know the Krafts aren’t gonna do that anytime soon.

Enjoy!

Jesse Marsch and Chivas USA continue to roll. (Getty Images)

Another week down in Major League Soccer and a lot of things remain the same around the league. Week seven is in the books here Chivas USA still remains the league’s top club. Other things that are still constant in the league include:

- New York still struggling
- Columbus still struggling to win
- Chicago still drawing games, yet still undefeated
- Dallas still losing games
- Salt Lake still losing on the road
- Attendance still so-so across the league

And a little sidebar that a couple of you pointed out to me, I picked every game correctly this past week. Some of the scores weren’t right on but I did have all the winners correct and all the draws be 1-1. Yeah, sorry to toot my own horn but sometimes it is nice to be right.

Chivas Still In Front

Some how, some way this club continues to lead the pack. Another gritty win without the help of Sasha Kljestan. But what they are getting is loads of good defense (they lead the league in goals-against). Only three goals against in eight league matches. Not bad at all my friends, not bad at all. And you know what they say, defense wins championships.

Anyways, I’d say a big reason is right now Preki is getting a lot out of his back four and even more so out of Zach “Turn the clock back” Thornton. The big guy between the pipes is making me think it is 1998 all over again.

Scary part is this club is slowly getting healthier by the week. Justin Bruan is starting to get more involved with the attack and as San Jose found out that is not a good thing. Plus with more guys coming back like Sacha Victorine and Maykel Galindo it just shows how deep this club is going to be for the long run.

As for the Quakes, the winless streak is at six. May be time for Frank Yallop to redo some of his line up to make up for the defensive issues going on. But then again the offense isn’t looking any better right now either.

Salt Lake Falls In Colorado

Again, it was hard to get so hyped up about last week’s 6-0 win for Salt Lake when you knew they had to turn around this week and go on the road to rival Colorado.

RSL continues to show they are missing a piece or two when it comes to playing on the road. For a team that was suppose to contend this season, they sure don’t get me thinking they will with the way they play on the road right now. Teams who win championships and contend find ways to win on the road.

It didn’t help to be a man-down for the entire second half either. And that they lost keeper Nick Rimando early in the game too. But in all the offense never got going for RSL.

The Rapids controlled the pace of this one early and really never let the visitors in this one. It was good to see this club finally take a real ownership of their home field. Sometimes it takes a rivalry game to do that too. Plus this club really starting to get interesting. With the way the west is playing this year this club could very well contend for one of those two auto-bids into the playoffs.

Seattle Looks Strong In Draw

For an expansion club Seattle goes on the road in Chicago against the league’s last undefeated team and comes out looking very good despite playing a man-down for a good chunk of the game. Seattle showed some serious grit after going a man-down and trailing shortly after in the second half when Chicago’s Marco Pappa put the Fire on top.

Some how, some way the Sounders placed a call to Tyrone to get them level in this one. Tyrone Marshall’s game tying goal gave the Sounders their first draw of the season and at the same time giving Chicago it’s forth straight tie (fifth of the season too). Freddie Ljungberg’s corner kick to Marshall was just poor marking on the Fire’s part. To be a man up and leave a guy like Marshall that open was pretty bad to see.

I don’t know what it is about the Fire but at some point they are going to lose one here. While some clubs aren’t good enough to win the Fire are playing just good enough not to lose at the moment. Hey, whatever gets you by but at the same time they get starting to get passed in the standings. Draws look good for only so long.

As for Seattle goes, they lost Fredy Montero to the red card on a bad elbow to Gonzalo Segares, who had a pretty rough game overall. I really felt even though the Sounders played a man-down they really out-played the Fire late in the game. Chicago had the possession and shots early but just like most clubs this year they were unable to get anything by Kasey Keller.

DC Continues To Roll

Look at DC here. Hard to believe they are sitting atop the eastern standings now and only have a single loss on the year. Credit those veterans for stepping up and credit that defense for really putting a clamp down on guys like Kenny Cooper.

What can you say about the two goals by Jamie Moreno too? Too calm and cool goals got United the three points after dropping an early goal to Dallas’ Andre Rocha (nice corner by the way for Dallas).

Dallas really never got solid possession in this one and that was due to DC stepping up their midfield play. DC pressed early and often in this one behind Moreno, Luciano Emilio and rookie Chris Pontius.

Defensively for Dallas they are still struggling. Schellas Hyndman can’t seem to get a grip on who to put in the middle of his defense and until he does his club will continue to give up easy goals down the middle of the pitch like they did on Saturday.

DC is improving each week here folks. Rookies are stepping up due to quality play of veterans and Tom Soehn’s club may be one to contend with here this season.

LA Gets First Win

Someone told me the other day that the best thing to happen to Chicago in the past two years was not landing Blanco or McBride but it was losing Juan Carlos Osorio. For some reason his club is still a mess despite new players starting to get playing time on a regular basis.

This one was pretty boring for the most part anyways. LA had the better chances overall but there weren’t that many to begin with. Neither club was holding possession too long but neither was creating many scoring chances either. LA lead the way with six attemps (five on goal) but New York only mustered up three shots and only one of those was on frame.

LA got their first win but this club still doesn’t look like a winner to me. Once they lose Landon Donovan this summer to Gold Cup and other national team duties they will easily stay near the bottom of the standings.

New York on the other hand is more confusing by the week. Osorio-watch may be in full force since his high-speed offense couldn’t even get more than one shot on goal against a club like LA. It wasn’t like the Galaxy defense stepped up their game for once it was more like New York couldn’t get their game going. While the Galaxy may not be a big winning club this season New York is quickly playing themselves out of playoff contention here before summer hits.

Crew Still Winless

Watching this game I made the classic mistake of walking away for a few minutes and missed both goals (left the room to see the news on the Cowboys training facility collapse). Anyways, Columbus again handled the Reds but were unable to get the three points again.

The Crew dominated the first half and had plenty of good chances on goal. Stefan Frei came up big for the Reds time and time again but early in the second half Emmanuel Ekpo’s sweet finish gave the Crew the lead for a few minutes. Chad Barrett got the homeside on the board no more than 10 minutes late to level the game.

The second half really was owned by Toronto after the Barrett goal. Mostly I think it was due to the subbing out of Guillermo Barros Schelotto midway through the second half. Without GBS the Crew weren’t holding possession well and weren’t getting the best passes in the offensive third of the field.

Columbus near got the lead back with Pat Noonan late in the second half but once again Frei came up big for Toronto.

A win for Columbus is coming though. You can sense it as they continue to improve each week here. The toughness that wasn’t there early on this season is starting to come back and once they get fully healthy the wins should start coming. Thing is before long it could be too little too late with the way some clubs are playing so far this season.

Toronto on the other hand is playing well. Another solid draw keeps them in the thick of things in the eastern conference. Now they have to turn their attention to the Canadian Cup this weekend when they host Vancouver on Wednesday.

Houston Starts To Catch A Break

Once Stuart Holden realized he was the man to lead Houston this season things started to click. That was the case yesterday as Houston finally caught a break and got out of their regular season funk against the Revs.

New England again failed to generate any sort of offense this week with only three shots in the game. The Revs’ only shot on goal didn’t come until just after the hour mark when Jeff Larentowicz header failed to do anything more than to give Pat Onstad something to do for once. Houston really controlled this one from start to finish with Holden and Brian Ching.

Once again it came down to a young defensive line in front of Matt Reis that caused New England to fall in this one. They weren’t able to handle any sort of pressure that Houston put on them as the Dynamo registered 14 shots in the game.

Until New England can get healthy again here this season they will continue to play this way. A bright spot though was seeing Taylor Twellman on the bench for this one as a sub. Apparently he isn’t too far from coming back which is something New England really needs to have at this point.

Houston is starting to really look good here. They still have some catching up to do out west but as we’ve seen out of them before, sometimes slow and steady wins the race.

A lot of end-of-season awards in Major League Soccer are just as tight as the playoff race. I’ve been tracking the Rookie of the Year and MVP races for some time now but I figured I would weigh in on all the awards for once since we are in the final few weeks of the season.

MLS MVP Award:

1. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew: His club may be playing well without him but his numbers still make a serious case for MVP this season. He should be back soon, which can only mean his soccer IQ on the field will enhance the Crew even more here.
2. Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy: 19 goals in just 21 games. I think that may be all I need to say here. Earlier I thought his production wasn’t enough for the MVP this year but I am thinking otherwise now.
3. Shalrie Joseph, New England Revolution: He and his club may be stumbling but that should all work itself out once the Revs clinch a playoff spot.
4. Darren Huckerby, San Jose Earthquakes: If this were a half-season MVP I would probably have a tough time picking between Schelotto and Huckerby. Both have been stellar in the second half of the season. Huckerby has only been here for a half season, just think what he can do for a full year.
5. Juan Pablo Angel, New York Red Bulls: He’s forth in goals this season in the league but I don’t think that will be enough to get him this award this year.

Others in the discussion:

Javier Morales, RSL; Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago; Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas; Jamie Moreno, DC United; and Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA.

Newcomer of the Year:

1. Darren Huckerby, San Jose Earthquakes: No doubt that Huckerby will win this one. In nine games with the Quakes, he has scored six goals. Not to shabby.
2. Andre Rocha, FC Dallas: A bit of a homer pick for me but I’ve loved Rocha’s play on the field this season. At times it’s been tough to watch but most of the time he has been a solid addition to the Hoop’s midfield.
3. Rohan Ricketts, Toronto FC: There has to be a bright spot in a dark season for the Reds, that bright spot is Ricketts.
4. Jorge Rojas, New York Red Bulls: Let’s face it, since the addition of Rojas the Red Bulls have looked like a whole new club. He’s a big reason for that.
5. Emmanuel Ekpo, Columbus Crew: This Olympian has given Sigi Schmid a nice addition on the wings.

Others in the discussion:

Jamison Olave, RSL; Louis Crayton, DC United; and Francisco Lima, San Jose Earthquakes.

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Rookie of the Year:

1. Kheli Dube, New England Revolution: Some think that Dube isn’t the front-runner anymore, I think otherwise. Then again, this year’s award may be anyone’s guess at this point.
2. Andy Iro, Columbus Crew: I still like Iro could sneek in and win this award. But will the voters feel the same way?
3. Geoff Cameron, Houston Dynamo: Expect to see more of him in the final weeks of the season.
4. Justin Braun, Chivas USA: He’ll get more minutes as well which could really help him out in this award race.
5. Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy: Some have him as the front-runner but I think he played himself out of that a while back. Could he sneak up again though is the question?

Others in the discussion:

Roger Espinoza, KC Wizards; Stephen King, Chicago Fire; and Steven Lenhart, Columbus Crew.

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Goalkeeper of the Year:

1. Jon Busch, Chicago Fire: Best stats in the league, to his credit though his defense in front of him is pretty darn good too.
2. Joe Cannon, San Jose Earthquakes: Cannon is a very close second right now for me in this race. Should the Quakes get in the playoffs he will earn a bunch of votes for this in the process. And rightfully so.
3. William Hesmer, Columbus Crew: Hey his club is still top dog in the league, and he is a reason for it.
4. Matt Reis, New England Revolution: I still think Reis is one of the best keepers in the league. From time to time he isn’t able to show it because of faulty defense.
5. Pat Onstad, Houston Dynamo: Onstad is in that same category as Reis. Solid every year.

Others in the discussion:

None, really outside of Busch and Cannon there isn’t much of a race going on here.

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Defender of the Year:

1. Gonzalo Segaras, Chicago Fire: There’s little doubt in my mind he will win this award this season.
2. Michael Parkhurst, New England Revolution: We know what Parkhurst can, but can he work his way to the top of this list?
3. Wilham Conde, Chicago Fire: People love Segares and hate Conde at the same time. Its a shame too because Conde is a beast.
4. Chad Marshall, Columbus Crew: Speaking of a beast, Marshall is one of those guys that probably is due for a National team call-up.
5. Bobby Boswell, Houston Dynamo: Think DC is wishing they hadn’t traded Boswell before the season?

Others in the discussion:

Jimmy Conrad, KC Wizards; Bakary Soumare, Chicago Fire; Jamison Olave, RSL; and Wade Barrett, Houston Dynamo.

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Coach of the Year:

1. Sigi Schmid, Columbus Crew: Once the Crew wrap up the Supporter’s Shield so does Sigi wrapping this award up. Or has he already done so? Maybe.
2. Preki, Chivas USA: His club may have had a rough year but you cannot deny how well Preki has handled it all this year.
3. Frank Yallop, San Jose Earthquakes: Can Yallop get his club to be the first expansion club to reach the playoffs since Chicago did so back in 1998?
4. Dominic Kinnear, Houston Dynamo: Two MLS Cups and possibly one more on the way? Simply remarkable if you ask me.
5. Steve Nicol, New England Revolution: Nicol has navigated his club through a heavy schedule.

By now you should all know the set up for the roster; a keeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two strikers.

Just comment below or send an email with your picks.

Keeper: Matt Reis, New England – I considered a couple guys for this but I can’t see any other way to not go with the Rev’s most consistent player this season. Reis kept them in games they could have easily lost, helped them win games and has made save after safe this season.

Also worth a consideration: Jon Busch, Chicago; Greg Sutton, Toronto FC – Busch for his ability to surprise me more than anyone else this season in goal and Sutton because the game is in Toronto and that cat knows how to win at BMO Field.

Defense: Michael Parkhurst, New England – I tried to find a reason not to have Parkhurst starting in my line-up. And I failed terribly at it.

Gonzalo Segares, Chicago Fire – When he was gone for National team duty his club looked rather weak in defense. That’s a good sign of how good this guy really is. I’ve said he was one of the most underrated defenders in the league.

Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy – I’m pretty serious about this one. I honestly believe the Galaxy would have given up around 30 or 40 goals already if Franklin wasn’t in their line up (so far the have given up 24, second worst in MLS). Sure he is a rookie and probably won’t get the nod but I don’t think most people appreciate how good of a defender this kid is right now.

Also in consideration: Frank Hejduk, Columbus Crew; Jimmy Conrad, KC Wizards; Bakery Soumare, Chicago Fire.

Midfield: David Beckham, LA Galaxy – I don’t even need to explain this one.

Blanco, Chicago Fire – Ditto.

Shalrie Joesph, New England Revolution – I tabbed him as my MVP for this year back in the preseason and so far he isn’t letting me down.

Maurice Edu, Toronto FC – Hometown guy for the TFC fans, I think he is worth starting here too.

Robbie Rogers, Columbus Crew – He’s cooled off a bit from earlier in the year but this kid has made serious strides in his game this season and it’s paid off for the Crew.

Also in consideration: Andre Rocha, FC Dallas; Kyle Beckerman, RSL; Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew; Steve Ralston, New England Revolution; Dwayne De Rosario, Houston Dynamo; Sasha Kljestan, Chivas USA; and Justin Mapp, Chicago Fire.

Strikers: Landon Donvoan, LA Galaxy – 11 goals, 6 assists. Uh, any reason not to?

Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas – A bit of a homer pick for me but Cooper is having a moster year so far for Dallas. Seven goals so far this year, well on his way to a career year.

Others in consideration: Edson Buddle, LA Galaxy; Luciano Emilio, DC United; Danny Dichio, Toronto FC; and Alejandro Moreno, Columbus Crew.

Not a lot of changes at the top of the overall voting list.In fact that top three remain:

1. David Beckham
2. Landon Donovan
3. Cuauhtemoc Blanco

Once you get by the top three the positions break down pretty easily. You can also tell which fan groups are voting like crazy here for this game. Mostly the home fans in Toronto wanting their own in the line up as the All-Stars take on West Ham United. Its also interesting to see Toronto’s main rival Columbus have a few players on this list. The Crew are having a solid season so far and their players deserve the nod in my book.

Goalkeepers:

• Greg Sutton
• Jon Busch
• Matt Reis

Defenders:

• Frankie Hejduk
• Marvell Wynne
• Jim Brennan
• Jimmy Conrad

Midfielders:

• David Beckham
• Cuauhtemoc Blanco
• Amado Guevara
• Dwayne De Rosario
• Guillermo Barros Schelotto

Forwards:

• Landon Donovan
• Danny Dichio
• Juan Pablo Angel
• Jeff Cunningham
• Alejandro Moreno

Am I surprised by any of this news? Not really. The one shocker to me may be Juan Pablo Angel getting the votes. He was the MVP in last year’s game but he has been hampered by injuries and clearly isn’t as effective as last year because of those injuries.

Other than that I’m not totally surprised by it. I would like to see Kenny Cooper or Edson Buddle get some votes.

Some are still asking for my line-up, that will come later on once voting is complete on July 2. Remember, the online fan voting will comprise one quarter of the All-Star First XI selections, with coaches and general managers (25 percent), players (25 percent) and media (25 percent) all getting a say in who is named to the First XI, which will consist of one goalkeeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two forwards.

Anyways, as far as the interconference battles went this weekend. The west is showing they can back up their play against the east. The two sides split their five matches going 2-2-1 on the weekend. The one match that would have fixed the split was that washed out match on Wednesday night.

Let’s start out with some points from around the league before diving into each match:

• Yes, I know the Crew fans went against league policy on the streamers. Please spare me the fact that they ignored it and what not. I know they did but it was only on one occasion and all it did was slow down the game. Pay more attention to this when Toronto has their next home game.
• By the way, those Crew fans were well behaved other than the one streamer throw.
• Something that needs to stop more than the streamers is this random fans that decide to run out on the field during the game. We’ve seen it in Toronto a couple times but now in LA. Folks that has to stop, more so than the streamers. Let’s see now if MLS Rumors attacks those LA fans like they have with Toronto and Columbus fans. Yeah, I doubt they will too.
• Funny to see Beckham laugh it off and Chris Klein tackle the dude though.
• The officiating was very questionable for the most part this weekend. One thing this league has problem with is sub-par officiating. Too many times they dictate the play, that has to change.
• Attendance was a typical so-so here. DC would have had solid number if the rain hadn’t come. New England will boost the numbers with the Brazil friendly. Other than those two the week was a typical so-so. But I say that with LA and Chicago posting near sellouts. That is a so-so in the form of its typical and highly expected of those two clubs.
• Three clubs still undefeated at home right now. We all talk about Toronto and Salt Lake, mainly because of the turf but look at Houston. They sit at 3-0-2 on the year at Robertson Stadium. That place is a great venue, too bad it isn’t their own.
• The west still has one club above .500 (LA), while the east has five (NE, Columbus, Chicago, Toronto, and NY).
• Still no draws for Colorado. I don’t think I’ve ever see a club go 11 games into the season without a single draw. Remarkable and sadly impressive on the fact that they are so inconsistent.

Now on to the weekend’s games.

New England Revolution 2 – 1 FC Dallas:

• Again, a great first half for New England. Early goals are always a killer in this game. But they couldn’t put it together for a full 90 for the most part. But a home win is always nice and they are still top dog, even though they have a game or two advantage on everyone else.
• Dallas still looks in trouble but that last 25 minutes of play was really promising out of this young club. To pull within a goal and looking ever dangerous throughout has to give Marco Ferruzzi and his club some confidence.
• I think the two defensive midfielder system for Dallas has to go. Marcelo Saragosa and Pablo Ricchetti are practically the same type of player and the two together just don’t work that well at the same time. Either one is fine on their own I think but it may be time to move to a system in the midfield that poses more of an attack than a defense. Either one can help the defense out more.
• Some questionable reffing on Friday night, a couple calls that really could have gone both ways for either club. One or two probably could have favored Dallas late and one or two could have favored New England early.
• Matt Reis had another stellar night. Quickly moving up the MVP charts and the player of the month charts in my books.
• I ragged on Juan Toja early in the game but those last 15 minutes were the Toja we got use to last season. Something must have clicked, or at least Dallas fans hope so.
• Is New England really the best club in MLS right now? I think so, they don’t win pretty each time but they still win. They still need a killer mentality though, that was certainly lacking in the late stages of the game.

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San Jose Earthquakes 2 – 0 Columbus Crew:

• Another solid road shutout for the Quakes. Let’s be honest though, aside from the two goals they had practically zero other real chances in this game. Fact of the matter is the took their chances and made the most out of them.
• Columbus did not. They had the chances and just couldn’t muster up enough quality behind those shots or headers to find the back of the net. It wasn’t that Joe Cannon had a great night, it was just Columbus didn’t make it hard enough on him I think.
• Ronnie O’Brien was easily the man of the match. Two textbook assists on the night. When he is on, so is his club. Just too bad he has more off-nights than on-nights.
• Very poorly officiated game though. A few calls that really should have gone the Crew’s way didn’t happen. I thought James Riley should have had a straight red for the two footed slide into Robbie Rogers. The ref ignored it and gave a yellow to Eric Denton for the tackle from the side on Rogers. Still both deserved a card for the play. No one should go in with both feet up like that into someone.
• The red card to Brad Evans was a terrible call. A yellow card, yes, but certainly not a red.
• Speaking of the calls, sadly enough in the second half the ref dictated the play and not the players. That just shouldn’t happen. But that’s what happens when Ricardo Salazar is in the middle of a MLS game. He tends to do that.
• The two subs before half for Columbus clearly hurt them. Sure Andy Iro was fit and ready to go but losing both Chad Marshall and Ezra Hendrickson early in the game put a damper on how Sigi could sub in the second half.
• I still like where San Jose is going here. Very solid defensively, once their direction goes on offense they could do some serious damage to some clubs late in the year. Not a playoff club yet but one of those that will do more damage and not be in the mix in those final weeks of the season.
• Columbus continues to not score. A long, long spell of no goals now at four games. Sometimes dry spells happen but they are still very much in the thick of things with Chicago and Toronto losing this weekend. But still you have to wonder when they will get fit again and hit their stride. They definitely need another scorer though.

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DC United 2 -1 Chicago Fire:

• Thank you FSC for using Dave Johnson as your play-by-play for this one. Very refreshing to hear a good voice on your channel.
• I’d like to continue to welcome Luciano Emilio back to this season. Very solid effort in this one. Goal and an assist, might give him the player of the week nod by the media.
• What happened to Chicago’s defense on both goals? Starting to see some cracks on this club here? Jon Busch was really a bit out of position on that stoppage time goal. Shouldn’t have gotten beat near post like that.
• Crazy game though, a few red cards, a couple goals. Gotta love this rivalry here between these two sides.
• Wild week for DC, washed out on Wednesday and a tornado warning on Saturday. Yikes!
• Some iffy calls by the center official but I think the red cards were justifiable. Though I have to wonder if replay helped out.
• Think Blanco was distracted by the Mexican national team being in Chicago, he didn’t look like his usual self against DC. Then again neither did his entire club.
• Its about high time I update the coaching hot seat here. Tom Soehn has found a way to bounce his club back into the fold here and out of the cellar in the east. They still have a ways to go to catch up to the front three and four in the east though.
• Chicago stumbles, Columbus stumbles and Toronto stumbles. No loss in ground but the third home loss of the season by a late goal makes you wonder about this Chicago side. Do they have the ability to close a game out in a strong fashion? At home you’d think they would but I’m starting to question it.

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Kansas City Wizards 0 – 0 Real Salt Lake:

• Honestly didn’t get to view this one. Saw highlights. And from that I gathered that KC is happy their two month roadie is over, RSL is still tough on turf, and neither club will make the playoffs this year.
• Give KC the credit though for battling better than some do on the turf in Salt Lake. But the winless run now extends to five games for the Wizards. A home game can’t come soon enough.
• Kevin Hartman had a solid game. Lots of good saves.
• Lots and lots of chances on goal for RSL. Findley and Deuchar each had plenty of shots but weren’t able to hit it home.
• KC had only a couple chances with Davy Arnaud, both were solid. One even hit the woodwork.
• KC’s defense is still shaky. I know they are mostly young but before long they have to step up and play better. Too many times they leave their man and allow easy shots on goal. Plus the midfield has to possess the ball better.

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LA Galaxy 3 – 2 Colorado Rapids:

• LA proved yet again they have to outscore everyone to win because of their defense. The I really felt that had there been another five or 10 minutes to this game Colorado would have drawn even.
• This club is still clearly better with Beckham though, had Donovan been out there I think they would have scored five or six on the Rapids.
• Give credit to Colorado for battling back in this one though, they easily could have given up the same scoreline that they had beaten the Galaxy on earlier in the season. But they didn’t because of the two Gomez and Colin Clark. Solid final 15 out of the Rapids.
• But saying that it still shows how inconsistent Colorado is. A club that can’t put a stretch of wins or losses together is tough to get behind. Even if they make the playoffs they won’t do much in them.
• Again, Clarke finds a way to make Abel Xavier look stupid. Why Rudd Gullit continues to go with this guy in defense is beyond my level of thinking these days.
• I must say Edson Buddle is looking better this season than the last two or three. He’s really looking comfortable with Beckham. Then again Beckham easily makes the worst of strikers look good with his services.
• LA continues their lead in the west, and they go visit San Jose next. That isn’t fair. You know they can put like four on that club and San Jose won’t be able to keep up. Then again the LA defense still makes the worst offenses look good.

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Houston Dynamo 3 -1 Toronto FC:

• Very nice to see Brain Ching and Dwayne De Rosario lead this club again here. Both are really coming on strong for their club as of late. Now the Orange are tied at the top with LA in the west. Which one has a better chance of beating the other in October? Hmm…I’m leaning with Houston.
• Give credit to Toronto for battling in this one despite lacking some very key elements to their roster. No Maurice Edu or Amado Guevara. Both clearly were missed on both offense and defense for Toronto. Just shows how important each are for this side.
• I would write off Toronto a bit because of this performance on the road as a legit contender but I will have to wait again until they play on the road at full strength. Just not fair to this club but still they didn’t look horrible.
• Plus as mentioned above, they didn’t lose any ground this week but it would have been big had they won this game. They could have been sitting in second place with a win. Instead they slip a little due to Houston and LA being at the 17 point mark on the season like them.
• Jeff Cunningham is at 99 career MLS goals. I guess we will see his 100th very soon.
• Amazing stat, this marks the first western club to beat Toronto this season. The Reds had previously swept LA and beat RSL.
• Houston looked very dangerous on offense tonight, Ching and De Rosario along with Stuart Holden really put the pressure on the Reds from the start of the game.
• I think the toughness is coming back to this Houston side. They clearly remember how to put away a side here.
• Pat Onstad had one of his typical solid nights. A few key saves kept this game out of reach for Toronto.

Well, what else did I miss? Let’s hear it.

Anyways, I think this is a great chance for New England to get a solid home win against a fairly decent side like Dallas. The Revs haven’t been consistent enough at home for some people’s liking, as evident in last week’s draw against DC. If they can put it together for 90 minutes tonight like I think they will, people will start giving them more respect at home like they deserve.

Dallas is coming into this match a bit banged up, as they’ve only gotten one win in their last seven matches. No Dario Sala again in goal for the Hoops (which means Ray Burse in goal (left)), and more than likely no Dax McCarty on the wings. Plus the looming coaching decision is still on-going for the club. The more it goes on the more it will beat down this club. Believe it, they won’t act like it does but it does.

New England probably still won’t have Taylor Twellman for this one as he is still on the injury list. But that hasn’t really mattered for the Revs who haven’t lost in four straight matches.

I think the strength on New England in the midfield will over match the youth of Dallas in the middle. As much as I like guys like Andre Rocha for Dallas, he won’t be able to do enough to push Dallas over the bar. Dallas really needs Juan Toja to step back into early 2007 form here this season, so far he’s largely been a dud this season for the Hoops.

If Dallas can get Kenny Cooper or Dominic Oduro the ball early in space and allow them to create, they could shock the Revs, who’s defense hasn’t been the best in recent weeks. But getting by Matt Reis will be another subject.

I like the Revs at home, in front of a big crowd or at least a late arriving big crowd. It should be a good atmosphere as we really haven’t seen a doubleheader with a MLS game and a friendly in a year or two. It should be fun.

The difference should be the play of Steve Ralston in the middle, feeding guys like Adam Cristman or Sainey Nyassi.

WVH Prediction: New England 2, Dallas 0

More weekend previews on the way today…keep checking back for more!

Again, shocker, I know.

Here is a look at the top 10 after two weeks of voting:

1. David Beckham, Los Angeles Galaxy
2. Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy
3. Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Fire
4. Amado Guevara, Toronto FC
5. Frankie Hejduk, Columbus Crew
6. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew
7. Dwayne De Rosario, Houston Dynamo
8. Greg Sutton, Toronto FC
9. Robbie Rogers, Columbus Crew
10. Maurice Edu, Toronto FC

Okay I kind of lied about the no surprises. One could easily consider Greg Sutton or Amado Guevara a surprise but we all know the Toronto fans enjoy stuffing any ballots that come their way when they have a player or two on it.

Other than that there really isn’t a shocker on this list. A few players that need your votes are guys like Jon Busch (Chicago), Gonzalo Segares (Chicago), Sasha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Jesse Marsch (Chivas USA), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Andra Rocha (FC Dallas), and Matt Reis (New England) just to name a few.

Fans, Players, Coaches/GMs and media each make up 25 percent of the vote. Fan voting concludes July 2. The first XI will be announced on July 10. The commissioner’s selection will be announced on July 15. The MLS All-Stars take on West Ham United on July 24 at BMO Field.

I haven’t done my ballot but once I do I will be sure to pass it along to you all.

Feel free to post your All-Star selections at anytime here