Conor Casey and Pablo Mastroeni will be called to lead again in 2010. (Getty Images)

We’re moving on in our look at each Major League Soccer roster to see where all the clubs are at in their pre-season. So far we’ve looked at Philadelphia, Chicago and Chivas USA. Today we stay out west and look at Gary Smith’s Colorado Rapids.

Last season had some ups and downs for the Rapids. Offensively at times they looked like they could not be stopped with Conor Casey and Omar Cummings leading the charge but injuries got in the way of post season glory for this bunch.

The winter months have given Smith and his club some time to make some moves and so far they’ve been pretty active. I still see this club making more moves before the season kicks off next month. But lets see how they are doing at each position right now.

Keepers:

Who they have: Matt Pickens and Steward Ceus

Notes: After Pickens things get pretty thin for the Rapids. No doubt they probably have a couple keepers in camp to fill that third keeper spot behind Ceus. I would imagine this isn’t a huge area of concern or we’d hear about them making deals for a backup or even a starter at this point in the winter.  If I were them I’d be looking for a quality back up to pressure Pickens. I like Pickens but part of me thinks they could do better here.

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Defense:

Who they have: Drew Moor, Ty Harden, Julien Baudet, Michael Holody, Scott Paguta, and Chad Borak.

Notes: Another thin area for this club on paper but with guys like Pablo Mastroeni and Jeff Larentowicz on your roster you’re able to keep less defenders in a way. Some rumblings this winter have suggested that Mastroeni will be moved to the backline now that Larentowicz is in town. I think this is a good move for both parties as Mastroeni has started to show his age a bit in recent years and a move out of the midfield may be a wise thing.

Still if that doesn’t happen this group is incredibly thin. I like Baudet and sorta like Moor and Holody but that’s about it for me with this bunch. I think Smith and the front office need to get some more depth in this area or else they will have another up and down season. We saw last year that this group was decent but not nearly good enough to take on the top offenses in the league.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Wells Thompson, Greg Dalby, Jeff Larentowicz, Mehdi Ballouchy, Pablo Mastroeni, Ciaran O’Brien, Jamie Smith, Nick LaBrocca, Colin Clark, Kosuke Kimura, and Ross LaBaux.

Notes: Parts I like include Thompson, Clark, Mastroeni, Larentowicz, LaBrocca, and Smith. After that I’m not entirely sure about this group. Look when everyone was healthy last year this group was as good as any but injuries showed their lack of depth in a big way.

I like the addition of Thompson and Larentowicz this offseason, they both should add the right parts that were missed last year at key moments.

Hopefully for the fans there and for the league we get to see Clark healthy here, I really believe he is one of those guys that has the potential to be a big deal in this league. We’ve seen moments out of him where he is special but injuries just killed it for us all last year with him.

I’d still like to see the Rapids go elsewhere in terms of their playmaker in the midfield. I’ve never been a Ballouchy guy and I probably never will be. He did improve last year but I think its time for them to move away and find someone that can create offense on a consistent basis.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Conor Casey, Omar Cummings, Andre Akpan, Facundo Diz, Pat Noonan, and Ross Schunk.

Notes: When they are on their game Casey and Cummings are the best pairing in the league, hands down. But as we saw at times last year they can get off track in a heart beat if the midfield isn’t in line or if the defense is giving up too much.

I still have to wonder if Casey’s head is on straight here and if he and Smith got everything sorted out after his little outburst after the season ended. At times this winter it sounded like he was going out of town but the rest of the time things were quiet.

The more I looked at their draft the more I did start to like the Akpan pick. It wasn’t great at the time but he was the best player available when they first picked in the second round. He isn’t ready to go just yet but towards the end of this year we’ll see how valuable this pick really can be.

As long as Casey and Cummings return to their stellar midseason form from 2009 the Rapids should be fine in this department.

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Overall:

I think this season still has a lot of ups and downs written all over this bunch. They’ve improved in certain areas but not addressing their defense as much as I’d like this offseason worries me a bit. I know adding Larentowicz is a defensive move but the backline still needs work in my eye. This club is either going to frustrate people with their midfield or they will struggle against top clubs yet again because of their midfield.

Lets face it this is a big year for the Rapids, no playoffs in three years is a dry spell for any club and with more clubs in the league it will only get harder. I believe the Rapids aren’t done this offseason though so it should be interesting how they fill their holes in the final month before the new year.

With stars like Conor Casey and Pablo Mastroeni, the Rapids should have done better in 2009. (Getty Images)

Consistent play was always an issue in 2008 for the Colorado Rapids, and it turned out 2009 wasn’t much different. The Rapids looked like a team that could contend in early on in 2009 but the ladder part of the season tore this group apart as injuries were racked up and the offensive production that was one of the best in the league at times turned into a pumpkin.

Gary Smith took over late last season and did actually get his club started in the right path in 2009. Conor Casey and Omar Cummings turned into one of the league’s best duos as they each racked up the goals while Cummings also provided the assists. The play out of the midfield was actually more impressive as Mehdi Ballouchy actually looked like he had a decent touch for once and Colin Clark started to actually produce like we all expect him to.

But injuries took over this club and when that happen any sort of consistent play this club would produce would go out the window as expected. Their depth showed it was a big weakness and in return the guys that were producing well turned out to not be able to produce when it mattered most. The ladder part of the season Casey could only find the back of the net from the PK spot and Cummings went dry from the start of September till the end of the year.

Rapids fans are left with a lot of what ifs on the season after a promising summer that saw so much productivity out of Casey and Cummings. In the final six weeks of the season the Rapids completely came apart. Some people like Ives even called out everything about the team’s current state of affairs like it was going down as fast as a sinking ship.

What Went Right In 2009:
When Casey and Cummings were on it was pretty cool to watch. The two would light up pretty much any club that stood in their way. The midfield play then was also fun to watch as it had such a good nucleus of talent.

What Went Wrong In 2009:
It seems as the more shares of Arsenal that owner Stan Kroenke buys the worse things get for this bunch in Colorado. As mentioned above the last few weeks of the year really did them in for good on the season. Injuries took a big toll on the club mostly because they are build to use the wings and when guys like Colin Clark went down for the year so did the production of this group.

What’s Next:
For this bunch it is all about getting healthy and correcting what went wrong late in the year. Sad part is I don’t see this bunch getting any better over the offseason with the way things currently are in Denver. Finding a Designated player in the offseason may help but building some depth will probably go a longer way in repairing this club on the field. Off the field this bunch needs a make over. A couple years ago things seemed so promising as they moved into a new stadium but now it seems like this group has gone down the deep dark path that teams like FC Dallas are in. They need to repair things within their fanbase in a big way.

Order of goals: Kai Kamera, Ricardo Clark, Chris Rolfe, Peter Lowry, Pablo Mastroeni, Conor Casey (1 and 2), Robbie Findley, Alejandro Moreno, Robbie Rogers, Landon Donovan, and Jeff Cunningham.

A lot of clubs are still in need of some wins here, especially LA and Columbus who are both winless so far this season. A couple other clubs are hoping to change their luck with a win this weekend as well while others are hoping to stay on course with their current run of play so far this season.

As always feel free to leave your game predictions below.

Columbus Crew – at – Toronto FC:

1. Can the Crew finally get over the hump against their main rivals?

One thing remains the same so far this year, Columbus is not the same club it was a season ago. Main reason is the depth has come in question along with the lack of toughness that exsisted last year with a club that didn’t see a whole lot of injuries to key guys. If there is ever a time to get things going in the right direction it is on the road against your rival. Thing is with key guys possibly still sitting this one out it could be another week before Columbus gets over the hump here. That may be a week too late in the end.

2. What does Toronto need to do to get over the coaching change?

So far they’ve done things right. They had the switch late last week, got the win over Kansas City on Sunday and now they’ve had a full week under the interim boss Chris Cummins. The main thing in a coaching change is try not to change much at all in training and in the lockerroom. I really see Toronto being okay for the time being since Cummins has been there with the club all along.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

For me a guy to watch on Saturday is Columbus’s Alejandro Moreno. He’s finally healthy and as we saw last week he is finally dangerous once again for this club. Moreno is the type of guy that can be such a pest and that had been something the Crew were missing most of the start of the season. If he can get them on the board early in this one it could be a good afternoon for the Black-and-Gold.

Quick Thoughts:

The good old Trillium Cup heads north to Toronto. While Toronto is pretty hot from last week’s two home victories they still have to figure out a way to get over their main rivals in Columbus. In seven league matches the Crew have owned the Reds in each match, including the 1-1 draw earlier this year. Had it not been for the own-goal late by Gino Padula, the Crew would have walked away with their first win of the year. Crazy how own-goals have a way of hurting a club more in the following games than in the game that it happened.

Columbus needs this win in a bad way but I just don’t see it yet. Unless they get Moreno being the pest that he is and Frankie Hejduk pacing up and down the wings and in defense I just don’t know if Columbus can get the three points on the road here. I do think they are still good enough to get another draw out of this one and that’s what I am predicting. Toronto has the talent in place to win this one but offensively they still haven’t put away a club yet. Columbus is good enough offensively to stay with Toronto and I see the Crew grabbing a late goal this time around to get the road point.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 1, Columbus 1

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FC Dallas – at – DC United:

1. What does DC need to do at home to control this game?

Basically in the middle of the pitch they need to make sure guys like Pablo Ricchetti or Dax McCarty don’t handle the possession for Dallas that much. Those are two key guys for Dallas in the midfield and when Dallas plays well like they did in the first half of last week’s game at Chivas (before the Sala red card) it was due to the possessional play out of Ricchetti, McCarty, Andre Rocha and Dave van den Burgh. Dallas has some talent in the midfield that if given the time they can create some dangerous plays for guys like Kenny Cooper.

2. What does Dallas need to do to win this game?

First of all they have to mentally get over the hump in RFK. Dallas has not won at RFK since 2005. Second of all they need to go to their goal scorer in Kenny Cooper. Getting him active early and often will go a long way against a defense that DCU has that has been shaky at times this season. Dallas has shown improvement over these last couple of games and could catch a break against a DC club that does go soft for a stretch or two during the game. If they can find the right times to defend when needed and then attack when the chances present themselves they could leave RFK a winner for once.

3. Player to keep an eye out for.

DC has to be riding high off their win over New York last week. If anyone is going to carry the banner in this one for the boys in black it will be Ben Olsen. His toughness and leadership are more than enough to get the three points at home against a Dallas side that isn’t all that great on the road.

Quick Thoughts:

Both clubs could easily use the points here but I like DC in this one. They do show signs that they will go cold for stretches of the game but Dallas’s defense hasn’t improved enough with the rest of their club yet to make me want to pick them just yet here. Once the defense catches up to the rest they could be a very solid club. DC should have enough momemtum leftover from last week to carry them in this one. I see Luciano Emilio and rookie Chris Pontius having a good evening in this one.

WVH Prediction: DC 3, Dallas 1

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Seattle Sounders FC – at – Chicago Fire

1. What can the Fire do to get back on the winning track here?

Let’s not forget here that Chicago has been playing so-so soccer here lately. Two wins and four draws on the year isn’t bad but they are still the only undefeated side left in the league. With that said they host one of the best sides in the league this weekend in the Sounders FC. Chicago has to control the pace of this game from the start and not allow Fredy Montero, Steve Zakuani and Freddie Ljungberg to control the game for the visitors. This game has potential to be very wide open in the midfield with how each club plays. Blanco has to set the tone of this game early and get MLS Player of the Month for April, Brian McBride involved as early as possible. Seattle still has some questions in the back and McBride is as good as they come for testing any defense in the box.

2. Can Seattle pull one off on the road?

The Sounders have to hope that the Fire are a little more tired than they are since the Fire hosted Club America in the mid-week (Seattle had a USOC play-in game on Tuesday). Seattle has played well on the road so far this year with a win and a loss. Their loss to Chivas was a very close game for the most part so you have to think that Sigi Schmid is doing something right here. If Seattle can control Blanco, Marco Pappa and John Thorrington in the midfield they should be able to do well in this one. If not they will have more pressure on their backline.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

I want to see when Chris Rolfe is on the pitch what happens with the Fire. If he starts he has the skills to be dangerous and if he comes off the bench he will have the late game speed and energy to close things out for the Fire.

Quick Thoughts:

Easily the game of the week. Two of the league’s best square off. Chicago really needs a win though to be honest. They are the league’s only undefeated club left but draws only get you so far in this league. Seattle as we all know have looked very impressive but I want to see how they handle facing another of the league’s best. It didn’t go well for them last time around in LA against Chivas.

To me this one smells like a draw. Chicago is good at home but they tend to drop games that they shouldn’t at Toyota Park for some reason. Seattle is dangerous enough to stay in games and even put home some attacks when the Chicago defense could go to sleep (think the KC game). Seattle goes up first in this one I think with Chicgo coming from behind again for the draw. Blanco won’t be tossing any more jerseies in to ref’s lockerroom this week.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 1, Seattle 1

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Real Salt Lake – at- Colorado Rapids:

1. Can Colorado put it together for a full 90 at home for once?

One thing is certain about this Colorado club, they have the talent to be really good here. Thing is they just haven’t figured it out how to do it at home yet. They dropped points at home last week to LA in a game that totally controlled. Against a rival that is playing well like Salt Lake they cannot afford to go cold for stretches of the game or RSL will get hot in a hurry as we saw last week.

2. Does RSL have any more goals left in them?

Six goal games are usually followed by one goal games. At least from what I’ve seen in the past they have. RSL has the offense to do some serious damage and the league has taken note of that for sure by now. Thing is they haven’t done it on the road yet. However with the way Colorado closed out last weekend’s game against LA, there could be potential for another outburst from this club.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

Colorado’s big leader Pablo Mastroeni has to step up in this one since it is a rivalry game. If he can set the tone early for the Rapids that could be a key thing that leads the homeside to a vital victory over their rivals.

Quick Thoughts:

This one also has the makings of game of the week material. The Rocky Mountain Cup has been a very hot contest these last two seasons and I see this year being no different. I’ve said before I want to see RSL get consistent road play and with the way Colorado plays at home there is no better time to start than now. They need a big game out of Yura Movsisyan and guys like that. On the flip side Colorado needs Conor Casey to step up and lead the way in this one, just like he has time and time again so far this season.

In the end I see a Colorado going through by the slightest of margins. RSL will keep it close and physical but thanks to a goal by Omar Cummings, Colorado will see three points while RSL will be left wondering how to win on the road yet again.

WVH Prediction: Colorado 1, RSL 0

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Chivas USA – at – San Jose Earthquakes

1. Can San Jose actually turn things around here against the league’s best?

On a tight field San Jose could turn their luck around easily but it will not come easy against a Chivas club that has been proving themselves to the league over and over again this season. I thought Chivas did well to overcome last week’s loss to Toronto with the home win over Dallas. It was a good turn around after the season’s first loss. San Jose hasn’t been able to bounce back yet from defeat like Chivas has here.

San Jose has to get a better turn around out of guys in their defense. Either it’s age or injuries that are causing this bunch to be so sloppy this season. I think the key has been the loss of Jason Hernandez. Without their most stable defender the Quakes have give up a lot of goals already this season (tied for second-worst in the league).

2. Will Sasha Kljestan ever come out of his current funk?

Amazing fact that Chivas is playing so well this season without some key guys on offense and without quality play from Sasha Kljestan (no goals and no assists so far). This would appear on paper to be a good game for him to break his spell and actually do something of note for this club. I guess failing to land a deal in Europe really set him back a bit. You’d think he would kick it up even a notch more to get that big deal for this summer.

3. Player to keep an eye out for.

I’m watching the AmeriGoats’ Justin Braun who is back and healthy. So far Chivas has spread out their attack enough that a lot of people are scoring, I think this is Braun’s game to get on the board.

Quick Thoughts:

Normally I wouldn’t go with Chivas on the road in a place like San Jose but the way the Quakes have played so far this season doesn’t give me enough reason to pick them every week like I would like to. Chivas is too talented of a club to not get three points in this one I think and if Kljestan can join the party all the better in Chivas-land. I think San Jose can stay in this game but in the end good defense will trump bad defense and that’s why I am going with the visitors.

WVH Prediction: Chivas 2, San Jose 1

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New York Red Bulls – at – LA Galaxy

1. Will Bruce Arena’s club finally get on a winning path here?

Honestly with the way New York dropped last week’s game to DC at home I think this is an excellent time for LA to get their first win of the season. With Landon Donovan playing as well as he is this seems like a perfect game for it to happen. Plus New York’s offense hasn’t given anyone a reason to believe they will play all that well on the road anyways here. So far they haven’t scored a single goal on the road this season.

2. What needs to go right for New York?

To go right they need better play out of the midfield. It is as simple as that. Going against a fairly weak midfield in the Galaxy, New York should have plenty of chances to spread the field out and find guys like Juan Pablo Angel in the box. This club is going to want to prove that last week’s result was a fluke. And to be honest they have to prove that it was a fluke or Juan Carlos Osorio could find himself out of a job very soon.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

No other person to watch in this one than Donovan. He has carried this club on his back so much this season and I wouldn’t expect anything less in this one. With a shaky defense in New York I think Donovan could find himself in some big spots on Saturday evening.

Quick Thoughts:

This one will either be really fun to watch or just really ugly to watch. I can’t put my finger on which it will be. New York hasn’t been anything special on the road this season and LA has shown they aren’t terrible or great all at the same time this season. I think Bruce Arena’s club gets their first win on Saturday but not by much as New York makes it interesting late in the game.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, NY 1

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Houston Dynamo – at – New England Revolution

1. Will the Revs respond to their 6-0 defeat?

Losing that bad in one half is never an easy thing to swallow. It’s also never easy when you have to face a club like Houston in the following week. Just as we saw last week when you have such a young club on the field and so many key defensive injuries some goals are eventually going to pile up. I didn’t expect six that quickly though. I see the club responding pretty well for a while in this one but it has to come offensively, an area that hasn’t been that impressive by this club so far this season.

2. Can Houston finally beat New England in regular season play?

If there was ever a time to get their first win over the Revs it would be this weekend. All-time in regular season games the Dynamo have not beat the Revs, even at home. But as we all know Houston has beat New England when it mattered most in the MLS Cup twice.

To get their first win they need their big guys stepping up and making the impact early on the road while New England is still figuring out how to get over the 6-0 loss to RSL.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

I think this could be a big game for Houston’s Brian Ching. One thing we all know the Dynamo do well is get free kick situations and if Brad Davis or whomever is taking the kicks can find Ching in the box it could go very well for the visitors on Sunday.

Quick Thoughts:

I can’t see a Steve Nicol club getting downed two weeks in a row in that kind of manner that they lost last week in Salt Lake. Thing is it is tough to bet on their young defense stepping back up without a veteran like Jay Heaps or Chris Albright leading the way like normal. Missing a veteran in the back and having mostly young players can be like playing with dynamite. I think Houston should be able to go in and get some road points here. I just have trouble betting on a club that is missing so many key players in the back.

WVH Prediction: Houston 1, New England 0

The big question is who is left to be traded at this point?

- New York is looking for a striker within the league. We’ve known that for weeks now but they haven’t made a play at anyone as of today. Sources say they are still interested in a couple current MLS strikers like Dallas’s Dominic Oduro and Colorado’s Omar Cummings. I still doubt either will be traded. They’ve been giving a serious look to USL2 midfielder Matthew M’Buta for several weeks now and look ready to sign him.

- Will Colorado actually make a move now that they are within a couple points of a playoff spot? Yeah, no they won’t – or at least I wouldn’t bet on it. If anything people will continue to exit.

- I would still like to see guys like Pablo Mastroeni or Christian Gomez be looked at by a serious contender. I say that because I highly doubt either will be in Colorado next season with the Rapids. Think a San Jose or a Real Salt Lake could use one of them to beef up their playoff bid here? Throw some allocation and draft picks out there, it make sense to me.

- There are a couple teams looking to deal though before the deadline but I wouldn’t expect any more blockbuster deals.

Any deals out there you think should happen? Be realistic here too, none of this Schelotto for some reserve that never plays for the reserve team kind of thing.

Feel free to give your thoughts on a player listed here or bring up a name that isn’t being talked about that could see a move across the pond.

I will do this in a couple different sections too. Players who could go now or have tried and players who are more in line to be the next Brad Guzan or Maurice Edu.

Players Who’ve Tried:

1. Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas: We all know Coopers attempts this summer to go to either Rosenborg or in Cardiff City. FC Dallas said no way to any and all transfer fees, even the really nice ones like Cardiff’s $4 million offer. I think we all know his name will be thrown out again come winter, even though his club has a couple options left on his contract AND they are still actively working to get him a new deal.

2. Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy: We’ve heard him say he wants to try his hand at Europe once more. I would say if this whole deal with Bruce Arena falls apart you could see him throw his name out a bit more. But in all reality he is a whipped man at home and he doesn’t appear ready to leave his wife and TV star Bianca Kajlich behind just yet. I think its more of a thing if her TV career falls in the tanks, you could see him go. For me its a ‘never-say-never’ kind of thing with Landon and Europe.

3. Taylor Twellman, New England Revolution: He tried to leave and it didn’t happen. Sort of like what Dallas did with Cooper. Said no way and good day. I think Twellman’s injury status this season and the Revs quality play may help him out if he still wants to leave this winter. The Revs know they can win without him, but the biggest question will be if anyone still wants him. I’m sure they do but it may not be as high of a value as it could have been back in January.

4. Shalrie Joseph, New England Revolution: The man should be in the big-boy leagues but he isn’t yet. He nearly went to Celtic at one point and I would not be shocked to see him try to go once again if he isn’t happy. If the right deal comes along you could see Joseph land a nice contract with a good team in Europe. I think that’s what he is waiting on if he still has European aspirations.

5. Pablo Mastroeni, Colorado Rapids: He wants to go after this year and he will. It is just a matter of where. I’d kind of love to see him get traded this year to an actual contender and see him get a MLS Cup before he goes.

Young Guns Waiting To Go:

1. Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA: Don’t be at all shocked if this winter you see his name float around in the rumor mills. Kljestan has the range that many European clubs would look for in the midfield. Not to mention he will probably have enough international experience at the nice age of 22 to make plenty of clubs want to spend some serious cash on him.

2. Chris Seitz, Real Salt Lake: We hardly see the 21-year old with RSL because of a veteran in the way but believe me Seitz has the size and potential to be a real stud in goal for years to come. Plus since he rarely plays you can bet some club will snag him for cheap and the league won’t even realize it.

3. Brek Shea, FC Dallas: We know some big name clubs have mentioned Shea here and there. While I don’t see that happening I do think before long he will get some serious mention from other clubs and will make the move. His size and the fact that he is still very young makes him a big time prospect for other clubs. Another one that the league will lose and get hardly anything for it because of the lack of PT he has gotten this year.

4. Michael Parkhurst, New England Revolution: Good Ol’ Park is one of those guys that will probably leave sooner rather than later here. That is unless New England puts the stop to him going like they have before with other players. He’s one of the, if not the best defender in all of MLS. The way he reads the game on the field is pretty fun to watch for someone who use to play defense. I’d hate to see him go but I know he’s got the potential to do well abroad.

5. Ricardo Clark, Houston Dynamo: If he gets the anger issue in control he will be a prime candidate for a move. He’s another one of those defensive midfielders that cover a lot of ground on the field and would be able to fit right in to most European clubs.

6. Bakary Soumare, Chicago Fire: I wasn’t too high on this kid when he first came into the league but the more I’ve seen him the more I’ve seen him grown as a player. He doesn’t get pushed off the ball too easily and his size is perfect for his position. He isn’t overly speedy but is overall size would be enough to make some clubs spend a little cash to get him. Easily a candidate for one of those Scandinavian leagues.

7. Marvell Wynne, Toronto FC: Who doesn’t love a big, speedy wing-back who can cover the entire sideline? I love watching Wynne play because of that reason. His play in the Olympics may have helped him get noticed a bit more too.

8. Stuart Holden, Houston Dynamo: There are times when I doubt this kid but then there are times that I cannot help but thing he will end up in Europe one of these days. His play in the Olympics was just like that. One second he was brilliant and the next he was so-so. This may be a wildcard and that is why I saved him for last but who can’t say one of those Scandinavian clubs wouldn’t want Holden in their midfield?

Yesterday, SI.com’s Jonah Freedman uncovered some very interesting things going on with the Galaxy, AEG president and CEO Tim Lieweke visited the Galaxy locker room last week and issued an ultimatum that if the team didn’t straighten things out that there would be “dire consequences.”

As we’ve seen before things are too peachy with General Manager Alexi Lalas and head coach Ruud Gullit. It seems as though now days Gullit and Lalas are not getting along too well. Big shocker huh?

I talked about it last week that Lalas’s job was probably entering it’s final hours. After yesterday’s loss the Galaxy are quickly playing themselves out of the playoff picture. Its not that the offense isn’t working, no its still the same issues in defense and in the defensive part of the midfield that are causing the most problems.

With a big match against rivals Chivas USA looming in the distance, is it time for someone to get the boot in Hollywood? I can’t see it being Gullit here, so that would have to mean Lalas right? Or will this club finally step up and address the one need that they really need, a defensive midfielder? The same question has to be asked of if they are going to trade Carlos Ruiz or not here soon.

Honestly, a move that could happen based on money and overall need for two clubs is a trade with Colorado for LA. Trade Ruiz to the Rapids and get Pablo Mastroeni in return. I know Mastroeni is looking to go elsewhere after this year or hell even right now but this is a deal they both should make. Ruiz adds some much needed fire power to the Rapids who have been largely inconsistent in that department all year. LA gets their biggest hole filled by Mastroeni in the defensive side of the midfield.

Its a trade no one has talked about yet but its one that needs to happen. Call me crazy if you will but it could save a couple jobs if everything works out.

What do you all think will happen here? Some trades, some firings? What?