Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber has issued the following actions in response to the behavior of coaches, players and team staff who left their respective technical areas during the 85^thminute of the April 21 Chivas USA vs. Philadelphia Union game:

• Philadelphia Union Executive Vice President and Team Manager Peter Nowak has been suspended for one additional game and has been fined $5,000 for leaving his team’s technical area, entering the field of play and initiating contact with an opposing player.
• Chivas USA Head Coach Robin Fraser has been fined $500 for leaving his team’s technical area and crossing midfield.
• Philadelphia Union has been fined $5,000 for the behavior of its players and team staff.
• Chivas USA has been fined $2,500 for the behavior of its players and team staff.

Here is a video of the incident.

Very interesting hearing the details of what go into happens to a suspended coach as well.

A suspended coach is not permitted to enter the stadium tunnel area, Team Locker Room or field level until after conclusion of the game, at which point he may enter the Team Locker Room.  He may not sit in the Press Box or grandstands. A suspended coach also is not permitted to be in communication with his Team during the course of the game.

Again, we knew Nowak would get some form of punishment and Fraser was probably due for what he got as well.

I am sort of surprised to see that Gabriel Farfan didn’t get an additional game for his conduct. That two-footed tackle was pretty reckless.

Sporting KC and RSL square off in the biggest match of 2012 - so far. (Getty Images)

What else can you say about the upcoming weekend in Major League Soccer? It’s damn full. Nine matches, eight of them on Saturday. Tons of interesting matchups across the board that should have everyone’s attention.

This could be the start of where we begin to see how teams will go for the rest of the season. Six weeks in and we know a good amount about each club but it always seem that once those first few games are out of the way that teams begin to separate themselves from one another at this stage. This season should be no different really.

I have a few items I will be looking at heavily this weekend, and here they are:

1. Getting off the mark. For both the Philadelphia Union and Toronto FC, this is a big weekend. Both have win-able home games against clubs that they should beat. Toronto gets Chivas USA, a club making the cross country trip while Philadelphia welcomes in the Columbus Crew, a team fresh off a 4-1 drubbing last week from the hands of the New York Red Bulls.

Even though it is still early, this could easily be a make-or-break kind of weekend for Aron Winter and Peter Nowak. Both of their clubs have been dreadful thus far this season and neither have found their way.

Toronto has to find a way to get their offense going with Danny Koevermans, while making sure that this gritty Chivas team doesn’t make it three straight on the road. Saying that Chivas is a pushover can’t be true anymore after wins in Portland and Salt Lake this season but a long trip to Toronto could be tough for Robin Fraser’s club. Toronto has to find their game and take it to Chivas early or else they could be staring at yet another loss.

For Philadelphia – the plan is simple – find the attack and make it happen against the Crew. Whether it be Danny Mwanga, Gabe Farfan, or someone even like Freddy Adu stepping up…someone has to take over for the Union attack.

2. Reaction to Mullan. It has been nearly a year since the dreaded tackle from Colorado Rapids midfielder Brian Mullan on Seattle’s Steve Zakuani. With Mullan’s return to Seattle set for this weekend, the reception of the veteran wing could be some must-see TV. To me, I hope the Sounder fans keep it classy when dealing with Mullan. I’m not saying they should shower him with praises and roses or anything like that but I do hope that the faithful there realizes that holding a grudge against a player that has already been forgiven for too long could come back to haunt them.

My guess it will end up being mostly boos from the crowd each time Mullan touches the ball. Thankfully most fans do get bored with booing the same guy over and over for 90 minutes.

3. Can the Quakes quiet the Red Bulls? Who would have thought six weeks ago that this could be an interesting match? I certainly did not with the way the Red Bulls started the first two games of the year. Now as we enter Week 6 you have one of the top offenses squaring off against one of the best defenses.

San Jose has done well so far this season at quieting quality offenses like Seattle and Vancouver while finding ways to get Chris Wondolowski the ball. Their style and pace on the wings has come alive with Marvin Chavez and Shea Salines but for me what is so impressive is their defense. Victor Bernardez and Justin Morrow have quietly become a force in the middle of the defense. They’ll certainly have their hands full with Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper, two of the hottest strikers in MLS.

The Red Bulls come into this match scoring 13 goals in the last three games, with Cooper and Henry doing most of the damage. So far this year the Red Bulls have been quieted by good defenses in Dallas and Salt Lake, while running all over Colorado, Montreal and Columbus. How they handle another quality defense like in San Jose will answer a lot about this team. If they can run up the score yet again this weekend, New York will certainly be a force to deal with for the rest of the season. If not, then we’ll know their kryptonite.

4. What formation does Schellas Hyndman put out this weekend? For most of the season FC Dallas manager Schellas Hyndman has used the 4-1-4-1, a trusty formation that really works best with a healthy David Ferreira. But last week against the New England Revolution, he switched it all up going to a 4-4-2. The speed of the wings with guys like Brek Shea and Carlos Rodriguez doubled with the speed of Fabian Castillo up top made it tough for the Revs to deal with at times. This move was made to counter suspensions to Jair Benitez and Daniel Hernandez but with their returns you have to wonder what Hyndman will go to next.

Typically Hyndman doesn’t like to make too many changes from game to game if he doesn’t have to but with the injury to Ricardo Villar, he may have to make a switch again when they host the Montreal Impact on Saturday. Replacing Villar in a 4-4-2 setup isn’t that difficult, seeing how he wasn’t that involved in last weeks game. But in the 4-1-4-1 setup, it proves to be a tougher challenge.

5. Battle at 15 points. Real Salt Lake head to the midwest to battle Sporting Kansas City, in the battle of the top two sides in the league. Each team has 15 points so far and SKC is undefeated after five games. Two extremely strong teams here, really no edge either way in my book as to which way this one leans.

Sporting will want to assert their speed and skill up front early in this one but so far this season they haven’t seen a defense quite like RSL. Jason Kreis’ club always plays tough against quality offenses like Sporting’s and this one will certainly come down to who blinks first.

I’m sure somewhere some executives at MLS are wishing this has been a national TV game for the league. IT would have been a great one to showcase.

6. Dreadful Timbers and Galaxy square off. John Spencer said recently that this last month has been hell, well I am paraphrasing him with that. I’m sure Bruce Arena is thinking the same thing about his club’s performances over the last six weeks as well. Both sides only have a win to bank on up to this point and neither look like the clubs most expected them to be at the start of the season.

Both teams need points but more importantly each need a big performance out of their defense in this one. Neither has shown up well this season and while you could make the point about their offenses not stepping up to the plate as well, it is the defenses that really win in this league.

7. Oh yeah, Houston and Chicago. Man I hate the unbalanced schedule for reasons like this one. Both the Houston Dynamo and the Chicago Fire have been on and off all year not because of poor play on the field but because of the schedule. Both teams have played just three games so far. Yes just three. How insane is that?

Hopefully this match will shed a little more light on just how good the Fire will be this season. I think what we’ve seen so far is they have some quality around the pitch but someone else has to step up offensive other than Dominic Oduro. The same can be said in a way for the Dynamo as their offense has to have some form of life here too.

Houston and Seattle battle it out tomorrow night. (Getty Images)

We are chugging along here in the first month of the 2012 season. The third week of the season brings another full slate of games and talking points. There are a few decent games this weekend with a couple more that could end up being decent as well when it is all said and done.

Nine games on the menu this weekend across three days – only the LA Galaxy are off this weekend.

Below are some points I’ll be keeping an eye on this weekend.

1. West meets East. Six of the nine games this weekend feature a East v. West battle. Big games between Seattle and Houston and then Sporting KC and FC Dallas headline the weekend. Big thing to keep in mind is of those six games, four of them are in Eastern Conference venues. It will be interesting to see if the Eastern clubs can turn the tide at home after going the first two weekends without much to show for against the West. 

2. How good is Houston? Two road games in a row and two wins in a row have the Dynamo off to a rocking start. But how good is Dominic Kinnear’s club really at this point? The two 1-0 wins have come against one of the worst clubs in the league (Chivas) and a team that is decent (San Jose). Also, the Orange haven’t exactly lit up the boards with their offense as they’ve only chipped in two goals on the season, one being from the penalty spot last week.

Houston heads to Seattle for a big primetime battle with the Sounders tomorrow night. Seattle looked good in their home opener last week against Toronto as David Estrada ran all over the Reds with a hat trick. Toronto is a different defensive club than Houston is here. The Dynamo use the defense to their strength and will need to push around the Sounders early and often to get them off their game.

3. About those Quakes. San Jose takes their 1-1-0 record to the road to battle Toronto FC in their home opener. So far we’ve seen the Quakes play decent in a win over New England but then stumble against Houston last week. We know Chris Wondolowski can score but so far no one is really feeding him the ball. But they may be in luck as Toronto sweeper Torsten Frings is on the mend for a few weeks. Without him in the midfield, expect Toronto to be a little different and likely a bit weaker. If San Jose is indeed better this year, this will be a  game that they can prove it to us. On the road, in a tough environment, against a pretty decent team.

4. The questions in Philly. We’ve heard all week about stuff going on with the Philadelphia Union. Peter Nowak is playing things very oddly and in a way that can be easily made fun of too by folks in the press and online. This Union squad has talent, make no mistake about it, but right now they seem to be lacking some heart across the field. You’d expect a guy like Danny Califf or Carlos Valdes to step up and be the true veteran leaders that they are, but that hasn’t exactly happened yet in their two losses (for a variety of reasons no less). Offensively speaking the Union haven’t got it going so far this year and not having Freddy Adu isn’t making it easier.

The Union head to Chicago for their home opener. The Fire looked decent in Montreal last week but still have some question marks of their own. We don’t know how good this club really is or will be yet but we do know one thing, Dominic Oduro is certainly trying to make us realize that he isn’t going to be a one-hit wonder.

5. Turn the heat up in New York. We’ve talked about it this week, the heat under Hans Backe’s butt has to be getting warmer and warmer here. The Red Bulls opened the season with two straight road losses and losing their home opener is definitely out of the question. The panic button hasn’t been pushed, not yet at least. They get a Colorado Rapids squad that will be missing a key midfielder in Jeff Lawrentowicz, who got red carded late in Philadelphia last weekend. That’s a huge blow for a club on the road seeking a third straight win.

New York has to play their style of game. Direct, with pace on the wings with Dane Richards and Joel Lindpere. So far neither one of them has been involved much in their two losses. Without their services on the wings, Thierry Henry has been forced to sit further back into the midfield to get the ball. That cannot happen for a player like Henry. Having Rafa Marquez back in the lineup should help though, if he can be the defensive force in the midfield, it may allow pressure off the defense and some better service. At least one would hope that will be the case. If not, Backe and this club will be forced to answer a lot of tough questions.

6. Dallas travels with a slew of missing players. We’ve talked about wondering just how good a couple clubs are, well Sporting KC fits that mold. They’ve done well in their two wins to start the season, one on the road in D.C. and the other at home against a 10-man New England. Now they’ll host a FC Dallas squad missing Brek Shea, Fabian Castillo and likely David Ferreira. That’s a ton of offense for Schellas Hyndman to be missing, not to mention newcomer Carlos Rodriguez, who has been filing in on the wings will be out with the Panama U-23 national team. Ouch.

To me this one is simple, if KC plays to their strengths up top with Kei Kamara and CJ Sapong, then this one will be their’s without a doubt. Dallas has a strong defense for sure this season with the return of George John and newcomer Hernan Pertuz looking good but without the wing play in the midfield, Dallas will struggle in this one.

Looks like it could be a long year for Peter Nowak. (Getty Images)

I know folks like myself and other writers out there didn’t make this one easy going into the season. We all kept saying the Eastern Conference was the weaker side and how it would struggle against the West.

After two weeks of the new season, that statement rings true. Outside of Kansas City and Houston – who are both off to strong 2-0-0 starts – nearly everyone else in the East has stumbled out of the gate. I’ll ignore Chicago and Montreal for the moment too. The Fire have only played a single game and it was on the road while Montreal is an expansion team, and we can’t expect the world from them yet.

The same can go for Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew. The Trillium Cup rivals have both only played a single game in league play as well but neither were good in the process. Toronto has had two extra CCL games to their name which makes me want to leave them out of this discussion. Should their league play continue to be dreadful in a month or two, I’ll talk about it then. Columbus should bounce back in my mind this weekend as they host Montreal.

So that leaves the likes of the Philadelphia Union, D.C. United, the New York Red Bulls and the New England Revolution. All are 0-2-0 with negative goal differential.

Only New England has failed to score a goal out of the gate (they join Chivas USA who is the lowly Western Conference side to be 0-2-0 and score no goals) but I’m giving Jay Heaps a bit of a pass at this point.

Two teams have coaching issues going on (Philly and NY) while DC is struggling through some growing pains in Ben Olsen’s second full season as manager.

Only in towns like New York and LA do two losses raise such questions but with the Red Bulls those questions are being raised left and right. Consider what Hans Backe has done so far this season with his starting lineups. While on the road for both goals Backe made it down right tough on his star player Thierry Henry to get any sort of offense going. Yes, no Luke Rodgers or Rafa Marquez didn’t help the situation out but in neither Dallas or Salt Lake did the Red Bulls look really dangerous.

As for the Union. Things are sliding quickly out of control after Peter Nowak’s latest debacle involving Danny Califf. Nowak suddenly leaves Califf out of the line up due to a knee injury that was never really reported. Then the Union go on to lose a rare home game against a 10-man Colorado team. Fans are still feeling the burn of the preseason trade of Sebastien Le Toux as well. **

I haven’t done a coaching hot seat post yet but if I were do to one today Backe and Nowak would certainly be on it*. I do however think that Nowak has a little more leverage with the Union front office. He’s made every move for this club thus far and will continue to do so. I think it will take a massive collapse by his club to get him fired this season. As for Backe, lose two more games (both at home) and that hot seat will be burning.

So is panic mode setting in on these clubs? Maybe, it certainly is very early to tell but I would imagine most of the fans for these clubs aren’t feeling too comfortable about their club’s outlook today.

Where do you stand with your club today after two weeks? Feeling good about things or are you close to hitting the panic button?

Philadelphia hosts LA this Thursday. (Getty Images)

By Kevin Kinkead

Los Angeles. New York. Columbus.

Three remaining games for the Philadelphia Union, against three of the top five squads in MLS. It’s only fitting that the final test for this young expansion side, will come against the league’s best teams.

Though the Union are eliminated from the playoffs, it’s about ending the season on a positive note, and carrying the momentum into year number two.

Peter Nowak’s squad will want to forget about the May 1st trip to Carson, California. The Union conceded just 56 seconds into the game, the Galaxy cruising to a 3-1 win. The lone Union bright spot was a late goal from Jack McInerney, his first as a pro.

Fast forward to October, and the Galaxy atop the standings on 53 points.

If this were week 16 of the NFL season, we might be talking about putting in the backups. But regular season supremacy is on the line. A win Thursday can move the Galaxy 5 points clear of Real Salt Lake at the top of the table, another step towards bringing the Supporter’s Shield back to Los Angeles. RSL would then need to get a positive result against New York on Saturday, a Red Bulls side which will lose several players to international call-ups.

Three’s Company

In Philadelphia meantime, a sellout crowd will witness three of the best players in MLS this Thursday . (ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT))

Have a look at these statlines-

Sebastien Le Toux- 13 goals, 10 assists , 3 game winning goals

Edson Buddle- 15 goals, 2 assists, 6 game winning goals

Landon Donovan- 7 goals, 14 assists, 2 game winning goals

Safe to say, the key to this game will be finding these players, or denying them the ball. Le Toux, Donovan, and Buddle are all MVP candidates, and they’ve combined for 35 goals and 26 assists this year.

In fact, Le Toux has been involved in 23 of the Union’s 32 goals this season. He’s played 25 games this year, only Jordan Harvey and Michael Orozco-Fiscal logging more minutes. It’s easy to see why Le Toux’s trap and finish against Houston on Saturday, received a nomination for goal of the week.

Inside the Statistics

-The Galaxy have the best road record in MLS, posting an 8-3-3 mark away from the Home Depot Center. But the Union have only lost twice at PPL Park this year. Only FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake have lost fewer games on their home field.

-While Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle lead Los Angeles in the scoring department, 14 different Galaxy players have tallied this year.

-And the Galaxy are 15-0-0 when scoring first. They are only MLS team not to drop a point when bagging the game opener. When conceding first, the Union are 2-11-3 on the season. That means the Union have salvaged 9 points this year, even when the other team strikes first. No other team in MLS has salvaged more points than the Union, when conceding the first goal.

-Both teams are undefeated when leading at the half. Philadelphia: 4-0-2, Los Angeles: 14-0-0.

-When trailing at the half, the Union have come back to win two games this year. L.A. has not won a game this year when surrendering the half time lead. (0-4-1)

What should we expect from Los Angeles?

Bruce Arena has used different formations and pairings throughout the year. Obviously, injuries, national team duties, and suspensions are reasons to change the starting XI. But Arena is also trying to work David Beckham back into the midfield. Beckham missed much of the Galaxy season with that Achilles injury, but figures to have a key role in the Los Angeles playoff push.

Against New York, Beckham was used on the outside right flank. But his lack of pace, and perceived inability to cover ground, stalled the Los Angeles offense. The midfield was unable to distribute and get much of anything going.

But Sunday against Chivas, Arena paired Beckham in the central midfield with Juninho, using the Brazilian in his typical holding role while Beckham was given room to maneuver in front of him. Chris Birchall and Michael Stephens played on the flanks, while Landon Donovan moved up top with Edson Buddle. The change in formation resulted in a 2 to 1 win, Beckham completing 77% of his passes and committing just one foul in the process.

Qwest Field will be packed for tonight's opener. (Getty Images)

Well First Kick is finally here. A couple months ago some folks thought it may not happen due to a possible lockout or strike but all of those issues are behind us and we now get to focus on the beautiful game itself. A new season is here and there’s not a better place to open it up I think then at Qwest Field with the Seattle Sounders FC hosting the new kids in town Philadelphia Union.

Piotr Nowak has spent nearly a year putting together this expansion side for Philadelphia. From the expansion draft in November to the SuperDraft in January, along with several other pickups along the way Nowak faced a tough task to live up to last year’s expansion darling, the Sounders.

Seattle has grown stronger in the winter months as manager Sigi Schmid kept most of his bunch from a season ago that was just a few points off of the Supporter’s Shield mark. Schmid will once again lean on young Colombian Fredy Montero and Swedish star Freddy Ljungberg to guide their attack in 2010.

For Philly to win tonight they’ll have to take the crowd at Qwest Field out of it early. Their attack will have to get going which has been a huge question mark on a lot of folks mind this winter. We know Alejandro Moreno can score and we know former Sounder Sebastian Le Toux can be a hand full but will they really be enough against Seattle’s defense? I kind of doubt it.

Look for Seattle to control things in the midfield with Ljungberg and Osvaldo Alonso. Seattle also has an advantage on the wings with Steve Zakuani and Nate Jaqua.

Matchup to watch: Stefani Miglioranzi vs. Osvaldo Alonso

With Fred suspended due to a red card from 2009 (I hate that cards carry over like that), Migloranzi will be called to do a lot of work on the wings and in the midfield for Philadelphia. Alonso was one of the better defensive midfielders in the game last season, look for him to match up well against Migloranzi.

Player to watch for: Fredy Montero – He’ll scored the goals in this one.

At the end of the night I see Seattle’s crowd and talent on the field being too much for the young Union to overcome. I like Nowak’s side but not enough on the road in a very tough first game. Schmid’s team will show exactly how good they will be this year in the opener.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, Philadelphia 0

I’d normally like to get these predictions out much sooner but with all that has gone on this winter the day before First Kick seems about right really. The rosters became compliant at 5pm ET yesterday and thus will put an end to the preseason in a way for all the clubs.

In the past I’ve done these bold season predictions in various ways. I ended up sticking with the tradition of the predictions and picks and also added some other items like I did a year ago. I know some of the bold predictions are silly and meaningless but they’re fun to do nonetheless.

As always feel free to put in your season predictions below.

Players to watch out for in 2010:

• Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus): Can he guide this club to another stellar season? I think he will but it won’t be easy with the league out to get them.
• Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy): No doubt Donovan will return to his MVP form from a year ago, but the question will he be with the club after the World Cup? Part of me thinks he will and part of me sees him going back to England.
• Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls): Once he is 100% again look for him to do very well this year. Not playing on nasty turf at home will do wonders for him and the Red Bulls.
• Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo): Big, big year in Houston for the Dynamo especially for Cameron. If he can help keep their offense in check and facilitate things like I believe he can then look out.
• Freddy Montero (Seattle Sounders FC): He’s a marked man but if he can break open in space like we’ve seen him do time and time again then he’ll get his goals this year.

Coaches Already Feeling The Heat

Each year I’ve done a Coaching Hot Seat, where I look around the league to see who stands the greatest chance of getting the boot. Last couple year’s I’ve been right on with some picks on here while a few others have been a bit off. Again, its just my opinion on each coach listed and it doesn’t mean it will actually happen. In other words don’t get all bent out of shape if you see your coach on here at any point this year, I can’t tell you how many emails I get over this issue.

But in saying so this year could be a fairly light year for coaching hot seats in general since there have been so many coaching changes.

• Frank Yallop (San Jose Earthquakes): Its year three for the Quakes 2.0 which means Yallop should really feel some heat if he doesn’t get this club winning early on this year. I wasn’t shocked to see him get another season with the club after last year but I wouldn’t be at all shocked to see him be the first gone this year.
• Gary Smith (Colorado Rapids): Another western coach that should feel some heat this year if his club isn’t winning. If they continue to be inconsistent look for lots of calls for his head later this year. Thing is the Rapids owners typically drag these things out. I think he’ll be fine but for now this is more of a caution of possible things to come.
• Hans Backe (New York Red Bulls): I do believe he’ll last longer than most expected him to but I think its more of a formality at this point to always include the New York boss in these lists given the fact that they have a new coach about every year or year and a half.
• Schellas Hyndman (FC Dallas): While I believe he will have this job as long as he wants it I also think that if he has another clunker of a season the pressure for him to go will have to mount. His overall record (15-18-14) isn’t anything to brag about.

Early Award Predictions:

Below are some predictions for each end-of-season award. I left a few off that I really don’t care about, why we vote on things like the Ref of the year is beyond me. I’ll give you my top three for each since that is how we have to vote on it anyways.

Goalkeeper:

1. Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy): He’s a beast…nothing more to say than that.
2. Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders): If Ricketts isn’t 100% all year then this award easily goes to Keller.
3. Will Hesmer (Columbus): I find him to be highly underrated.

Defender:

1. Chad Marshall (Columbus): Hard not to go against the league’s best defender.
2. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle): He’s the rock in the back for the Sounders.
3. Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy): I see this kid growing into a perennial All-Star.

Comeback Player:

1. Taylor Twellman (New England): Its gotta be Twellman right? Anyone else to put here?

(Yes I’m sure there are others but right now Twellman is all I have for this one.)

Newcomer:

1. Joel Lindpere (New York Red Bulls): If NY is going to be half as good as people think/say they are this year it will be because of this guy.
2. Eduardo (San Jose Earthquakes): The Quakes need a goal scorer and he will help do just that.
3. Blaise N’Kufo (Seattle Sounders FC): Yes he is only playing a half season but I agree with a lot of folks out there that think he is the final piece to the puzzle that puts this club over the top.

(Note: this will easily change as newcomers join the league in the summer and after the World Cup)

Coach:

1. Sigi Schmid (Seattle Sounders): He’ll continue to work his magic in the Pacific Northwest.
2. Peter Nowak (Philadelphia Union): I do believe he’ll make them better than most expansion clubs and thus will get high praise for it. A playoff birth would easily help him win this though.
3. Bruce Arena (LA Galaxy): If they end up losing Landon Donovan this summer and they still do well in the west then he may very well beat out Schmid for this honor.

Rookie:

1. Tony Tchani (New York Red Bulls): He’s a beast, believe me.
2. Zach Loyd (FC Dallas): The man that can play just about anywhere for Schellas Hyndman. Once he settles into a role he’ll be golden.
3. Teal Bunbury (Kansas City Wizards): He’s a natural goal scorer, and KC needs goals.

MVP:

1. Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy): Not settling the world on fire with this pick but as long as he is in the league he’s the best player no matter what.
2. Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew): As long as he has a full healthy season he could end up winning this on his production alone.
3. Kyle Beckerman (RSL): If this club is going to repeat it will be because of this man.

Playoff Predictions:

Top two from Eastern Conference: Columbus Crew* and Chicago Fire
Top two from Western Conference: Seattle Sounders FC and LA Galaxy

Wild card winners: Real Salt Lake, Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas, D.C. United

I feel as though the first six (auto-bids, RSL, and Houston) are simple picks for me but with parity in this league we really could see any number of teams in those final two spots. I think it will come down between Dallas, D.C., Colorado, Chivas, Toronto, New York and New England for those final two spots. I felt weird taking four western conference wild cards so D.C. gets the nod for me though I’ll be honest I’m not totally set on that pick. Dallas needs to find a partner for Jeff Cunningham or they’ll be in trouble. Still Dallas is a dark-horse for me just as I’ve said all winter long. Had to stay with that pick here.

First round playoff winners: Columbus (over Dallas); Chicago (over D.C.); Seattle (over Houston); and RSL (over LA).

Conference final winners: Columbus and Seattle.

MLS Cup winner: Seattle Sounders FC

(*= Supporter’s Shield winners)

The Rest of the WVH Bold Predictions:

1. A MLS club will win SuperLiga: I still hate this tournament but I’m a homer and root for anyone MLS in it. My guess is Houston will take it hom this year.
2. A MLS club will win the US Open Cup: The league usually does every year and with the whole Division II mess that went on these past few months I like a MLS club’s chance even more. I’m going to go with the Chicago Fire to win this year.
3. MLS will get four clubs in CCL Group stage: We already get two in Columbus and Real Salt Lake. I’ll say LA and Toronto some how manages their way into the group stage this year. Seattle falls short.
4. MLS will win the All-Star game: Yawn.
5. Three clubs will add DPs by the end of summer: New York will add their second while Chicago and D.C. get new ones.
6. More Yanks will return home: Maybe a Benny Feihaber? Who knows? I still see a couple coming back this summer.
7. A couple Yanks transfer out of MLS: This deserves it’s own post (again) but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Donovan go as well as someone like Brek Shea.
8. Dominic Kinnear will once again trade like crazy: He does it each year and it only makes his team better. Why people trade with him I’ll never know. You can bet one at least one trade really working out in the Dynamo’s favor though.
9. Mo Johnston and Preki will butt heads: All seems good now as they continue to dump salaries but at some point they’ll clash over player pickups.
10. Houston and San Jose will see their stadiums go up: They’ll join Kansas City in the movin’ dirt department.
11. D.C. will still be stuck at RFK: Its election year for D.C.’s mayoral race, so I don’t see anything happening to United’s stadium issues anytime soon. Which sucks.
12. Montreal will get their expansion bid: They’ll be in the league in 2012…its all but announced at this point.
13. No other expansion bid will be announced this year: I think the league will carefully plan who their 20th club will be. My money is on them trying to find an owner in New York to bring a second club to that area.
14. A late season run will help…D.C.: We see it every year, last year it was RSL getting lucky at the right time, this year it will be D.C.
15. Juan Pablo Angel will lead the league in goals: No turf at Red Bull Arena will go a long way in getting him back to producing lots of goals.
16. Brad Davis will lead the league in assists: He always quietly gets lots of assists and no one notices.
17. Kasey Keller will lead the league in saves: I still see the Sounders give up a fair amount of shots but Keller will be there to save most of them.
18. The US Men’s National Team will make it to the quarterfinals: Not MLS related but definitely worth predicting at this point. I love the boy’s chances in South Africa, as much as I want to put them in the semi-finals, a quarterfinal exit seems more likely.

Jack McInerney is the future face of the Union. (Kevin Kinkead for WVHooligan)

By John Parker

In this (hopefully) sixteen part series, I will look at each of MLS team and discern their “future face of the franchise.” This isn’t necessarily a query into the player with the most potential on a squad, but rather a question of how a player or personality is situated to become the most visible and/or marketable person within an organization.

In other words, it’d be much more fun if Alexi Lalas was still around…but alas, we’re stuck with personnel with talent.

To start off, we’ll look at the Philadelphia Union.

The Union is somewhat uniquely situated among recent expansion teams when it comes to their team’s image. The Sounders had Ljunberg, Toronto had Mr. Clean post seven scotches, and San Jose had absolutely nothing (not that they do now).

Philadelphia, however, has a stable of young talent and a coach who is a name himself.

From this years draft come a couple of prospects with a bright future, but for one or another reason won’t be gracing the lips of the Philadelphia SOB’s quite as much in a couple of years. The defensive midfield pairing of Toni Stahl and Amobi Okugo are the first that come to mind. With Stahl, we are looking at a monstrosity in the midfield, a talented player who can probably start immediately, and a home nation that will surely lead to some amusing songs. Another advantage with Toni is he’s likely to be around for a while. But at age 24, Toni is unlikely to improve.

Verdict: Don’t count out the “Dichio effect” with Toni. Oh, and he might actually be good.

Amobi Okugo, the current U-20 US captain, was a scout favorite coming into the draft. He can cover the pitch and quickly move the ball. With his ball winning prowess and his quick ball movement, he could soon become the lynchpin of the Union midfield. As a key talent in the US youth set-up and possibly one in the USMNT in the future, Okugo will have added visibility outside the squad. However, Amobi suffers from a position that lacks flair (Amobi had 1 goal and 2 assists as the Freshman of the Year). On top of it, many don’t expect him to last at Philly too long before Europe calls.

Verdict: If the Union retains him, the well-versed fans in Philly will come to love him. However, outside the supporter groups Amobi won’t be fully appreciated. And if he is so good to demand that attention, he’ll be trying to do his best Edu impression in a couple of summers.

The Union also have a couple of defenders with MNT experience behind the midfielders. I’ll let you figure out who they are. Oh, you didn’t know? That would be Danny Califf and Michael Orozco!

(Note: Work on the syllables SOB. There’s a song somewhere in there…)

They’re center backs without exceptional athletic talent. They also have Chris Seitz in goal. They’ll all look nice when they grace the cover of their program once a year.

Verdict: I’ve never heard a ticket rep sell a good offside trap.

(Note two: I do have at least one defender featuring as a future face. Don’t tread on me!)

Pulling the strings for the expansion club is Peter Nowak, who I’d consider a dark horse to become the true face of the franchise. Nowak could be in for the “Sigi” effect: a former cup winner well known in US circles, Nowak can become especially renown if the team succeeds in its first year. Considering he is getting in at the ground floor, the success is all his. This is and will be his team. As such, if the team becomes a success, he becomes a hero in Philadelphia. However, Peter isn’t quite the character Sigi is…and he’s not awesomely obese.

Verdict: Nowak will “be” the Union if no one steps up to be a star. However…

The Union had probably had the most incredible intake of talent the MLS draft has seen in its history. Two of those players reside in the midfield, but possibly the two most talented play up top. Danny Mwanga may be the most talented striker to enter the MLS since Jozy Altidore (who, remember, was a second round pick). There is a reason he got the largest GA deal in history; his athleticism alone makes him a danger, but Danny synthesizes his physical ability with a very well rounded game. Mwanga should be toe to toe with Tony Tchani for the Rookie of the Year, and double digit goals would not be a surprise. Danny is such a talent that one of the top teams in France, Lille, attempted to bring him in. This all points towards a player capable of becoming a top striker in MLS sooner than later. The unfortunate thing is that Danny is still looking towards a European future, and is likely to cross the pond as soon as he becomes an MLS stalwart. The multiple year wait for citizenship also doesn’t help, as his status as a super sub for the USMNT would escalate his visibility.

Verdict: Mwanga is the greatest talent on the team, but a probable short stint prevents him from being a Union legend. By the time he becomes a “fat head” level player, he’ll probably be drinking absinthe and smoking Parisian cigarettes.

This leaves us with Mwanga’s back up, Jack McInerney, Philadelphia’s future face of the franchise.

Let’s start with why Jack the player has such a great future in Philly. McInerney is a unique striker in the history of American development; one could almost call him “Bojan-esque.” McInerney is a fantastic striker off the ball, often finishing from distance or curling it into the corner. In tight spaces, Jack utilizes good close control to possess long enough to create the opportunity to employ his finishing skills. He won’t get by defenses, and he won’t overpower defenders, but his natural striker ability bucks the American trend.

This is especially interesting considering his possible partnership with Mwanga. Danny is capable of stretching defenses, latching onto through balls, and creating for his partner. McInerney should be able to run off Mwanga and find many opportunities he wouldn’t if the defense was able to body up against him. What should follow are highlight goals and a fine strike record.

Finally, Jack is in a position to take advantage of a severe lack of depth at the striker position for the US. If he is able to produce a good run of form, he is sure to get games…and we all know that any youngster getting called into the MNT is sure to garner much attention.

Besides his skills and situation, Jack is sure to be a marketable player. With his youth and his lack of size, he is sure to be in Philly for a good while. Within three or four years, he’s most likely to be the best of the original Union squad…he will grow as the team grows, a true fixture at PPL park.

Finally, Jack fits with the Philadelphia market. He has a bit of “Rocky” in him. He’s undersized but tough…capable of embarrassing his larger foes. He fits within the SOB ethos and is will have quite a few tunes turned out to his name. “Jack Mac” will surely be on the lips of the Philadelphia supporters for quite a while.

Editor’s Note: John Parker appears weekly on WVHooligan.com. Feel free to leave John a comment below.

Amobi Okugo could be a big time player for the Union. (Kevin Kinkead for WVHooligan)

In this expansion era in Major League Soccer we’ve seen the good and the bad on how to bring a new club into the league. The bad is obviously just about everyone but Seattle. Most clubs stumbled in their first year due to either poor management from the start or bad player choices.

With a new kid on the block it is worth looking into see how the Philadelphia Union are looking right now as they head into their first season. Coming in a year after the Seattle Sounders FC set the MLS world on fire, Piotr Nowak and company have a lot of work to do but so far their efforts have been pretty good.

The Union hasn’t dipping into any big foreign signings just yet but with the transfer window still open there is still time for a couple big signings. Also, don’t be shocked if they do end up with one of those Americans that are rumored to return to the States this winter too.

For this look at the Union I’ll go position by position to see where they need some help before the season starts. (note, I am aware there are other reports like this out there, I’ve had this one in the icebox for a week now. I was merely waiting for a rainy day to release it!)

Keeper:

What they have so far: Brad Knighton, Chris Seitz and Brian Perk.

All three really could be the day one starter so the competition for this spot is going to be good to see. I’m a big believer in healthy competition and what it brings out in good players. No doubt who ever wins the starting role will have earned it.

I don’t look for them to even consider looking elsewhere for this position from here out unless they want to use one as trade bait, which wouldn’t be a terrible thing to do if they get a quality player in return.

Defense:

What they have so far: Danny Califf, Jordan Harvey, Shavar Thomas, and David Myrie.

All quality but honestly not nearly enough to get the job done right now. More than likely we’ll see Nowak go with three in the back as he typically likes to run at 3-5-2, so right now you have a couple good options but they’ll definitely need more.

Where will they go for more help? They’ve been linked with Michael Orozco for some time now and that could be a good move if it pans out. They’ve also been said to be linked with a Colombian player as well that has already signed with the league. With the possibility of Califf being gone this summer with the National team at the World Cup, Nowak has to find someone to fill in for him. Getting a strong center back also has to be a priority too.

Midfield:

What they have so far: Fred, Andrew Jacobson, Stefani Miglioranzi, Amobi Okugo, Shea Salinas, Toni Stahl, Kyle Nakawaza, and Nick Zimmerman

So far this is a pretty solid group, though its a pretty young one. I do like the idea of Zimmerman and Salinas on the wings. Okugo has the potential to be a good rock in the middle and I do see Stahl being the defensive-midfielder that everyone expects him to be. Believe me, I’ve seen Stahl enough to know that he has the full potential to be a Jeff Larentowicz-type player.

Still I believe they do need a playmaker though Fred will probably handle those duties starting out. Though this group should be a pretty good one to watch and a tough one to face.

Forwards:

What they have so far: Jack McInerney, Sebastian Le Toux, Alejandro Moreno, and Danny Mwanga

A solid mix of young and veteran players here. No doubt Moreno and Mwanga will be day one starters for this team. Le Toux may see a starting role out of the midfield as well but we’ll see how Nowak handles his lineups before we really make that prediction.McInerney will be a project that will probably get some decent time this season too.

They probably still need a big finisher to come off the bench or even another speedster. I’d say if they did make any big splashes in the summer with transfers it will be here in this department, especially if they are wanting to me a run late in the season.

Overall:

So far its looking pretty good in Philadelphia. Nowak has been able to put together a fairly solid roster so far. They have a few more open roster spots that should fill in the rest of the holes. For me they need to concentrate on defensive additions before the season. As much as I loved they handled things in the expansion draft for their defense they have totally cooled off on that area. Depth will be key but I love the look of their midfield so far which could go a long way in an eastern conference that could still be just as weak as it was a year ago.

They’re not on Seattle’s pace from a season ago but I definitely don’t see them being another Chivas or Real Salt Lake in year one.

Chester Stadium currently under construction. (Photo via Philadelphia Union)

Editor’s Note: Geoff Reid appears on WVHooligan each week. Today he is back to discuss something that is very close to home, the soon to be expansion Philadelphia Union. Geoff lives just 15 minutes away from the new club. Feel free to leave Geoff your thoughts below.

With just under six months before Major League Soccer�s newest club takes the field in Seattle in the 2010 opener, I thought it be good to give an update on where my local club are in preparation. It doesn�t seem like that long ago, we had the official announcement on February 28th, 2008 in Chester, Pennsylvania. While I haven�t been down in the area all that long, I always had concerns about MLS putting a team in the Delaware Valley. At the time, I thought St. Louis would have been a much more viable option, however, since that point I can safely say I�ve jumped on the bandwagon.

The club�s owners right from the start seemed like they were up against it: economic downturn, trying to sell the idea of re-building a historic, but rundown city by having a team and stadium as it�s crown jewel in a complete redevelopment of the area to the local government and promising to be a success all at the same time. Needless to say they accomplished that first part.

The ownership also had to field questions regarding if they still had enough cash to pull everything off with one of them losing a big chunk of money a year ago when the stock market dropped. The rumors of FC Barcelona even coming in and taking a stake was discussed but nothing came about after the Catalans decided to pull out of the Miami bid. There was also talk of the Montreal Impact coming in 2010 and pushing Philadelphia back to 2011. The panic button could have easily been pushed, but the ownership has stuck to their guns and currently the only news coming out of the club is good news. Sure there has been hurdles to jump over since the planning officially began on February 28, 2008, but careful brainstorming in all aspects while making small tweaks to the big overall picture has shown the group knows exactly what they are doing.

Now the club has taken a look at what the Seattle Sounders have done so far to make them as successful as they�ve been both on the pitch and off it, however, what we must remember in Seattle�s case besides all the right things they have done of marketing the team. The Sounders came in at the best possible time with the local Basketball team being moved to Oklahoma and on top of that, the Mariners and Seahawks both having lousy seasons in 2008 which made the local area sports fans hungry for something positive.

In Philadelphia, it�s almost been the opposite with the Phillies winning the World Series last year, the Eagles making their usual run at the Superbowl and just falling short and the Flyers having as much hype around them as usual, it was always going to be difficult for the Union to get anybody�s attention. What the ownership realized what was very important was that:

• There was already a supporters group who really have set the bar higher then any other group in convincing league headquarters that a their city deserves a club and will have support. The Sons Of Ben have just been tremendous and continue to grow with currently having over 5,000 members so far. The ownership understands their importance in putting this puzzle together by listening to the groups suggestions on an array of things such away supporters sections at Chester Stadium for example.

• Understood that there is a massive youth soccer population in the area and at a very good level. Having watched a number of high school games last year and a few already this year, from first hand I can tell the level is high and the area�s top players going onto top division one colleges like Duke, Wake Forest, and Maryland amongst others shows that.

• Another key point the club has done and this was only recently announced was that they have an official partnership with the Eagles. In this area, the Eagles are king so to have the most popular sports franchise in the area on board with the club is tremendous just as the Sounders and Seahawks have. For so long we�ve seen a lot of MLS originals have no relationship with any other local franchise. We�ve seen in New York that communications between the Red Bulls/MetroStars and the Giants have none whatsoever and same can be said for the Wizards and Chiefs in Kansas City, teams that have shared stadiums in the past. By partnering with the Eagles, not every Eagles season ticket holder will show interest in how the Union are doing, but it certainly can�t hurt the club and will raise more awareness which brings us to the next point: media exposure.

The local media has been both good and bad. You have your usual haters who say everything they can to take the sport down and singing the same old tune. John Gonzalez from the Philadelphia Inquirer a while ago on his daily �You Talkin� To me?� Piece on page two of sports once said that he�s sure all seven soccer fans in the area would care about how the Union would do. Then you got your usual narrow minded sports talk radio hosts who will bash everything to do with our beautiful sport but that�s the same in almost every city across this country. However, the overall reaction and press has been mostly positive. It will take time to build the name and brand, but everything that has been done so far has been good. Whenever the club has been in the local news it has been positive whether it be partnering with youth organizations, helping out the Chester community, and finding new partnerships with local businesses and sponsorships.

Overall, the outlook is very good. The season tickets have been growing slowly and certainly if the club can reach it�s target of 15,000 then it will be a success. Currently, the club has just over 9,000. Of course if they exceed expectations, the stadium will be expandable from what I�ve been told. The kits have yet to be released but it�s pretty obvious that they will be dark or navy blue and gold combination by looking at the web site and the club badge. Some time closer to the end of the year we should expect to see the first images and hopefully a shirt sponsorship with any luck. Before we know it, the expansion draft will take place, then the Super Draft and eventually the 2010 season will kick off in March. These next few months are even more critical for the club to find the right pieces on the playing side, coaching and scouting to assist Peter Nowak, and the rest of the front office. So far at least, so good.