So I took a day off yesterday and boy do I regret it in the end. First there was a trade between Colorado and New York, then it as announced the league would play 34 games next year and not break for the Gold Cup. But the biggest bombshell was in Toronto when TFC decided to dump both General Manager Mo Johnston and head coach Preki.

Is it me or is Toronto becoming more like the MetroStars/Red Bulls of Canada here? Each year a new coach comes in and each year they either don’t last the season or they are canned afterwards.

I think this year’s bunch is different though. Reports that there are a lot of issues in the locker room due to Preki and his coaching style could actually get this club back on track here. With the dubbed “bad guy” out of the way now its possible TFC could get back into the playoff picture as the players will want to prove its not their fault things are going so badly here.

Plus all the moves made this year with Johnston and Preki probably didn’t sit too well with some. Players said they couldn’t voice their opinions and that as losses began to pile up so did the frustration with Preki.

I was never one that thought Preki would be canned if a season went bad this year. It always seemed Johnston would be on the way out no matter what unless the team actually went to a MLS Cup.

So now its up to Nick Dasovic to lead the troops and turn the ship back in the right direction. Being only a few points out of the final playoff spot, the Reds could still make a run and make it interesting. Dasovic will loosen things up a bit in an effort to get the club back together as one.

Right now the biggest thing Toronto needs is exactly what I said when they hired Preki back before this season, stability. Its possible Dasovic could be the guy that brings that but either way they need a coach that lasts and one that fans, players and everyone can rally around like a Steve Nicol or Dominic Kinnear.

Dwayne De Rosario goes head-to-head with his old mates from Houston tonight. (Getty Images)

Week 14 in Major League Soccer looks to get kicked off with a bang. The Houston Dynamo travel north to face their old mate Dwayne De Rosario and Toronto FC at BMO Field. TFC looks to continue their impressive home record this season while the Dynamo are hoping to begin getting some consistent play going forward in the second half of the season.

Both teams are hoping to use tonight’s match either way to move up the standings a bit. Toronto can inch a little closer to their rivals from Columbus and New York with a win tonight. The Dynamo can move into a three-way tie in the western conference with a win as well.

Houston has to cut down on their mental errors across the field, especially in the back where they’ve look nothing like their old self. Houston will also hope to lockdown the Reds offense which has been cold lately despite getting a couple draws in the standings.

Toronto will rely on former Dynamo midfielder De Rosario in this one. He’s likely to be the main offensive part in this one for Toronto but they’ll also need a big game from guys like O’Brien White and Chad Barrett. If one of those two can help out DeRo then Toronto stands a great chance at getting three points in this one.

Houston has been tricky to pick this season and their defense still worries me and their offense sees to be too hot and cold for my liking. I think Toronto will get a win tonight and continue their impressive play at home.

Player to watch out for: Dwayne De Rosario – He’s only a goal away from tying the league lead for goals with Edson Buddle, so you know he’d like to take over that lead tonight against his old club.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 2, Houston 1

Philadelphia Union take their show on the road to Toronto tonight. (Getty Images)

Its a big week for Toronto FC, not only have they made a few changes since their last game (a 4-1 loss at New England) but they will also be making their home debut for the season. BMO Field will also be debuting it’s new grass surface, the grass that fans all across the league have been begging for in Toronto since the club launched in 2007.

Philadelphia comes into town tonight, making their first trip to Toronto. They’re riding the waves of their first win in club history thanks to a Sebastian Le Toux hat trick on D.C. United last weekend.

I look for this to be a fairly physical game, even with Philly’s win over D.C. they’re still an expansion team and you can expect plenty of fouls out of them on the road. Also, Toronto will likely foul a decent bit with all the new parts on the field who aren’t familiar with the MLS style of play.

The Reds are out to get their first win and if they want to do so they need to get their offense in check. With only one goal to their name this season they have to find a way to get guys like Chad Barrett, Dwayne De Rosario and O’Brian White involved more often. Defensively they’ll have to slow down the attack from Philadelphia by keeping Alejandro Moreno and Le Toux in check.

The big thing will come down to wing play and I absolutely love how Philadelphia is doing with the wings in the midfield. Roger Torres is a guy more folks need to talk about here as one of the best newcomers in the league this season. His pace and skill in the midfield is helping the expansion side come alive for manger Peter Nowak.

I’m curious to see how Toronto’s new bunch of players do. Preki added three defenders over the last week in Latvian Raivis Hscanovics, Russian Maxim Usanov and Canadian Adrian Cann. The thing is I have to believe it will take some time before they improve this defense.

In the end here it looks like Philadelphia will likely pick up some road points here. There just isn’t enough to like about Toronto yet this season even though I know Preki is going to turn this club around eventually. It just won’t happen tonight.

Player to watch out for: O’Brian White – He has to be the man that comes alive for the Toronto offense tonight. Sometimes its about taking some chances and he, along with the rest of the Reds, need to take some chances on Chris Seitz’s goal.

WVH Prediction: Philadelphia 2, Toronto 1

To some Jim Brennan was the last remaining link of the Toronto FC expansion era. Today is pretty much a new day in Toronto for the Reds. Brennan is now an assistant in the front office to Mo Johnston and Dwayne De Rosario is now the new caption of the club.

Brennan was the first guy to sign with Toronto before their inaugural season. Mo Johnston brought him in and now it will be Brennan helping Johnston out in a new way, off the pitch.

We know about the changes in Toronto. Preki came in and cleaned house, butted heads with some fan favorites and for the most part got rid of lots of familiar faces. Preki is a winner and a guy that does get the most out of nothing, we saw that with Chivas USA. He’s already making his impact on the roster with moves that are fairly puzzling on the surface but likely have more meaning behind the scenes.

Part of me thinks Toronto will be all the better for these big changes. Shedding that expansion club status and feel is a big deal for clubs. It took both Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake a couple years each to do the same and both are all the better for it. And Toronto isn’t like most MLS towns anyways, we know that. Things are done a little different up there but we know this club is capable of doing great things.

The other part of me however wonders if the expansion status is truly gone. One person still remains from the start of it all and that is Johnston. He’s built this club up in every way but it seems like his foot was taken off the pedal a bit with Preki in town. He didn’t make any moves at the SuperDraft this year like some had expected. Sure some trades have been made (mostly with Colorado) but it seems like Preki is doing more of the dealing these days than Johnston.

This new era in Toronto continues to get more interesting by the day. Seeing if these changes work out will be something to watch for as well. The biggest change may be at BMO Field with the new grass in place of the turf. Some may even say that is the one thing that removes Toronto from that expansion era. All I can say is if a new field can do wonders for New York, who’s to say it can’t do similar for Toronto.

Changes happen all the time and I think for Toronto fans, getting out of that expansion era is a welcome change.

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.

Toronto FC has talent, but little depth. (Getty Images)

Its the very last team in our 2010 Look-in series. First off sorry TFC fans for not posting this sooner. I had ever intention of doing this last week but set backs got in the way.

Lots of changes have taken place in Toronto this winter. From the turf being removed for natural grass at BMO Field, to a new manager in Preki taking cover and re-doing the roster his way. Lots of changes have taken place but have any really done a good enough job of getting this club ready for 2010?

Will this be the year that Toronto finally gets to the playoffs? Is Preki the right guy to lead the way? Let’s take a look now to see where this team is at right now and what places they need to improve on before the new season gets underway.

Keepers:

Who they have: Stefan Frei, Brian Edwards

Notes: Honestly they are set for years here between these two. Frei is an All-Star keeper in the making and Edwards may be one of the better backups in the league. I’m sure they’re working on getting a third keeper on the books as well. Still they’re covered here.

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Defense

Who they have: Nana Attakora, Nick Garcia, Jim Brennan, Marvell Wynne, Ty Harden, Gabe Gala, Emmanuel Gómez, Zach Harold.

Notes: What they did this winter in this area was added a young prospect in Harold and traded for Harden. Two moves that aren’t bad but aren’t exactly going to help them out in the area that I’d argue they are pretty weak in still. But things could improve since the field is no longer turf, which has to help out the older guys like Garcia and Brennan.

I would have liked to have seen them go more for depth in this area this winter. Adding a quality center back would have been a real upgrade here and would help increase their playoff chances. They do have good speed on the outside with Wynne.

I’d like to think they improved here over the winter but I’m just not buying it yet.

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Midfield

Who they have: Dwayne de Rosario, Julian de Guzman, Sam Cronin, Nane Joseph, Amadou Sanyang, Jacob Peterson.

Notes: Losing Carl Robinson wasn’t a terrible thing in my eyes. Cronin will slide in nicely in his old spot and for the most part they shouldn’t miss too much of a beat with De Rosario and de Guzman leading the way in the center of the park. I would have liked to have seen them go for more depth on the wings but the trade for Peterson should help that area out a decent bit if he is full fit to go this year.

They lost a lot of fire power in this area with Robinson and Amado Guevara both exiting this winter. But if I were a Reds fan I would see it as addition by subtraction. Sure Robinson was a big leader and a fan favorite but if he wasn’t happy there he wasn’t going to help this club in the long haul.

They’ll need more depth on the wings and possibly in the attacking portion of the midfield  here to get through the long season and the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.

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Forwards

Who they have: Chad Barrett, Ali Gerba, O’Brian White, Fuad Ibrahim.

Notes: One thing is for certain either Barrett or Gerba have to step up in a big way this year. Also the club has to hope that both Ibrahim and White grow as players. No doubt there is the most pressure on this group of players as compared to the rest of the club. If the team doesn’t score they won’t win, it is as simple as that.

Most would have liked Mo Johnston to get a primary striker for this season this winter but that didn’t happen. Most likely that will come this summer, if at all. I’d like to think they can win with these four (and the help of De Rosario and de Guzman in the midfield) but realistically they didn’t improve in this area at all this winter.

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Overall:

No doubt there is loads of pressure in Toronto this year. Offensively they have to produce like never before and defensively they have to be able to prove to teams that they won’t give up 5 goals in a must-win game. Preki is a good coach though that will change the culture of that club inside and out. The team will be tougher, which may have been lacking in the first place.

I do however have trouble seeing if this club improved this winter though. They have so many questions to be answered as well. I think depth wise they are very weak but I do like the talent they have starting out on the field.

It just looks like another long, yet interesting year in Toronto.

It seems like this winter Toronto FC and the Colorado Rapids are becoming big trade buddies with one another. Earlier the Rapids sent midfielder Jacob Peterson to Toronto and today the two clubs are dealing again. Toronto has traded for defender Ty Harden in exchange for third round MLS SuperDraft pick in 2011.

Interesting development for both sides. Harden came back last season after a year off but was a bit limited due to injuries. I like Preki going after him here though for TFC who still needs work on their backline. Harden isn’t quite the answer to their problems but he is going to add to their depth in the long run.

I think this deal for the Rapids point of things shows they are set to probably move Pablo Mastroeni to the back four and allow Jeff Larentowicz to control the defensive side of things in the midfield this season. Both are moves I like for them right now.

What do you all make of this deal for each side? Think Preki knows what he is doing with TFC’s defense right now?

Preki is headed north to Toronto FC. (Getty Images)

Former Chivas USA head coach Preki will be introduced as Toronto FC’s fourth head coach.

Preki led Chivas USA to the playoffs in all three seasons he was head coach, but he will be looking to improve on three first round exits.

With Preki in town you have to believe the Toronto roster may get a little makeover in the winter months. We all know about the history between him and former league MVP Amado Guevara during their time together with Chivas. But he does come in at a time when talent is very good in the midfield with guys like Dwayne De Rosario, Sam Cronin, and DP Julian de Guzman are on the roster.

While I was hoping Preki would take up shop with Bob Bradley and the national team I do think this will be a good fit for him as there is already more talent there in Toronto than when he got started with Chivas. He’s the tough coach this team needs and if he can work that defense into shape like he did with Chivas this year then I have to think Toronto will turn into a playoff team next season.

Now that Toronto is off the coaching search it leaves a coupe clubs without a manager still. New York, DC and Chivas USA all still have manager questions going into next week’s expansion draft. From the sound of things I doubt any of those will make a decision before next week.

What do you all make of Toronto snatching up Preki as their next coach? Wish they had gone a different direction or is he the right fit?

Preki is leaving Chivas USA...so where will he go next? (Getty Images)

Some news that I’d like to say we’ve been calling here for the last couple weeks has finally come down. Chivas USA and Preki have decided to go their own ways as they mutually agree to Preki stepping down as the club’s manager, this according to a press release just sent out by the club.

No word yet on what Preki plans to do next. There’s the obvious talks of going to another MLS club or even the USMNT as an assistant to former Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley. Toronto, DC, New York and according to some even Chicago are likely choices for Preki to land with. I’m still under the impression he will go as an assistant to Bob Bradley with the National team.

Preki posted a career record of 40-29-21 in his three years as manager of Chivas USA. Each year taking the club to the playoffs only to be knocked out in the first round.

“It has been an honor to be a part of the Chivas USA family for the last four years,” said Preki. “In my time here I have grown as a coach, and I am proud of our accomplishments. While I am excited to take the next step in my career, I will always have good memories of my time with Chivas USA.”

Just as mentioned earlier this week thanks to a Goal.com report, long-time Chivas assistant Martin Vasquez is slated as the top choice to replace Preki.

Assistant Coach Carlos Llamos takes over until the club names a new head coach.