Yup, according to SBI, the Crew are seeking a trade partner for Rogers. Rogers re-tweeted that comment made after not making the starting lineup against D.C. United last Saturday at RFK Stadium. Crew head coach Robert Warzycha has tried to downplay the situation, stating that Dilly Duka had beaten out Rogers for the starting role against United.

SBI didn’t have any details on a trade for Rogers but I’m sure a couple teams will be lining up for the young left winger. I could see maybe FC Dallas, New England, or maybe Chivas or Portland.

I have a feeling this is just the start of some stories that could come out of Columbus about Rogers and the club. Something tells me players are respecting Warzycha and his management style, which is leading them to do things like this. Columbus didn’t look great in week one against D.C. but they didn’t look terrible either. Rogers is a guy that they have to lean on this season for offense and even for some leadership.

What do you make of this news out of Columbus? Are things this bad that the few veteran players left over from last year are upset enough to find their ways out?

Look for Chicago Fire winger Patrick Nyarko to have a big season in 2011. (Getty Images)

I’ve been tossing around different ideas in my head for weeks now for when it comes to previewing the new season ahead. I’m fairly certain I’ll do my usual team-by-team breakdown but given the fact that there are now 18 clubs that task will certainly take a good amount of time for a busy guy like myself.

This time around I also wanted to do a couple more things to preview the season, staring with today’s look at five players who I believe will have breakout season in 2011. I hope to do other short previews like this one but I’m still putting together a list of items to do. If you have suggestions just hit me up with a comment below, an email, or a tweet with it.

So today is all about the breakout star. Last year I mentioned in my team previews names of players who I thought could breakout in 2010. Some names I was spot on, others probably not so much.

A breakout player can be a number of things, from a guy who is young and could tear the league apart with his scoring, or just a guy who’s finally getting a chance to show his worth (think Chris Wondolowski from last year on both).

1. Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew) – I almost feel like a broken record with Rogers but I truly do believe this is his year to be a true star that he can certainly be. Rogers no longer has the big shadow of veteran players above him to make up for any issues he has on the field. He is now one of the key guys for the Crew going forward.

I don’t see a lot of goals coming from him but certainly more than last season. The 23-year old has a lot to prove this season and will likely be pushing to get back in the national team picture with the Gold Cup coming up this summer.

2. Patrick Nyarko (Chicago Fire) – I’ve always had high hopes for this kid ever since he came out of college a couple years back. With so many moves happening in Chicago this winter, the offense looks completely different aside from Nyarko and Marco Pappa. I see the speedy winger stepping up in a big way this season and possibly competing for the Fire’s leading scorer spot.  The talent has always been there and I think this is finally the year Nyarko displays it for the rest of the league to see it. It will be interesting to see if he got over the injury bug that hit him last season. For Fire fan’s sake, let’s hope he does.

3. O’Brien White (Seattle Sounders FC) – I’ve seen enough of this kid over the years, from his days at UConn to his time in Toronto, to know that he can be a special talent when everything is lined up for him. I thought the move to Seattle was a perfect fit for him as he’ll finally be able to shake off the dirt that hounded him in Toronto and move forward into a new capter of his professional career. Also, having some coaching stability around him in Sigi Schmid won’t hurt a single bit. Expect him to be a home run type of sub for the Sounders this season.

4. Eric Brunner (Portland Timbers) – I was fairly shocked to see Brunner left exposed back at the expansion draft by Columbus and Portland had no issues taking him in that draft. I think the move west to Portland will do a lot for Brunner and his career under John Spencer. The Timbers should have a fairly decent defense and Brunner will play a large part in that this season.

5. Collen Warner (Real Salt Lake) – Myself and a few others were very high on RSL drafting this guy a season ago. So far from what I’ve gathered this preseason Warner is looking very good for RSL. I see him being a key piece in their CCL run this spring and even more so in league play. If he doesn’t start, he’ll be that change-up off the bench that will both lots of clubs.

Robbie Findley makes the World Cup squad because of his speed. (Getty Images)

Youth will be served, that seems to be the theme for the U.S. Men’s National team roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Manager Bob Bradley announced his 23-man roster yesterday afternoon to the press and the world. I thought talking about it yesterday but I really wanted to give myself a day to cool off and really look at the roster from top to bottom to see if I did like it or not.

For the most part the roster didn’t surprise me. At first the omission of Brian Ching for Robbie Findley was surprising but on a deeper look it wasn’t too shocking. Ching is older, a little more banged up while Findley has speed to burn and could be a spark off the bench.

I’ll be pretty blunt when I talk about Findley so Real Salt Lake fans don’t get too angry with me here. I really don’t see Findley getting lots of minutes in this World Cup so his selection is there for additional speed if Bradley needs it off the bench. I’d be utterly shocked if he starts a game there but I am always willing to be surprised in a good way if it comes to it.

A lot of folks will rail on Bradley for his selections but let’s face it the man knows what he is doing and for the most part his hands have been slightly tied behind his back lately with all the injury issues and lack of form for some keys that were considered for selection (ie Conor Casey, Jeff Cunningham, etc.).

We’ve been speculating for what seems like ages about who would replace the speed and power of Charlie Davies since his car crash in October. Bradley shocked some folks by selecting Findley, Herculez Gomez and Edson Buddle. Findley we know is there for speed but Gomez and Buddle are there for other reasons, ones that Bradley should be happy he had to deal with. Gomez is playing better than any striker the U.S. has right now anyways and Buddle just continues to do the little thing right. Its hard not to go against those guys.

Experience is lagging up top and I get that. But remember the last time we had a fairly inexperienced group at a World Cup? Yeah 2002 was a fairly young bunch of guys that did alright and made it to the quarterfinals. I’d be willing to bet that most American fans would take that kind of run again this year.

I mentioned above that the majority of the roster was not a real shocker. The midfield selections were just about what we expected even before the friendly against the Czech Republic. Some folks wanted Robbie Rogers included here while others expected Alejandro Bedoya. Both were wingers and both would have trouble finding playing time with the likes of Stuart Holden and DeMarcus Beasley there.

In the back is still an issue but that may be a topic for another day. None of the selections surprised me and I know lots of you hated seeing Jonathan Bornstein’s name being called. Deal with it, we’re weak at left back and as much as I hate to say it he may be the best that we have right now. Carlos Bocanegra could be an option for Bradley but don’t be shocked if its Bornstein.

Depth is an issue that we should be used to by now. But even with the glaring issues I still feel confident about our chances in this tournament. It won’t be pretty but the results will come.

Every team has that one guy that will either help lead them to the MLS promise-land or be partly the reason why they are stuck at home in November instead of seeing the playoffs. These are you X-Factor players.

I have one (maybe two) guys for each MLS team that are those X-Factors for this new season. Some guys are really no brainers while others may surprise you a bit. Its safe to say that each club needs a big year out of their X-Factors.

If you think I’m way off base on someone or think I missed a sure-fire X-Factor please list it below.

1. Marco Pappa (Chicago Fire): I thought long and hard about the Fire’s biggest X-Factor for the 2010 season. Part of me leaned towards Brian McBride but the rest of me stayed with Pappa. Mainly because the midfield will be more dependent of Pappa in 2010 now that Blanco is gone to Mexico.

Pappa will help control the midfield, which will help create goals for McBride, Patrick Nyarko and newly acquired Collins John.

2. Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA): This one wasn’t really hard to figure out though I did come close to writing down Jesus Padilla down. Kljestan has to control the midfield and generate offense for this club to reach the post season again in 2010. We saw glimpses in 2009 of what he really can be once he broke out of his early season slump that he was in.

The thing about Kljestan is he needs to have a fast start to the year and build up his confidence. If he does that then expect another strong year out of the Red-and-White.

3. Omar Cummings (Colorado Rapids): We saw just how good he and Conor Casey can be together in 2009. The thing was the party ended and so did their season. I know a lot had to due to the midfield being all banged up but with the recent additions to that area they have no excuse anymore. I see Cummings as a big facilitator in that offense as he had double-digit assists last year before the wheels came off the wagon.

If Cummings doesn’t produce then don’t expect Casey to have high numbers again this year. The two went hand-in-hand last year in scoring goals.

4. Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew): I nearly went with Guillermo Barros Schelotto here but thinking about it more, the more I came to Rogers as this club’s X-Factor. As important as GBS is to the Crew, Rogers is pretty far up there. If he isn’t on the wings and producing quality passes in the midfield the team will suffer for it.

I think this is the perfect year for Rogers too. He will and should show that he’s a quality leader for the team too. If he can help bring in some goals this season the Crew will be all the better for it and will have another shot at a MLS Cup in the process.

5. Santino Quaranta (D.C. United): A lot, and I do mean a lot of pressure is going on Quaranta this winter. The word is he is coming into an attacking midfielder role of some sorts this year for Curt Onalfo. Honestly I love the idea of him facilitating things offensively for the Black-and-Red. The club is moving away from that tradition No.10 role in the midfield and guys like Quaranta and Clyde Simms will be asked of more this year.

But the question will be is he up for it? As long as he brings in some assists and helps get newcomer Christian Castillo involved in the midfield the club will be fine. If he throws in a few goals in the process I’m sure the Screaming Eagles will love him all the more for it. But if the pressure is too much he’ll get back out on the wings fairly quickly.

6. David Ferreira (FC Dallas): This one was simple for me, if Ferreira sets up the goals like he did towards the end of the season in 2009 for Dallas the club will make the playoffs easily in 2010. If he struggles however look for another playoff-less year in the Big D. He means that much to the offense and to a lesser extent the defense of this club. If he isn’t controlling things in the midfield then it puts pressure on the defense, it is as simple as that.

7. Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo): Another fairly simple one for me to pick out. Cameron moves into the midfield to replace Stuart Holden. If he succeeds it will continue to make Dominic Kinnear a genius. He along with Brad Davis have to drive the offense through the midfield for this club. There may be some growing pains at first but Cameron should slide comfortably into this role.

8. Jimmy Neilsen (Kansas City Wizards): The Wizards are going to be very interesting to watch early on this year. For one we’ll all need name tags on the players for a few weeks until we know who all these new guys are. Neilsen is one of those new guys, one that definitely got plenty of talk when he signed a while back. Neilsen takes over for the departed Kevin Hartman, who’s now in Dallas.

Neilsen is being brought in to smooth out a defense that was not so smooth in 2009. He’s known as a guy that controls his box very tightly and can organize any defense. If he gets this bunch organized and collected right in 2010 the Wizard’s could have a nice turn around.

9. Clint Mathis (LA Galaxy): Bruce Arena got most of the old band back together with this addition of Mathis at the SuperDraft in January. While some may think Landon Donovan is a X-Factor for this club I see Mathis as an even bigger one for a midfield that will definitely need his abilities to control things. If Mathis steps in and plays like he has in the past couple of seasons for Real Salt Lake then it will make Arena look more like a genius here. If Donovan ends up leaving town in the summer after the World Cup like most speculate, the Galaxy will have to lean more on Mathis at that time to keep the ball moving.

10. Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution): This one is pretty simple like it was a year ago, the ball for New England will run through Joseph once again in 2010. If he continues his MVP form the Revs will likely find themselves back in the playoffs again this year. Taylor Twellman could also be listed here once he is fully healthy again, but until then Joseph is it for the Revs.

11. Joel Lindpere (New York Red Bulls): From all the reports and people I’ve spoken to this winter about the Red Bulls (that didn’t center around Red Bull Arena), all mostly said the same thing – Lindpere is the guy in the midfield that can make them into winners again. That’s good news for a club that has seen nothing but failures over the years.

Most of the reports I saw on him this winter he did a great job of controlling the midfield and created good chances for the guys up top. It will be up to him to get the ball out to the wings and create chances. But this 30-year old Estonian international shouldn’t have too much issue with that pressure.

12. Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union): I asked around in Philly who some folks thought would be their biggest X-Factor and surprisingly the couple folks I spoke to said Le Toux. Simple reason really, if will likely have the pressure of creating their attack and controlling possession. If he can do that it will be easier on other MLS veterans like Fred and Alejandro Moreno to do what they do best on the wings and up top respectively.

13. Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake):  Yes Robbie Findley has to score and the defense has to hold up but the bigger thing that has to happen for a possibility of a repeat champion is the play of Morales has to return to MVP form. When he was on top of his game this club was a handful to deal with offensively and defensively there was less pressure.

Consistency will be key for Morales and RSL in 2010, along with finding balance to win on the road like they do at Rio Tinto Stadium.

14. Jason Hernandez (San Jose Earthquakes): A lot of the defensive pressure will likely fall on the Quakes vice-captain. If he is fully fit this season the Quakes defense will be much better because of it. Last year we saw their defense go into the gutters due largely to this man missing a lot of action.

15. Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders FC): I don’t like picking DPs for this but in this case it almost has to be. Ljungberg has to be the man to generate offense on a consistent basis in Seattle this year. When he was on his game last year the Sounders were easily one of the best teams in the league because of it. He has to help make Freddy Montero look good along the way too.

16. Chad Barrett (Toronto FC): I nearly went with Dwayne De Rosario but upon further look and with the recent news of Ali Gerba being sent home from a preseason camp makes me realize exactly how important Barrett is to this club’s offense in 2010. If Gerba gets the boot (which part of me thinks will happen), a lot of the offense weight goes straight to Barrett. We know the Reds will likely sign a striker in the summer transfer window but Barrett has to keep them afloat until then.

The 2010 Crew look a lot like the 2009 Crew, does that mean another Supporter's Shield is on the way? (Getty Images)

I had hoped to get this post out of the way earlier in the day but some issues on the back end of my site kept me busy all day (some PHP bug!). But I felt like it was still alright to move on with out look at each Major League Soccer club and how they are doing this offseason.

Today we go back east and look at the two time defending Supporter’s Shield champion Columbus Crew.

The offseason hasn’t been too busy for the Crew but they were able to make some big noise at the SuperDraft with a couple of their selections.

Keepers:

Who they have: William Hesmer, Andy Gruenebaum, and Kenny Schoeni

Notes: This area is still fine for the Crew. I had heard whispers that Gruenebaum was not on the roster for the training camp but I haven’t seen anything out there about it yet (Crew fans can help me out on that one). If he is in camp then he is a fine backup to Hesmer, if not then they may be in trouble.

For the most part I’d say if they are looking to add anything here it will be with one of the league’s pool keepers that travel around. Hesmer is one of the more underrated keepers in the league in my opinion. The Crew should be fine here as long as Hesmer stays healthy this season.

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Defense:

Who they have: Frankie Hejduk, Gino Padula, Andy Iro, Chad Marshall, Eric Brunner, Jed Zayner, Shaun Francis, and Kwaku Nyamekye.

Notes: When healthy this group is as good as it gets. But like we saw late in the year when they aren’t 100% things get a little dicy. Hejduk has shown his age and sometimes Padula isn’t all there. Let’s not forget that Marshall will probably be missed some point this summer if he ends up going to South Africa. I do however like the youth with this group in Iro, Zayner and Brunner.

Too bad they probably won’t get anything out of Nyamekye, one of their forth round picks. Apparently he is headed to play in Europe.

I think if Robert Warzycha can get a couple more quality center backs and maybe one more wing back in here this group will be set for the long run. With the amount of extra games again this year on the menu you gotta think depth will come into question with the Crew yet again.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Alex Grendi, Danny O’Rourke, Dilly Duka, Duncan Oughton, Eddie Gavin, Kevin Burns, Brian Carroll, Emmanuel Ekpo, Robbie Rogers, Adam Moffat, and Cory Elenio.

Notes:  Just like the defensive group if they are healthy they are one of the best in the league but if they aren’t it gets interesting. They have a good solid core of players here and I’m very curious to see Duka plays into their system here as well.

I would like to see them go after another attacking midfielder though for depth. Should Schelotto go down they will need some sort of back up in place. Adding more depth in the defensive side of the midfield wouldn’t be a bad thing as well.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Jason Garey, Bright Dike, Emilio Rentería, and Steven Lenhart

Notes: Schelotto makes this a very solid group but I kind of still see him as an attacking midfielder more than a forward at this point. Some folks list him as a forward others list him as a midfielder.

I like Renteria and Lenhart – and Garey isn’t too bad either. Biggest question will be around Dike and whether or not the Crew really did gamble on picking him so early. Most like me agree they could have gotten him in the forth round with one of their three picks then.

I’d still like to see them go after another striker before the season starts if they can, or definitely one during the summer transfer window. Right now they’ll have to rely too much on Schelotto to score for them and I can see that doing well early on but leading to some trouble late if no one else steps up.

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Overall:

One still has to figure the Crew will be in the discussion for the Supporter’s Shield yet again this season. They’ve barely lost anything from a year ago and I have to think that playoff loss to RSL really stung this group. I think as long as Rogers and Ekpo step up in the midfield, Schelotto and Renteria do their part up top and the defense stays healthy they’ll be another tough team to beat in 2010.

Still saying that they do have some work left to do to get the depth issues taken care of.

GBS helped lead the Crew to a second straight Supporter's Shield trophy. (Getty Images)

We all expected big things in 2009 for the Columbus Crew. Anytime you win a MLS Cup and retain the bulk of a lineup that got you that title you expect to repeat or come extremely close to do so. As we saw last week the Crew fell short of that this year as they lost to Real Salt Lake at home in the semi-finals of the eastern conference.

Still what can you say about this year’s Crew other than it was pretty much a carry-over of some sorts of the 2008 team. Robert Warzycha stepped in as Sigi Schmid headed west to be with the new Seattle Sounders club and things on the roster pretty much remained the same way with Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Robbie Rogers, Chad Marshall and Frankie Hejduk all there.

The Crew stumbled a bit out of the gate though with questions of if this bunch was really good enough to repeat. Columbus didn’t earn their first win until May, eight games into the season. But even with the lack of winning early on there was only a couple losses on the fixture table.

In the summer the Crew really turned things on. Schelotto looked like the MVP that we all knew he was and instead of assisting on goals like he did in his MVP season of 2008, he was scoring goals to help the Crew win games. Between June and August the Crew only lost a couple matches in league play while their CONCACAF Champions League play started off well.

Late in the year the Crew wrapped up their second straight Supporter’s Shield title, ensuring another birth in the CCL next year. While they did fall short in the playoffs they proved once again how a stable club can do so well in the league.

What Went Right In 2009:
When all key parts were playing things looked unstoppable for this group. Schelotto was a beast when he was fully healthy, Marshall repeated as Defender of the Year even though he wasn’t totally fit and other guys like Steven Lenhart and Jason Garey filled in nicely. Its hard to complain too much about a Supporter’s Shield type season like the Crew had but I know the way things ended left a lot of folks unsatisfied.

What Went Wrong In 2009:
Injuries played a big part in things that did go wrong. Some might also point a finger at Warzycha for playing it too safe in Salt Lake for the first leg of the playoffs. Either way this club was pretty gassed by the end of the season. Their schedule in the fall months between the league slate and the CCL group stage really left them on empty. They went from being one of the most dominate home clubs in league history to a team that lost three straight home games to finish the year (including the playoffs).

What’s Next:
Next up is figuring out who is staying and who is going. We know Philly will certainly pick someone from this club in the expansion draft and then there is the likelihood that Robbie Rogers will leave. What is bigger though is whether or not Schelotto will hang it up or not. If he returns along with other veterans like Hejduk and Alejandro Moreno then this club should have no problem returning to the top of the food chain. But at the same time they definitely need to go out and find some offense this winter. It was something that lacked all year and a reason why Schelotto had to pick up the scoring slack.

It's do or die for Toronto FC. (Getty Images)

Big time weekend ahead for Major League Soccer. Four clubs have punched their tickets to the post season dance with four remaining spots left open to possibly all get snatched up this weekend.

You can pretty much put a playoff implication on every game this weekend. Either a team will come closer to clinching a spot, will clinch a spot or will be eliminated from contention. Its pretty much as simple as that as we head into the final two weeks of the regular season.

Going into the weekend it is important to see where everyone stands. There will be plenty of scoreboard watching from players, coaches and fans this weekend.

Eastern Conference
1. Columbus (13-5-10, 49 pts., 2 games remaining) – X
2. Chicago (10-7-11, 41 pts., 2 games remaining)
Western Conference
T1. Chivas USA (13-9-5, 44 pts., 3 games remaining) – X
T1. Houston (12-8-8, 44 pts., 2 games remaining) – X
T1. Los Angeles (11-6-11, 44 pts., 2 games remaining) – X
Wild Cards
2. Seattle (10-7-11, 41 pts., 2 games remaining)
3. Colorado (10-8-10, 40 pts., 2 games remaining)
4. New England (10-10-8, 38 pts., 2 games remaining)
BOTTOM SEVEN OUT
Real Salt Lake (10-11-7, 37 pts., 2 games remaining)
FC Dallas (10-12-6, 36 pts., 2 games remaining)
D.C. United (8-8-12, 36 pts., 2 games remaining)
Toronto FC (9-10-9, 36 pts., 2 games remaining)
Kansas City (8-12-8, 32 pts., 2 games remaining)
San Jose (7-13-8, 29 pts., 2 games remaining) – Eliminated from contention
New York (4-19-6, 18 pts., 1 games remaining) – Eliminated from contention

For Colorado, Seattle and Chicago it is simple this weekend. You win and you are in. New England can do the same with a win along with a couple other items (DC, Dallas, TFC, and RSL all draw or losing their games this weekend).On the flip side for Kansas City they are all but mathematically eliminated here, they would need about 40 different things to happen to even have hope of reaching the playoffs. In other words this weekend will should put their eliminated status in for good.

Everyone is in action this weekend except for New York who played and lost again in the midweek. As always feel free to leave your score predictions and thoughts below.

Saturday:

Real Salt Lake – at – Toronto FC:

Both clubs need wins it is as simple as that. Toronto did themselves no favor last week with the draw at home against San Jose. I see nothing different happening this weekend out of this bunch as Toronto just hasn’t found a way lately to close out games at home. Even with RSL’s pathetic road record this season I just smell a draw for this game, which pretty much eliminates both sides from playoff contention this season. RSL will still have a little hope going into next week’s finale against rivals Colorado but they will need plenty of things to happen before they can rest their hopes on that game. I like Toronto getting on the board early again this week with either Ali Gerba or Dwayne De Rosario leading the way for the home-side. But look for Robbie Findley or Kyle Beckerman to lead the charge late for a draw.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 1, RSL 1

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Chicago Fire – at – New England Revolution:

The Revs need points in a bad way this weekend to fend off the likes of Dallas, DC, RSL and Toronto. They can do themselves a lot of good with a win here which would nearly kill off the chances of those below them. Thing is they are so banged up that I just don’t know how good they will be at home against one of the best road teams in the league. Chicago needs points to clinch as well as played very well against New England over the last couple years (won six out of their last eight meetings). Even without a few key guys in the midfield I still like the Fire’s attack better than the Revs. Shalrie Joseph will continue his MVP ways but I just don’t see him having enough gas in the tank to carry this club in a physical battle with the Fire.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, New England 0

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Will Robbie Rogers lead Columbus to a second straight Supporter's Shield? (Getty Images)

Columbus Crew – at – DC United:

The Crew have clinched home field through the eastern conference playoffs but now look to snatch up their second straight Supporter’s Shield title. The club standing in the way is the last team and the only team to win back-to-back Supporter’s Shield trophies. DC needs points in a bad way but haven’t looked like the same team at RFK Stadium that we saw go unbeaten for the first few months of the season. DC will be without too many key offensive players in this one and with the way their defense has looked at home recently I just worry about them going against a team like Columbus who rested most of their key guys last week in New England. Throw in the fact that the Crew get both Frankie Hedjuk and Robbie Rogers back this week from international duty and I think you could bank on the Crew eliminating DC from the playoffs while clinching their second straight Supporter’s Shield.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 2, DC 1

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Seattle Sounders FC – at – Kansas City Wizards:

Seattle can clinch with a win and a draw would pretty much get them there as well. You gotta believe Sigi Schmid just wants to make sure they get that ticket punched though with a win in KC. The Wizards as stated above aren’t officially eliminated from playoff contention yet but the question will be for Peter Vermes’ club, will they show up to spoil another club’s hopes? On the slimmer field you have to like the Wizards’ chances a little more. Seattle relies on using space and there won’t be enough in this game to get their attack going like they would like. I still like the Sounders to get the job done tomorrow night though on the road. They’ve gained some big time confidence on the road lately and that can be more than enough to get the job done.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 1, KC 0

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Colorado Rapids – at – FC Dallas:

Colorado would probably like to get out of this one with a draw if they could to eliminate Dallas from playoff contention. A win would certainly help their cause and should punch their ticket. Dallas on the other hand just needs to keep winning here. Which is what they’ve been doing these last couple weeks. Colorado comes into Frisco a bit banged up on defense and will be without both Medhi Ballouchy and Julien Baudet to suspension. That will be key for Dallas as Jeff Cunningham has been a man possessed lately. He along with David Ferreira have really taken things over in a big way for the Red Stripes. The Rapids need a big time game out of Conor Casey and Omar Cummings. If anyone is going to score on this Dallas defense it would be those two. The thing is Dallas has given Colorado fits these last couple years and I think it does enough to keep Dallas going for another week. This one could be a shootout but I think it will remain fairly close.

WVH Prediction: Dallas 2, Colorado 1

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San Jose Earthquakes – at – Chivas USA:

This may be the only game that doesn’t have implications on who will be going to the playoffs or who will be eliminated from contention. Both saw their fate last week as the Quakes were eliminated and Chivas punched their ticket. Look for the Quakes to frustrate Chivas a bit early in this one but I like Chivas to hold off the Quakes for a win tomorrow night. Preki’s side is starting to peak at the right time here and that is dangerous for the rest of the western conference. San Jose will also be lacking some key defensive players which spells trouble for Joe Cannon. Again, the Goats should walk with three points.

WVH Prediction: Chivas USA 3, San Jose 0

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Can Brian Ching and the Dynamo hold off LA? (Getty Images)

Sunday:

LA Galaxy – at – Houston Dynamo:

Best game of the week right here. Expect a very large crowd in Houston for this one as well. Brian Ching will be a man to keep an eye out for this one. I think his impact along with Mexican striker Luis Angel Landin should be a big one. LA will provide a lot of problems for the Dynamo in the midfield but on set pieces I think Houston has an edge in this one. This one should be a low scoring game with the way LA plays defense on the road. Look for them to go for a goal early with Landon Donovan and if that happens you can expect them to camp on the lead. Houston is no different. The thing is I think these are two very evenly matched teams. As much as I like Houston at home in this one something tells me it will end in a draw.

WVH Prediction: Houston 1, LA 1

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.

Here are the notes I jotted down from this weekend’s action. If you have any comments from the games this weekend feel free to post below.

- Chivas continues to roll here. The AmeriGoats get another win at home, improving to 7-1-1 on the year. An eight point advantage in the standings right now. Wow. At this rate they will clinch a playoff spot by mid-July. I’m just wondering when the flame will go out and this club will cool off for real here. They have a tough stretch coming up with hosting DC, at KC and then home again against Chicago. I wouldn’t be shocked to see them either roll through those at their current pace right now. I mentioned their fast start in comparison to other fast starts in league history. Right now they are tied for the second best start behind the 2000 KC club and the 1999 Miami club. Interesting fact that Steve Goff mentions is the common fact is Preki. He played for those two clubs and is coaching this Chivas club.

Just how are they doing this though? The cast of no-names and what nots are just getting the job done no matter what. They clean up on sloopy defending and are very tight in the back. They are showing that they don’t need to be flashy to win or be well anything great to win.

- And speaking of the club Chivas beat on Saturday, Real Salt Lake continues to be unimpressive on the road. Let’s hit reality for a second. This club has always been terrible on the road. The fact that they don’t score on the road this season only makes it worse.

Jason Kreis has a lot of work to do with this club still. Right now they aren’t a contender. Kreis will probably make a change up top soon by placing Fabian Espindola up top instead of Yura Movsisyan who has been rather poor so far this season (one goal and one assist in eight games).

- Columbus FINALLY won a game. Good thing too because they couldn’t afford to stay out of the win column for much longer. Getting Robbie Rogers and Frankie Hejduk back and healthy really made a difference with this club. A big reason that few are talking about here is the play of Emmanuel Ekpo in the midfield for the Crew. His play has been really impressive lately.

I know they let in the late goal to KC on Saturday but they really dominated the better part of that game and finally proved to not only the rest of the league but to themselves that they CAN close out games again. This side still has the talent to do some damage and with as tight as the eastern conference is right now they are by no means out of it here.

- Kansas City looked okay in the loss to the Crew. Let’s face it this club has some heart but lacks the talent to really be dangerous in the eastern conference. They’ll come close to a playoff birth but in the end they just lack the talent to get the job done.

- New York finally looked good. Then again I don’t know if it was San Jose playing so poorly for 45 minutes or what. In all seriousness though we finally saw the offense out of New York that we all really expected to see this season. Albert Cedades was a big factor in this game just like many had hoped for. With three straight home games coming up they could reel off more points if they play like they did on Friday. It won’t be easy with a hot Houston club coming to town this week followed by rivals Chicago and a Colorado club that always plays tough in New York. In three weeks the Red Bulls could either be where they are now or near the top of the eastern standings. In all reality though I see this club only getting five points out of the next three at best. They still have a lot to prove to me here.

- Seattle proves yet again they can play down a man. I thought they should have easily won the game with LA yesterday but sometimes games just don’t go your way. For the most part though Seattle controlled the pace of the game like I thought they would and really took it to LA. The red card to James Riley did become a factor in this one. It was a stupid card for Riley, who will probably get another game tacted on to his suspension by the league.

- Speaking of LA for a moment. Anyone even realize they haven’t lost in six games here? Seriously, six games but the thing is they don’t look great in doing so. And maybe Landon Donovan has finally cooled off here too. He hasn’t been apart of the last two LA goals. What’s up with that?

- How about that Toronto-DC game? Six goals, loads of action, and a wild finish. Dwayne De Rosario may have had one of the best goals of the season so far (more on that later). Lovely to see the TFC fans on Saturday in support of DC’s stadium march.

- Most surprising result of the weekend for me had to be the New England-Chicago game. I really and truly expected the Fire to roll in this one. Maybe the Fire just aren’t that good. Maybe Dennis Hamlett needs to start Chris Rolfe instead of bringing him off the bench. I do know one thing, I like I have found a new favorite defender in Revs’ Emmanuel Osei. That kid is a beast. One other thing it was fun to see Shalrie Joesph run all over the place on Saturday.

- Houston once again handled their in-state rivals with ease. Dallas is just pathetic, they really are. There is no other way to put it. Houston on the other hand is really starting to turn the heat up here. Four straight clean sheets for Pat Onstad. Dominic Kinnear isn’t going to wow anyone with this club but he will still more than likely find ways to beat everyone with this club.

- Lastly, the butts-in-seats look for the week was okay, everyone except for one club got at least 11,000+ to their game. New York brought in the low number (8,000+) with Seattle having their usual 29,000+. Everyone else was pretty much expected though I would say DC showed a lower number than I would have liked to have seen.

RSL hosts Columbus in a big time clash tonight. (Getty Images)

ESPN2 picked a good one for their game of the week. As the league’s website keeps putting it, this is a matchup of near MLS Cup rivals, or whatever that means. I think its a quality matchup no matter how you spin it. Real Salt Lake hosting the MLS Cup champs Columbus Crew, sounds like a game of the week to me.

Anyways, I’ve tried wrapping my head around this game all week to be honest. RSL got off to a real slow start last week in their opener up in Seattle and Columbus started off with two straight draws. Neither were really expected results for these two clubs but its where we stand right now.

I think the Crew have looked good so far but have been unlucky. RSL on the other hand just looked a bit lost on the road last week.

Keep up with my usual previews this season, I do have a couple questions going into this one.

1. Who wins the battle in the midfield?

When you really break down these two clubs they each possess similar midfields. Pretty strong in the wings, tough in the defensive part and a great playmaker leading the attack. I throw out the venue here in this one as I think the Crew are still the toughest team home or away and I don’t see Rio Tinto being that much more of an advantage to RSL this season unlike what Rice-Eccles use to be.

It comes down to stopping Gullermo Barros Schelotto for Columbus and Javier Morales for RSL. Each do control their midfield very well. So guys like Brian Carroll for Columbus and Kyle Beckerman or Clint Mathis for RSL will certainly have their hands full. I didn’t particularly like how Mathis played last week in Seattle so I am wondering if he and his midfield bunch can bounce back here tonight.

RSL has to keep the pressure on Schelotto I think to win. Force the Crew to play more with Emmanuel Ekpo or Alex Grendi.

2. Which offense will click first.

Lets face it here, neither offensive group has really clicked yet this season. RSL couldn’t do much against Kasey Keller and Seattle. Columbus has only two goals in their first two games, both from Schelotto…who isn’t suppose to be their main scorer.

RSL had a couple good chances with Yura Movsisyan but couldn’t get past Keller. Movsisyan needs to return to his form from late last year. If he can do that tonight I would feel very comfortable with RSL in this one.

3. Player to keep an eye on.

Canadian midfielder Will Johnson for RSL is someone I am wanting to see break out here this season. I know he’s only had a single game under his belt but the home opener should be a good place for him to shine.

Quick Outlook:

Expect this one to be fairly tight. RSL is in their home opener so I would hope for a good crowd tonight at Rio Tinto Stadium for this primetime clash on ESPN2. Both clubs are fairly healthy and won’t be missing anyone to any international callup here. I really want to see if RSL can make Rio Tinto into what they had at Rice-Eccles. I thought they were establishing that late last year but it was only a couple games worth in the playoffs that I saw. I think we’ll get a better sample of what they will make that stadium into here before summer. Until then I kind of lean towards the visitors who are probably hungrier for their first win right onw. Frankie Hejduk and Aljeandro Moreno return from international duty, both may be tired but with them in the lineup I think will make a difference for Columbus.

The Crew ink out a tough road win here as RSL looks good but just not good enough.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 2, RSL 1