Columbus hopes to hold off Sporting Kansas City tonight. (Getty Images)

There are three midweek games in week 29. All three games have playoff implications with two key in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.With so much on the line this week, the standings are surely set to make another crazy change. You just have to love this time of the year!

Wednesday

Columbus Crew at Sporting Kansas City: Some how the Crew are still hanging in there in the top part of the Eastern Conference. I just don’t see how they are holding on with that negative goal differential and the lack of offense. They go to the Blue Hell of KC to face Sporting tonight in a game that could go a long way in determining which of these teams will get a wild card team in the playoffs or not.

Sporting has too much pace up top with Teal Bunbury, Omar Bravo and Kei Kamara. Also, I don’t see the Crew stopping Graham Zusi in the midfield either. The Crew need their attack to get going but I just don’t see it happening in this one.

WVH Prediction: SKC 3, Columbus 1

Chicago Fire at Real Salt Lake: RSL is still in the Supporter’s Shield race but they need every point they can possible get to do so. A loss and the Shield pretty much falls to the Galaxy. Having this one at home helps in a big way, especially after their disappointment in DC last weekend. RSL gets back on track with a solid win over a Fire team who isn’t half bad these days (winners of four out of their last five). This one could be closer than some realize too but stick with RSL for the three points.

WVH Prediction: RSL 2, Chicago 0

Thursday

DC United at Philadelphia Union: Oh this one could be very good. Freddy Adu against his former club for one thing (that never happened while he was with RSL). United have been very good as of late with the extra games in hand and due to the hot feet of Dwayne De Rosario.

The Union will need to get their attack going early in this one with Adu and Sebastien Le Toux. As long as the Union can hold DeRo in check and keep others like Charlie Davies off the board, they should be fine in this one. Le Toux and company have the speed and possession game to cause problems with the United defense. Expect this one to be close, maybe too close for comfort.

WVH Prediction: Philadelphia 1, DC 1

RSL and New York battle in a huge match tonight. (Getty Images)

Only a few weeks remain in the 2011 regular season. The squeaky-bum time is now for several MLS teams as the playoffs are near. All three of tonight’s games have playoff implications surrounding them in some form or fashion. One team can even clinch a playoff berth (as long as a few other things happen).

So let’s get down to it.

Real Salt Lake at New York Red Bulls: Definitely one of the biggest games of the week. New York’s playoff dreams are definitely back on track after their 1-0 win over Dallas last week. RSL on the other hand still has Supporter’s Shield hopes left, a win tonight certainly helps their case in that boat. The Red Bulls should have most of their main parts back for this one and if their defense plays even half the way they did against Dallas they will stand a good shot at things tonight. RSL is finally getting healthy and confident here and could even get Javier Morales back. I like their chances in this one but New York will keep it close.

WVH Prediction: RSL 2, NY 1

Chivas USA at DC United: Big game for both clubs as another loss for Chivas will pretty much killer their playoff hopes this season. DC on the other hand does have some games-in-hand to use and needs to start taking advantage of them here this week. United have to get the most out of Dwayne De Rosario and Charlie Davies in this one. The Goats could get Health Pearce back but even if they do I don’t like their chances against DC in their first home game in a month. DC dominated Chivas two weeks ago in LA and should be able to do nearly the same in this one.

WVH Prediction: DC 2, Chivas 0

San Jose Earthquakes at Portland Timbers: We all know what this one means for the Timbers, a win and they remain hopeful but a loss and you can kiss it all goodbye. Portland at home is usually an easy call and seeing them up against a club like San Jose should make it even easier to call. No Steven Lenhart for San Jose in this one either, which hurts their attack. Expect set pieces to be huge for the home side in this on as well.

WVH Prediction: Portland 2, San Jose 0

Portland hosts Chivas USA in a big battle tonight. (Getty Images)

There are a couple good CONCACAF Champions League matches tonight but there is one good MLS match to look at. I linked a preview of tonight’s game earlier today on how big tonight’s match is for the Portland Timbers and Chivas USA.

Chivas USA at Portland Timbers:

This one is fairly basic to me, should Portland drop this game their playoff chances are done. Chivas comes into this one off a solid draw to Colorado and will need to build up their offense with Juan Pablo Angel. Things looked good last week against a strong defense like the Rapids but they’ll need to be in full gear against a leaky defense that the Timbers have. The home factor is there in this one for Portland, they have to keep the crowd in it. Scoring early always helps. For someone who wants to see this playoff race stay interesting, I’m picking Portland tonight. A loss hurts the Timbers more than it hurts Chivas at this point.

WVH Prediction: Portland 2, Chivas 1

Can Portland knock off KC at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park? (Getty Images)

While most eyes will be on the two CONCACAF Champions League matches tonight, others will be focused a bit on the two Major League Soccer games that are on the schedule. Both should be pretty good too as each have playoff implications written all over them.

I am hoping to get to a couple more items today so I’ll be quick with my picks.

Houston Dynamo at New England Revolution: On one end you have a club that is desperate to save their season, and the other you have a club that has yet to register a road win all season. Something has to give in this one and I know the Revs are hoping to get their season back on track in an effort to make one final push towards the post season. Houston has to come out in this one and score early, the longer this game lingers on as a draw or them being down a goal makes the road winless streak that much harder to overcome. I think this one is a draw though.

WVH Prediction: New England 1, Houston 1

Portland Timbers at Sporting Kansas City: This one could end up being pretty darn good. We know how well KC has done at home this season but those four draws are against some fairly weak clubs. KC knows they have to get wins here to remain in the playoff hunt and getting one in the midweek is always huge. They have games in hand at the moment and they have to make them count. Going against a weaker defense like what Portland has should be good for KC and their offense. I think this could be a nice offensive battle between these two squads but KC should come out on top here in this one.

WVH Prediction: KC 3, Portland 1

The month of August in Major League Soccer kicks off tonight with three games, two of which should be good ones (the third seems like it could go either way). The playoff push really kicks in to high gear now that we are in August too and teams like Kansas City and Portland really need three points tonight to make a statement for their chances.

Real Salt Lake at Sporting Kansas City: Probably the best time for Sporting to face a club like RSL as Jason Kreis’ club is coming off a bad home loss to the Columbus Crew last weekend. Sporting needs three points in a bad way though right now. While they have a nice unbeaten run going, their last couple of games have ended in some not-so-convicing draws. A win over a team like RSL will definitely do wonders for their confidence all over the pitch. KC has to take a page out of the Crew’s book and go on the attack early. With guys like Omar Bravo, Kei Kamara and Teal Bunbury it shouldn’t be that hard to do so. They can’t allow RSL to hang around, especially if they get a lead. I think RSL shows up and gets a point in this one though, they typically don’t play two bad games in a row.

WVH Prediction: SKC 1, RSL 1

Philadelphia Union at Chicago Fire: I’m wondering more and more if consistency is going to be an issue from here out with the Union. But seeing that Carlos Ruiz is finally gone maybe we’re going to get back to the good old days of Sebastien Le Toux and Danny Mwanga running the show on the offense. Still this one could get interesting given the new additions for the Fire and their offense (Pavel Pardo, though don’t expect him to start). The Fire will keep this one close but the Union do have a way of playing well against lesser competition here.

WVH Prediction: Philadelphia 1, Chicago 0

LA Galaxy at Portland Timbers: To say Portland needs a win is putting it lightly. LA is coming off a big win in Vancouver last weekend and with FC Dallas right on their tail, the Galaxy know they have to get no less than three points in this one. Given how the Timbers defense has played in recent weeks, it is hard to count on them to show up for this one. The draw to Portland last week showed a lot of wholes still remain in the defense and LA has a much better offense than Toronto does.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, Portland 0

Will all of Aron Winter's work pay off tonight against Dallas? (Getty Images)

You can thank SUM for the large amounts of midweek games this week. All the international friendlies pushed for a big Wednesday night in MLS with five league games. Yup, five of them. For the most part a couple of them sound pretty good too and will have some playoff implication surrounding them.

New England Revolution at DC United: RFK should be buzzing for Fred’s final DC game, the Brazilian will be going back to the A-League in Australia after today. I’d expect some emotion from DC for that reason and because they’ve been playing better as of late. New England just got blanked the other night by Philadelphia but will have Shalrie Joseph back in the lineup which should be a boost. I like DC though in this one as New England doesn’t have an answer offensively here and DC is pressing forward towards a playoff spot.

WVH Prediction: DC 2, New England 0

FC Dallas at Toronto FC: This one will be interesting for Dallas. They’re starting a big road trip that sees them go from Canada, to the US to El Salvador all in a matter of a week. On the other hand they also have to deal with a completely revamped Toronto team tonight that should play possibly five new players on the field. Toronto should have their two new DPs along ready but the bigger question will be if they all can gel quickly against one of the better sides in MLS. I think it will be close and end level as Dallas has struggled offensively these last couple games.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 1, Dallas 1

New York Red Bulls at Colorado Rapids: A very interesting game here. New York hasn’t quite found their mojo here now that everyone is back from international duty and all. Colorado is going to be trying to deal with the loss of Conor Casey too. Expect a midfield battle in this one, if Colorado can catch New York napping early with their speed up top with Omar Cummings they could sneak out with three points. But I like the Red Bull defense to keep them at bay for the most part. Another draw for both sides seems likely here.

WVH Prediction: Colorado 1, New York 1

Columbus Crew at LA Galaxy: I’ve been impressed with Columbus lately and I think their offense should soon come alive a little more with Tony Tchani in the lineup helping out with the defensive side of the midfield (yes a defensive mid can help with the offense). LA is coming off an international friendly and has another one on the way too this weekend. They have to be focused for this game or the Crew will sneak in on them and steal points. I think as long as Landon Donovan and company show up with their A-game they’ll be fine.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, Columbus 1

Vancouver Whitecaps at San Jose Earthquakes: Vancouver looked pretty good the other night against Manchester City, losing 2-1 at home. The short turnaround worries me for the club even though they rested starters after the first half. Hopefully we’ll see more of the Jarju-Hassli connection which looked decent at times on Monday. San Jose is looking for some of their new additions to spark their offense which has been scoreless for what probably feels like a long time here. I’d imagine this one will be close too but San Jose should pull ahead with the fresher legs.

WVH Prediction: San Jose 1, Vancouver 0

Conor Casey and Colorado need to find their championship form against Sporting Kansas City. (Getty Images)

For some reason, tonight has four MLS games. Yes four, on a Wednesday! None of the games jump off the screen and say “set the DVR” but each definitely could have some impact on the playoff race as we gear towards the second half of the season.

So let’s get down to some quick picks for tonight’s games.

Toronto FC at New York Red Bulls: Think about this for a moment, New York is only five points ahead of the 10th place spot in the standings. Yeah. I don’t see them crashing and burning here yet though so this is probably as good as a time as ever to host Toronto in a midweek game. New York has plenty of players getting back into the swing of things now that the Gold Cup is over. Toronto on the other hand is hot off a two-win week over Vancouver that saw them win the NCC. Still, TFC is garbage away from BMO Field so I’m taking the Red Bulls.

WVH Prediction: New York 2, Toronto 0

Colorado Rapids at Sporting Kansas City: Probably the best matchup of the evening here. Very intriguing game really as Colorado is still in the playoff hunt but aren’t looking like a team that is a defending champion. Sporting on the other hand are arguably the hottest team in MLS right now. Both teams are actually slugging it out for one of those final wild-card births at the moment. These are the kinds of games that can come back and haunt you if you aren’t careful too. Sporting will want to get the three points to help move into one of the three automatic births from the Eastern Conference. Colorado will keep it tight defensively but I like Sporting at home with their offense.

WVH Prediction: Sporting 1, Colorado 0

Columbus Crew at Vancouver Whitecaps: The Crew looked lost last week in Dallas as the game wore on but a trip to Vancouver could put them back on the right path. I do wonder if Vancouver has really gotten any better since Tom Soehn took over. With two clubs struggling to find real consistency I think this one could be chalked up in the midfield and be a draw.

WVH Prediction: Vancouver 1, Columbus 1

San Jose Earthquakes at Chivas USA: A big playoff positioning battle here. Chivas hasn’t been great this season but do find themselves just outside the playoff zone where San Jose currently sits. I don’t think either team has played particularly well over the last month too but these are the kinds of games that will impact those four wild card births. Chivas really needs to find some offense while the Quakes just need to find a way to put the other team away. This one feels like a draw as well.

WVH Prediction: Chivas 1, San Jose 1

Chicago and Real Salt Lake battle it out tonight in a midweek game. (Getty Images)

While the majority of the soccer-loving community will be focused on a little US game in the Gold Cup tonight, there are two Major League Soccer games on the menu tonight. A little crazy in the scheduling but it is what it is.

Anyways, let’s get down to the quick picks for tonight’s games.

Sporting Kansas City at Philadelphia Union: This one just got a little more interesting. KC somehow gets another road game in a tough place, making 12 in the first 14 games. Something just not right about that. Anyways, Peter Vermes’ club is on a nice little roll here and they hope to catch the Union on another off-night here. It won’t be easy though, as the Union have been one of the better home teams in the league this season. Despite their tumble in Vancouver last week I think they bounce back in this one but only in a draw. KC has been playing tough as of late and will make this one interesting.

WVH Prediction: Philadelphia 1, KC 1

Real Salt Lake at Chicago Fire: Probably not the sexier matchup of the night but a decent one though. Chicago is unbeaten in their last couple while RSL is always a tough club to face. Chicago hasn’t lost since Frank Klopas took over but their offense hasn’t exactly made headlines either. Same goes for RSL’s offense as of late. I feel this one is a low scoring, physical match that sees two good defenses battle it out. RSL gets most of their main guys back from national team duty and makes the most of a late goal in this one.

WVH Prediction: RSL 1, Chicago 0

Anyways there is a game tonight in Columbus between the Crew and Real Salt Lake. I won’t get into a full preview as time just isn’t my friend to but I’ll give a quick thought about the game with a score prediction.

RSL comes into this game after a nice win against Vancouver last weekend while the Crew are hoping to ride the waves of a big road draw in New York. If they can use that momentum in this game they could sneak up on RSL and get points. I think this one will get clogged in the midfield a little bit and because of that end in a draw. If RSL can get their chances together on set pieces they could leave with three points but between these two defenses a draw seems likely for a midweek game.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 1, RSL 1

Chivas USA looks to find consistency in their play against Vancouver. (Getty Images)

Here we go, another week of games as we roll into the month of June. Hopefully this afternoon I can get into a post that looks at the first third (or so) of the season. If not that may come towards the end of the week or even next week.

Vancouver Whitecaps at Chivas USA: The Tom Soehn era begins for Vancouver tonight in LA. Expect some changes up and down this roster with how Soehn does things. Joe Cannon should be in goal for the Caps along with some other moves. Chivas comes into this match off a crazy 3-3 draw in Columbus. No doubt they’ll want to get their defensive mistakes fixed for this one as Vancouver is looking for their first road win of the year. I expect Vancouver to be a little shaky in Soehn’s first game but definitely a little better. This one seems like a low scoring game but it could get wild given how the two teams play defense. Chivas seems like the easy pick though so I’ll stick with the homeside.

WVH Prediction: Chivas 2, Vancouver 1