The dog days of summer are hitting some teams right now like bricks. Clubs are really counting down the summer transfer window almost to the seconds it will open next month.

1. New England Revolution (27 pts., same) – Two games and only a point this week. Not their best week so far but certainly not their worst. But at their midway point this season (Revs have played 15 games so far) you can easily say this is the best side in the league. You throw in a healthy Taylor Twellman and this club has very little need to make any sort of moves next month.

2. LA Galaxy (21 pts., same) – Almost dropped this club but then I thought about their offense. Good lord, they haven’t played 15 games yet and they nearly already have two 10 goal scorers on their roster. Their defense and lack of effort in their defensive third still bothers the heck out of me though.

3. Toronto FC (21 pts., same) – Perfect at home. Still waiting to see if they can put it together on the road though. Until then they may remain at or below this point. That is unless they make a move or two that makes me think otherwise. I suppose they are holding out for a Justin Mapp or a Chris Rofle from Chicago in the Brian McBride deal.

4. Columbus Crew (23 pts., same) – Thought about moving this club up after their come from behind (twice) draw in LA. I decided to keep them here for now to show me that this two game road trip wasn’t just a fluke and that they really are a contender here in the east. I think they are but I just need a little reassurance going into July with this club.

5. DC United (19 pts., up 2) – Perfect in June, just wonder if this is the start of a big run to the top or if they will remain level around this point once SuperLiga and those extra games start up. I love what I’ve seen out of this club as of late but there is concern with some holes in defense. Probably just a  couple of moves that Kevin Payne can handle in the coming weeks.

6. Chicago Fire (19 pts., down 1) – That crashing sound is the Chicago Fire. I think they need to just suck it up with Toronto and trade whatever TFC is asking for away to get McBride on their roster. Obviously they need something and that is what McBride brings, clinical finishing. Also, how does Chad Barrett get a US National team call up after that game against Chivas? Wow, impressive.

6. Houston Dynamo (18 pts., same) – I didn’t want to place the Dynamo above the Fire or below them for some reason. Solid draw on the road, just not lucky enough to beat the two posts or Preston Burpo. Still have to say that this club has one of the best defenses in the league right now though. Not too many clubs are going to get more than one by them right now.

8. Chivas USA (17 pts., up 1) – And this club is showing signs of life yet again. And signs of good health. A very good time to get healthy as the west is still for the taking.

9. Real Salt Lake (19 pts., up 3) – I woke up this morning and realized something. RSL is in sixth place in the league and is another win away from a winning record for the first time in their short history. I’m listening RSL, I’m listening. Keep the consistency up here.

10. New York Red Bulls (19 pts., up 1) – I wonder how this club would be with a healthy Claudio Reyna and a healthy Juan Pablo Angel. Ah, probably not too much better than what we are seeing right now. They are in the thick of things but I honestly wonder for how long.

11. FC Dallas (16 pts., down 3) – Rough start to the Schellas Hyndman era. He took a club that was playing some decent offense in recent weeks and made them into a club that wouldn’t shoot the ball. A lot of growing pains are going to go on with this club. Don’t expect too much better from here out right now.

12. Colorado Rapids (16 pts., down 2) – News flash, the Rapids have the second most losses of any MLS club this season. Yeah, the club below them was expected to be there. Will they get rid of Fernando Clavijo already? I guess progress to them is a step forward and three back.

13. Kansas City Wizards (13 pts., same) – Stuck in the mud and has forgotten what it was like to win a game. We all thought Claudio Lopez was the savor for this club’s offense but that hasn’t proved to be the case. He has little help and this club really looks no better than the club below them.

14. San Jose Earthquakes (11 pts., same) – No shock here. But I had a thought about their offense, I wonder had Kai Kamera not been called up for World Cup qualifying, would this club be doing any better? I think so, I do. Would that translate into some wins? Maybe, but he would have at least provided some sparks up top that this club has lacked.

But Landon Donovan is the WVH player of the week for week 13. Two goals, his tenth and eleventh of the season was more than enough in week that saw some weird goals and a lot of nothing really.

No big shocker that the league and the rest of the media voted for Donovan as well. No one else really stood out as much as LandyCakes.

Now as for that all important goal of the week. It was an easy one again for me, this time with DC’s Gonzalo Martinez’s blast against San Jose on Sunday.

Sorry to be so quick about this. I’m just trying to catch up on a few things around the office and with everything else today!

Yeah, week 13 was interesting alright. The start of the week proved to be practically goalless, which moved into the start of Saturday but as the evening went on some clubs found their goal scoring ways. That trend continued yesterday afternoon in DC.

Not bad attendence figures as well for the weekend. Pretty typically numbers across the board. The good in Toronto, DC, LA, and even to a lesser extent in New York. The more troubling numbers came in the Rocky Mountains with Real Salt Lake and Colorado posting some slightly sub-par numbers. More RSL than Colorado though. Something must have been going on in that region this weekend.

I left this weekend really not surprised by most of the results. Lots of draws across the board with a few wins that really weren’t too shocking to see. Maybe just one will stand out to most but when we think about it, its really not all that shocking.

Sorry for the delay this morning. It turns out, the internet issue I was having last weekend was due to a blown out modem. Thanks for your patience too this morning, I’ve gotten a few emails asking my opinion on the weekend.

I will be honest though with you all as I usually am, I didn’t see a lot of these games this weekend. I had to attend some family fuctions of the lady Hooligan so it put me away from the telly for the most part. But seeing highlights gave me enough knowledge of each game that I missed.

Kansas City Wizards 0 – 0 Toronto FC:

• Yeah, probably one of the more surpising results of the weekend. KC had been struggling as of late and honestly this is a good result to get at this time for them.
• Both teams had their share of chances, but never took command of this game. Lots of fouls.
• Very gutsy call at the end of the game with Danny Dichio being called offside on the free kick. Good call but again very gutsy call.
• I think Toronto would have been better suited to start Amado Guevara and Maurice Edu but I totally understand John Carver in leaving them out of the starting XI. Rewarding players from previous performances over the last couple weeks.
• KC had some decent chances in this one unlike in the last couple games. But again, most never really troubled Toronto or really threatened to score on them.

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New York 1 – 0 FC Dallas:

• Solid home win for the Red Bulls, tough way for the Schellas Hyndman era to kick off for Dallas.
• Early goals continue to be tough to come from behind for clubs this season. The 17th minute goal was just enough for the Red Bulls.
• Dallas continues to struggle on the road, only one win away from Frisco, TX this year.
• Clearly Dallas is in a transition right now under Hyndman. The new formation looked better for this club but you could still see plenty of holes through the midfield and defense. Mostly in starting similar players like Pablo Ricchetti and Marcelo Saragosa.
• Dallas was missing a couple starters in defense. That showed more so than New York’s long list of injuries to guys like Juan Pablo Angel, who missed another game.
• The Hoops never really tested New York. Only four chances on goal, that kind of production doesn’t win games.
• I did like New York in this one a little bit more on the offensive side of things. Even without Angel and Claudio Reyna this club is learning to adapt. They need to until those reinforcements come into this club later on this summer.

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Colorado 0 – 0 Houston:

• Yeah, one of those not-so-surpising results. A very lack luster result and game overall.
• Nothing really took place until late in the game, each club had some chances but both failed in finding that result in the final third. Big surprise since neither club have the best offenses in the league.
• This was one of those games that I hardly saw anything from. And judging by the lack of highlights, I didn’t miss much at all.
• One thing is clear, both clubs are lacking a striker who can finish in the penalty box. Both clubs with late chances, and both failed to produce due to poor finishing.
• I really thought the hand-ball call on Brian Ching was a bad call. I felt it was more of a shoulder or a upper chest hit on the ball rather than his arm. That call may have costed this club three points.
• Sorry for the lack of commentary on this one, I just didn’t see enough to give more insight and from what I did see there wasn’t nearly enough going on to give valuable feedback on the game with.

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Real Salt Lake 2 -1 New England Revolution:

• One of those wild games. Goals came off wild bounced or the wrong players in the case of Jay Heaps in RSL’s first goal.
• Give RSL some credit here. Tough as nails at home this season, though I fully expect that to change once they move into their stadium later this season.
• Unlucky for New England though in this one to not at least get a draw. I felt they were the better side on Saturday night and should have at least got the one point on the road.
• More credit goes to Nick Rimando in goal for RSL. He may give up stupid shit in goal but he does find a way to save his team’s butts more than anything else.
• I’ve said it before with New England and I will say it again, they will be so damn dangerous once Taylor Twellman is healthy again. RSL stopped them on Saturday I fully believe it would have been different had Twellman been in the game. His finishing could have made this at least a 3 goal game for the Revs.

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Columbus Crew 3 – 3 LA Galaxy:

• Easily the most entertaining game of the weekend. Six goals, loads of draw, lots of back and forth action.
• Landon Donovan returns to action and nets two, and Edson Buddle scored one as well. God lord and they still have Carlos Ruiz on their bench (though he was gone on WC Qualifying). That is just down right scary to think about with David Beckham giving service to each week.
• Loved the fight out of the Crew in this one. Definitely showed they have the biggest hearts in the league right now. No quit in this club really.
• LA’s defense clearly got the best of them. Should have been three points, instead they gave up leads twice in this game to a club with a weaker offense by most people’s standards in this league.
• I can’t wait for the return leg of this one later on between these two sides. Another six goal game isn’t out of the question.

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DC United 3 – 1 San Jose Earthquakes:

• I don’t always get predictions right but damn, I got this one right on the head. I always laugh at how many emails or comments I get when I am wrong but the lack of comments when I am dead on. Not surprising really, I saw it back in my radio days as well.
• Some pretty crazy goals early in this game. Clyde Simms goal was just plan weird, and San Jose’s lone goal just barely got in the net. Good call by the officials though on that one.
• DC just had too much going in this one. Too much fire power, especially late.
• San Jose did have their chances in this one, none finding the back of the net really. Hell even their lone goal didn’t find the back of the net. But this club did show they had some fight in them. Probably one of those few clubs that really makes you work for the three points.
• Another red card day for James Riley. Very good call by the ref though on the red card. He just hasn’t learned to not go in with both feet and the studs up. Someone needs to show him how to slide tackle properly here.
• Lucianio Emilio again, geez. Nice late goal.
• Same goes for that rocket of a shot by Gonzalo Martinez.

Also, nice crowd for a Chivas game in LA last night. Probably the first non-LA game in a while that has seen a solid crowd. Yes, I know it was a Blanco number but its still a positive thing for Chivas fans to have a near-full stadium for their games. I think it made a difference last night.

What’s going on in Chicago is starting to make some wonder. I think they need to bite the bullet here soon and trade away some parts that Toronto is asking for in the Brian McBride deal. Their scoring has dramatically dropped off in the last few games.

Putting last night’s game aside, its time to move on to the weekend. Plenty of action across the board. Five games on Saturday and one on Sunday, just like we always do. A few interconference matchups and a couple of games that have a few clubs in desperation mode already I think.

Kansas City Wizards – at – Toronto FC: One of those possible desperate clubs right now is KC. Some feel they are the worst club in the league right now, others like myself feel they are pretty close to that mark. Their winless streak is at six right now and going back on the road doesn’t help when you have to play against the best home side in Major League Soccer.

The tough part for KC, right now is their inability to score. I would say their defense but given the fact about how young they are really doesn’t shock me to see them stuggle this year. But their offense was expected to be better with Claudio Lopez and so far they just haven’t been. KC has socred four goals all season on the road and Toronto has only given up two at home. They could be in for a tough afternoon if someone doesn’t step up.

I like Toronto in this one, mainly because they get some key parts back in their lineup like Maurice Edu and Amado Guevara. I think you will see a Toronto side that will possess the ball better and continue to play with that mindset at home that they have all year.

Danny Dichio should continue his impressive run and I hope to see Jeff Cunningham net his 100th career MLS goal in this one. I just don’t see how KC has an answer offensively to stay in a game with Toronto right now.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 2, KC 0

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FC Dallas – at – New York Red Bulls: The first match in the Schellas Hyndman era kicks off in New York against the Red Bulls. May be a tough place to start out his time with Dallas in the Big Apple. The Red Bulls have won just once in their last six matches but did look pretty decent in the midweek against New England in the 1-1 draw.

Dallas won the season series opener earlier in the year back in Frisco, 2-0. It was a game that was pretty much controlled by Dallas and saw New York miss out on a lot of easy chances. That’s the problem with the Red Bulls, their offense is missing chances and their defense is struggling to put it together for a full 90.

Thankfully for them Dallas is in a similar boat. Offensively speaking they are fine with Kenny Cooper but the Dallas defense has been too hot and cold all year and tomorrow night they will be without too many key players due to international callups.

New York should be able to find a way to win this one. It will probably be pretty ugly at times as Dallas will be shifting into a new formation and given how New York plays it probably won’t be the most enteraining game of the weekend. We could see plenty of goals but I think it will be close with possibly a Juan Pablo Angel goal leading the way.

WVH Prediction: New York 1, Dallas 0

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Houston Dynamo – at – Colorado Rapids: To me this is sort of a statement game for both clubs. Neither have looked great in recent weeks and both need points to stay afloat in the western conference. The Rapids have looked good at home, having won three of their last four games at their Commerce City home. Houston needs to get back on track and find that championship form on the road.

We saw last week just how bad these clubs can play without some of their key players. Colorado on the road against Toronto looked terrible for the most part. One this club isn’t built on is consistentcy of any sort really. Unless that is consistently poor play. Houston was missing key parts against New England and gave up two fairly easy goals in the process. Maybe with Brian Ching back in the line up the offense will have some life again.

Colorado was unlucky in their first meeting, as they gave Houston their first win of the season back in week seven. The late PK to Dwayne De Rosario must still have a nasty taste in their mouth as they’ve really been on a downward slope since.

I think Colorado will bounce back in this one. They’ve at least been fairly decent this season at home. Though their two losses were against clubs with weak offenses like Houston. So maybe that is a trend that could continue tomorrow night. I’m going to say that having Christian Gomez in the lineup for a full 90 will pay off unlike how he was on the bench for 70 last week in Toronto. He will be the biggest difference in this game. Colorado some how comes away with three points and gets away from the bottom of the west.

WVH Prediction: Colorado 1, Houston 0

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New England Revolution – at – Real Salt Lake: Who would have thought this would be the most interesting matchup of the weekend? Well believe it or not, it is. New England as we all know has been pretty solid since the start of May, an unbeaten streak of seven; while RSL is sporting a very nice unbeaten run of four games. They still sport that unbeaten home record as well, so some sort of streak has to come to an end here.

Both will be without a few players in this one due to international call-ups. New England with more though and still without Taylor Twellman who is still out with an ankle injury.

RSL is looking for their first ever home win against the Revs, and this could be a great time for it. Their midweek draw against San Jose was a bit unlucky. They just couldn’t figure out a way to get by Joe Cannon and the rest of San Jose’s defense. Loads of chances, I don’t see that many chances happening against New England though.

I think the home record for RSL will remain in tact, as well as the solid road record for the Revs. I’m seeing another draw this week for these two clubs. New England is missing too much and I’m not quite sure if RSL is really up there in the dicussion yet with the big clubs like New England. A solid showing at home may change my mind about them but so far this year they haven’t really beaten anyone noteworthy at home.

New England should make it an interesting match but I think the turf will come in the way of another road win for them.

WVH Prediction: RSL 1, NE 1

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Columbus Crew – at – LA Galaxy: This is probably the one most people are looking forward to. The best attack in the league against one of the better eastern sides. Columbus head coach Sigi Schmid loves taking it to his former club so this could be a good one.

Not too many sides have been able to stop the high flying attack from LA this season, especially as of late. The Galaxy have won four of their last five games to move to the top of the West, scoring 14 goals in that time. Columbus ended a four game skid on the road last week in KC, downing the Wizards 3-0 in convincing fashion.

A year ago these two split their season series, each winning at home. Some entertaining games last year too, a 3-2 Columbus win in June and a 2-1 Galaxy win in September. I look for one of those kinds of scorelines tomorrow night in Carson.

I expect Columbus to give LA a real test defensively. They are one of the few clubs in the league that have seen success on the road this season. I loved the defensive pairing of rookie Andy Iro and Chad Marshall for Columbus last week. They got a well earned clean sheet in the process.

This one looks to go wild. I easily see LA scoring a couple in bunches but I know Columbus has the ability to bounce back like we’ve seen before this season. They must ultize the wing play with Robbie Rogers and find a way to slow down the Galaxy attack.

A draw seems reasonable with these two clubs right now. LA will be tested in this one and I am curious to see how they respond. Having Landon Donovan back in the lineup should provide a nice spark and could open the scoring once more with Edson Buddle, who would love nothing more than to down his former side.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 2, LA 2

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San Jose Earthquakes – at – DC United: Tough way to continue here for the Quakes. After a solid midweek game they have to travel to DC to face a red-hot United. The Black-and-Red are unbeaten in their last four and have really looked good ever since the awakening of Lucianio Emilio.

San Jose could surprise DC with a couple attacks from the wings with Ronnie O’Brien but I honestly feel they are over matched in this one. I just don’t know if their offense can keep up with the DC attack right now. Plus playing in DC is never an easy task.

I like DC based on their recent play and because of the streaking Emilio. He should be able to provide enough offense to win this game for DC.

WVH Prediction: DC 3, San Jose 1