Will David Beckham and Landon Donovan be celebrating on Sunday? (Getty Images)

This is a game I’ve gone back and forth with all week. Two western conference squads meeting in the league final is going to be interesting. Not many had picked both the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake to make it this far back at the start of the season. I know some had RSL going far in the playoffs but not the Galaxy. Then again I knew some who had an idea that LA could be good this year as well.

But a RSL-LA matchup was not expected yet I do think the league is welcoming it a bit. It’s not quite a David vs. Goliath type of match but its close to some degree. But these two squads weren’t separated by much in the points column this season. Just eight points was the difference between the top seed in the west from the bottom seed in the east (or eighth seed in this year’s case).

I do see this game going either way though here. In one regard LA looks like they should easily win it but you can’t count out Jason Kreis’ club right now with the way they’ve been playing lately. Both are hot going into this game which should yield a good match.

I have a few points in my preview to go over then I will give you all my score prediction for the final time this season. Hard to believe that this season has blown by so quickly here.

Ignore All Previous Matches: Just ignore the two results between these squads from earlier. I know ESPN will probably shove it down our throats to start the broadcast on Sunday night but let’s say a lot has changed since they last met in June when RSL beat LA 2-0 at the Home Depot Center. And things are certainly different since that 2-2 draw back in May at Rio Tinto Stadium.

How to beat LA: The few clubs that have seen success against the Galaxy this year either got lucky that Landon Donovan was not on the roster due to an international callup or because they had the speed to get by LA’s defense. Believe me Robbie Findley, Yura Movsisyan and Fabian Espindola present a big challenge to Gregg Berhalter and Omar Gonzalez. I’d say they will do their best to keep Findley in check as he presents the most problems but don’t sleep on the big man Movsisyan to sneak in and score a goal if they let up on him. Remember when Conor Casey torched the Galaxy for a hat trick earlier in the year, it was because they somehow overlooked him and his speed. Movsisyan could do the same damage if given the right space and time.

Sean Franklin and the Galaxy defense will need to slow down Robbie Findley. (Getty Images)

How to beat RSL: For getting by RSL’s defense a lot of it has to do with going directly at Jamison Olave and Nat Borchers. Both find themselves in foul trouble more than they should and we saw against Columbus that when you really go at Olave you can force him into some bad turnovers that could cost. No doubt Landon Donovan will need to go after Olave around the Galaxy’s offensive third of the field.

Things LA need to do: They obviously need to funnel things through David Beckham and Donovan. Getting both of them involved early and as often as possible will really help go a long way in winning this one. Also getting the pressure up early and out of the gate will certainly help. If they can catch RSL off guard early in the match it could get RSL in an early hole.

Things RSL need to do: Use the entire field and pressure the hell out of the Galaxy defense. Going after Beckham wouldn’t be a bad idea either as he has a hurt right foot. RSL cannot afford to come out slow either though as the Galaxy are an excellent counter attacking team. Using the width of the field and smart passes through the midfield with Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales to control the game will be key.

RSL will look for the first MLS Cup title. (Getty Images)

Why RSL could win: They have the underdog effect on them and most in Seattle will probably be riding along with them I would imagine. You gotta like Findley and the way he attacks the goal with his speed plus on set pieces I may take Olave and Borchers over the Galaxy defense. Then you have Nick Rimando in goal if things do come down to penalties. He has a big advantage not just on experience but on momentum as well going into this game.

Why LA could win: Its hard to count out a team with the league MVP. Donovan is looking for yet another title to go along with the few he has already won in his career. Throw in the Beckham factor and his desire to get a MLS title while he is here could help as well. Bruce Arena knows how to coach in these big games while we are still figuring out is Kreis can do the same.

RSL X-Factor: Will Johnson. He needs a big game along with Beckerman to slow down Beckham for the Galaxy. If Johnson can get space on the wings like he is known to do it could go a long way for RSL.

LA X-Factor: Edson Buddle. Not many are talking of Buddle in this game but while RSL will be gunning to slow down Beckham and Donovan they may forget about another guy that is known to score a goal or two in Buddle.

Final thought: This one will be tight throughout but I think it will go the Galaxy’s way in the end. Some thing it will go to extra time, some thing RSL will win it in regular time or in PKs but I just see the Galaxy thanks to Donovan and company getting the job done. No doubt RSL will make this a solid match and they could very well shock the Galaxy. I just think experience pays off more in these kinds of games and the Galaxy just have more of it in key places.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, RSL 1

Eric Brunner and Columbus try to slow down Yura Movsisyan and RSL tonight. (Getty Images)

Tonight the second leg of the first round playoff matches kickoff in Columbus as the Crew host Real Salt Lake. RSL holds a slight 1-0 lead in the goals department in this two-legged series thanks to the late goal from Robbie Findley last weekend.

Now is really where the fun begins for each side. Columbus went defensive in the first game by sitting Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno. Each should see plenty of time in this game as the Crew will be gunning for goals to take the advantage back. Most figure RSL will go defensive in this game and bunker down as much as possible.

To come away with a victory on the road won’t be easy as the Crew were one of the best home teams in the league this year while on the flip side RSL was one of the worst road teams. RSL’s lone game at Crew Stadium this year was a 3-1 loss back in July. Going defensive means they will have to rely more on the play of guys like Jamison Olave and Chris Wingert. I’d also imagine we’ll see a little more Clint Mathis in this game as well from Jason Kreis.

RSL has to continue to hope that the Crew stays cold. Its been a few games since the Crew have scored a goal and one has to figure that streak will end at home. The pressure is on the Crew to score but it is also on a very much on the RSL defense to do well in this one. During the regular season RSL gave up 24 goals on the road while the Crew scored a mean 25 goals at home.

I think having a rested Schelotto goes far for the Crew in this one. It was a big gamble sitting him in game one but he sees the field like no one else out there. RSL will rely a lot on the speed of Robbie Findley and Yura Movsisyan up top but with Chad Marshall a little more fit going into this game I just like the Crew at home. Its still very hard to pick RSL on the road anyways. Columbus escapes this series but only by a slim margin.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 2, RSL 0

Jason Kreis and RSL need a win tonight to stay in playoff contention. (Getty Images)

While there is an important US game tonight in Washington DC, there happens to also be a MLS game tonight. Yay for MLS scheduling a game right during World Cup qualifying season, in the middle of the week no less.

Still tonight after the US beats Costa Rica (oh yeah, calling a 2-1 win tonight), turn your television sets to ESPN2 to watch even more soccer (at least that part is good!). Real Salt Lake hosts New York Red Bulls tonight in a must-win game for the home-side. Oddly enough the last time these two squared off at Rio Tinto Stadium it was for the right to go to MLS Cup 2008.

Its win or be pretty much be eliminated for the Lakers tonight. RSL sits 34 points with three games left. The mission is to keep winning and survive another game of being in contention. Anything less just won’t cut it for Jason Kreis’ bunch. Interesting thing is out of all the clubs that have struggled at Rio Tinto or in Salt Lake for that matter, New York has never lost to RSL in Salt Lake.

RSL has to get their key offensive guys involved early and break the rust off from their long 18-day layover (thank God we will have balanced schedules next season and no more weird layoffs for clubs). Robbie Findley is one guy that has to be involved early. He tends to be hot and cold too often and this is a game that he has to heat up for here. New York’s defense is the worst in the league and when on the road they are just flat out pathetic. They have to pressure the backline with Findley and Yura Movsisyan.

The thing is I believe RSL will come out a bit flat in this one due to the layoff between games. New York oddly enough probably stands a good shot at getting at least a point out of this game as these two always seem to play to a draw (six draws in nine meetings all-time). I see Juan Pablo Angel and company putting enough pressure on RSL in this one to get a draw. I just don’t see them doing enough to get their first road win of the year here though.

Something about this game screams a draw and that’s what I am going with tonight. I haven’t been high on RSL all season for a reason but I wouldn’t mind seeing them actually show up for once tonight and remind me how good they can be. Angel gets one for New York early and Movsisyan ties things up in the second half for RSL.

WVH Prediction: RSL 1, New York 1

The best goal for me was either Sainey Nyassi’s run against New York or Brad Davis’ strike against RSL.

(Note QuickKicks on the league site did not have the Columbus/Chicago goals)

Order of video: David Beckham, Edson Buddle, Brian Ching, Yura Movsisyan, Brad Davis, Dax McCarty, Jimmy Conrad, Sainey Nyassi, and John Wolyneic.

Here is the order of goals: Jacob Peterson, Mehdi Ballouchy, Ryan Johnson, Claudio Lopez, Ali Gerba, Jason Garey, Jeff Cunningham, and Yura Movsisyan.

One western club’s attack is about to lighter. Next January Real Salt Lake striker Yura Movsisyan is leaving Major League Soccer for Denmark according to Goal.com. Movsisyan has signed for Danish side Randers FC.

Movsisyan’s current MLS contract with RSL will be up after the 2009 season.

This loss will be a big one though I’ve said a few times this season that I haven’t felt good enough about Movsisyan as a go-to striker for RSL. He’s a big, strong guy that will probably do well in a league like Denmark. At least he is getting to test the waters before it is too late on his career.

What RSL will do to make up for his departure is unknown at this time. I honestly believe right now that if they even want to think about reaching the playoffs for a second straight season, they need to get a big time scorer on their roster. Right now with Movsisyan and Robbie Findley their attack just lacks a punch of some sort. Mainly Findley is too hot and cold at times and Movsisyan hasn’t proven he is a guy that can finish a lot of clean up around net.

What do you think of the move? Happy for Movsisyan? What will RSL do to make up for the loss?

I felt looking at the results and each game this past week that week 16 was really predictable. I know I missed a couple games in my score predictions but aside from the RSL-San Jose game this week lacked a lot of surprise or anything worth getting overly excited about. Maybe that is the dog-days of summer kicking in here for the league but each result was as predictable as the next on Saturday.Which can be a good thing but can also be a bad thing.

RSL Gets Lucky Late

I’ll start with the first game of the week on Friday here today. Something can certainly be said about Real Salt Lake nearly losing at home to San Jose while dominating the bulk of the game. Kudos to the Quakes for their defense for the first 90 minutes of the game. Unlucky was certainly the own-goal to Chris Leitch. Sometimes the ball bounces that way folks.

But looking at this result for RSL I begin to really question this club going forward this season. Certainly some pieces were missing but I still felt they had the side on the field that should have won this game. I just feel that they are certainly missing a piece or two here though. I like Robbie Findley and Yura Movsisyan but neither are the go-to striker that this club needs to depend on. Findley can be too hot and cold while Movsisyan tends to miss the easiest of shots. Then I look at their defense and wonder if they have the talent to hold up against clubs like Houston or Chivas in the playoffs. Right now I just don’t see them getting there.

Red Bulls On The Brink

The few that cover this Red Bull club up in New York are all saying the same thing today. “The Season on the Brink.” Well with the most games played (19) and the most losses (13) and the fewest points (10), yeah you could say they are on the brink. Honestly they’ve been done for a lot longer than that. I said in my season preview for this club that they’d either be a good playoff club or an underachieving side.

One thing that is amazing is how long Juan Carlos Osorio has kept his job here. After nearly two-thirds of the season being complete and his club is this bad, many would think he’d be gone already. I kind of have a feeling he will be there until the end of the season. That is unless he decises he has had enough before then and leaves on his own terms via Fernancdo Clavjio.

I think the only thing that can be said for Osorio at this point is the couple players he draft this year that have turned out to be pretty good. Jeremy Hall and Nick Zimmerman both definitely show a bright spot for this club’s future. Comes to show that you can’t win on over priced foreign talent alone in this league, you need quality young talent to do work too.

Dallas Gaining

Much can be said about winning 2-1 at home but a lot more can be said about how it was done. Dallas got a huge lift getting New York in town this past week. Not only were the Red Bulls a fairly easy test but it gave way for guys lik Jeff Cunningham to break the club out of a bit of a funk when the club doesn’t have Kenny Cooper in the line-up. I liked the combination of Cunningham and former Red Bull Dave van den Burgh on Saturday for Dallas. Some how it worked but sadly enough we won’t get use to it here once Cooper returns.

Still on another note Dallas has a long way to go here. No doubt they won’t be in contention to reach the playoffs out of the west this season. But they are slowly building a decent base for next year.

Houston Returns To Winning

After a small slide for the Dynamo the league leaders return to the road in Kansas City and get a quality win. The Dynamo get another win, their ninth of the season and become the first club to break the 30 point mark in the standings.

Houston really handled the pressure well late as Kansas City pressed for a game-tying goal late. KC continues to lack some punch up top which is going to haunt them as this season moves towards the playoffs in the next couple of months.

This was a physical game between these two sides. Houston may have gotten the win but they will be without two key defenders for their next game in Seattle. Both Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell will miss the important game with the expansion Sounders due to suspension.

Crew and DC Level

Too bad both sides were missing a chunk of their roster for call-ups and injuries because this one would have been much better for it. Still a quality game with some bad calls from the center ref in it. DC took a late first half lead into the lockerroom to only give it right back up after the break to the Crew. From there on neither side really took hold of this game. DC seemed to control a little more of the pace in this one which lead to a boat load of extra attempts on goal. Big credit to the Columbus defense for stepping up a little more in this one because of that.

DC presented the Crew with a five-man midfield which seemed to slow down Guillermo Barros Schelotto a decent bit. The Crew did find a couple ways around it but never enough to really pressure the Black-and-Red backline.

Both sides are in the thick of things for this eastern crown race. In all honesty right now I think it will between these two sides though we could see the Fire sneak up in there after the way they played in Colorado this week.

Colorado On the Slide

I guess my talk of this side being a dark-horse in the west was possibly a kiss of death to the Rapids. Another loss at home, this time to the Chicago Fire who have looked really good in their last couple of games (SuperLiga mostly). To me Wilman Conde was the player of the game and possibly the player of the week from this game. Colorado had no answer for him when he was around the goal and when he was defending his own goal.

The win was a big one for the Fire as they leap back up the standings into a tie with DC. They really looked like the side we thought we’d see all season long this past weekend. Maybe this is the start of their run going forward here.

As for the Rapids I still have high hopes for them going forward, espeically once they get Conor Casey and company back in the lineup. This club still has some work to do though to make sure they are in contention for the rest of the season to get into the playoffs. I’m slowly writting them off for catching Houston or Chivas here but if they want to stay up there with Seattle for third-best in the west they need to improve their roster right away. Add some depth to the defense and find a playmaker who can set up the scoring in the midfield. Right now they are lacking a bit and it is causing them to drop games that they shouldn’t drop, especially those at home.

Newcomer Nets One For LA

Not a bad start for Alecko Eskandarian. He moved lockerrooms at the HDC over the week and it payed off in a big way. His goal marked a quality win for LA on a night that really saw nothing more than a bunch of fouls. Honestly there may have been more fouls on the field than fireworks in the sky after the game.

The Galaxy really controled this match from start to finish as Steve Nicol’s group is really struggling to find their way again now that the injury bug has knocked out more key members of their roster. Either they are going to have to be creative to find ways to win or just hope they can ride out this strom of injuries again here this summer. Things are not looking good either way in New England right now.

As for LA it was a typical win for them, once they got the goal it was all they needed to play their style of game. Sit back and take pressure while countering when needed. Look LA will make things interesting this season but once this circus called Beckham kicks up again it will be real interesting to see which way this club heads. History should tell us which way that will be though.

Butts-in-Seats

Holiday weekend produced good numbers for the league. All over 10k, even in Dallas. LA and Colorado posted the biggest numbers with 20k and 19k respectively while Columbus and Dallas each got 14k. RSL posted a solid 17k on Friday’s game. And KC scored another sell-out, five in a row at home now. Very positive things there folks.

After a couple weekends of SuperLiga play breaking up the flow of the season schedule the majority of the MLS clubs are back in play this weekend. Only Chivas, Seattle, and Toronto are out of action this week. Gotta love that unbalanced schedule the league has, I don’t see why a club like Toronto is off this week but oh well.

Anyways, time to get down to business. Feel free to send your game predictions as well.

Friday:

San Jose Earthquakes – at – Real Salt Lake:

The Quakes have been turning things around but so have Jason Kreis’ club. Last week RSL absolutely dominated another club at home. It was a result that I am sure was good to see for Kreis because his club needed a bounce back after giving up points to Houston on the road prior to that. This one will be big for RSL, three points at home should be a given with the way Yura Movsisyan and Clint Mathis are playing. I do wonder how they will play without Will Johnson (Canada) and Kyle Beckerman (USA) who are both with their respecitve countries for the Gold Cup. San Jose will need a big performance from Ryan Johnson and Darren Huckerby to get anything from this one. I think the difference will be the venue, San Jose hasn’t been very good on the road and RSL is still one of the best home clubs over the last two seasons. RSL needs this win to stay in playoff contention, another stumble against a club like San Jose would not look good at this point in the campaign.

WVH Prediction: RSL 2, San Jose 1

————————————————–

Saturday:

DC United – at – Columbus Crew:

Probably game of the week material here folks, good thing too since it will be on ESPN2 for a primetime affair. Both will be missing their fair share of guys to the Gold Cup, while each look to remain at the top of the eastern standings (one a point separates the two right now). I want to see exactly how DC is set to stop Guillermo Barros Schelotto here this season. Last year he was a handful for the Black-and-Red and seeing how DC will be without Dejan Jakovic (Gold Cup) it could be a little more interesting this time around. DC needs a big game out of rookie Chris Pontius and veteran Christian Gomez if they want the three points. I think with what each club will be missing makes this game smell like a draw. I think Columbus has the chance to win this one but I’d like to see their offense click a little more than what I’ve seen out of them recently. Plus I know DC is always good for a late goal.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 1, DC 1

—————————————————

Chicago Fire – at – Colorado Rapids:

Let’s face it both clubs need some points right now, especially the Fire who haven’t looked well in league play for a month or so. Colorado looked to be getting hot before last week’s cool-down in Seattle. The Fire have been one of the better road sides this season while I’m still waiting on Colorado to figure out their stadium there in suburban Denver. I’ve said before that I like the Rapids and what they have with Omar Cummings, Colin Clark and so on. But this is still a young team that hasn’t shown up enough and it is going to hurt them. I think SuperLiga refueled the Fire a bit and they will win this game due to some solid play from guys like Brian McBride and Blanco. This could be one of those go either way kind of games but the Fire have more confidence right now (even with the reserves losing in the Open Cup this week).

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, Colorado 1

——————————————————

Houston Dynamo – at – Kansas City Wizards:

KC is another club in need of points right now. As tight as the eastern conference is they cannot afford to drop more games at home here. They may have some luck though as Houston comes to town missing a few key players due to the Gold Cup. Houston will have to bank on play by veterans Brad Davis and Brian Mullen to get through this one. KC will be lacking a strong veteran in their defense in Jimmy Conrad which makes me believe this one could end up on level terms. If Houston can find a way to get their offense to go through Cam Weaver like they did a couple weeks ago I’d be all over the Dynamo winning this one. I just feel like KC will keep them honest in this one and hold them to a draw.

WVH Prediction: KC 1, Houston 1

————————————————-

New York Red Bulls – at – FC Dallas:

I seriously feel bad for the Red Bulls. This is game number 19 on the season for them while most clubs are at 15 or 16. Crazy. Anyways I’ve seen the Red Bulls in town each year for the last couple of seasons and sadly enough I won’t go this year (family obligations folks). The Red Bulls continue to stink up the place and on the road it’s hasn’t been a good thing to see in a while. Dallas is slowly turning the corner and a few guys will get a bigger chance this weekend with Kenny Cooper gone with the US national team. Word has it Jeff Cunningham looked really good in practice this week and so did a few others. I think the Red Bulls will keep it close but Dallas will pull through due to another mental lapse from one of the Red Bull defenders.

WVH Prediction: Dallas 1, New York 0

—————————————————–

New England Revolution – at – LA Galaxy:

Speaking of weird scheduling this is the Revs’ 13 game of the season. Weird how that works but anyways, I did think the Revs were like Chicago and used SuperLiga to turn things around a bit. LA is full of confidence though as they get Landon Donovan back for this one. Even though I like the Revs and how they play I just see an energized Galaxy in this one that takes the three points. LA can’t lose momentum right now in the west and three points will certainly make things more interesting. Usually I’m not as quick to make a selection in LA’s favor like this but I just feel good about them for once.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, NE 0

Order of video: Todd Dunivant, Fredy Montero, Nate Jaqua, Yura Movsisyan, Clint Mathis, Dwayne De Rosario, and Omar Cummings (no audio on his goal).

Folks, just face it if you haven't alread...Houston is good. (Getty Images)

One could say the 13th week of the season was sort of a changing of the guard type week. Entering the week we had two seemingly clear front-runners in each conference. After the dust settled on the week we now have two new leaders in each conference. The luck changed for some clubs looking to get out of the losing ways while others just continued to find new ways to lose.

Yes, week 13 was just about what we expected excapt for the lack of draws (more on that in a second). I jotted down the usual notes and thoughts from the week to share with you all. Forgive me if some of it is just randomness thrown your way. I ususally try to not dwell in the stats or numbers but I am slowly dipping my feet into that pool for a bit.

Playoff Chances

I know I am a buzzkill to some fans out there who’s clubs are doing bad. But the facts are these, if your club stinks and you think they still have a shot at things because this is Major League Soccer then you’re wrong this time around. The way this season is going, you won’t find a losing team in the playoffs this season but you will find at least one club with more draws than wins. I think it will happen.

Anyways, I’m no math major, nor was I ever during college. Math was actually my worst subject to say the least but I can do some number crunching when I want to and get fairly decent results out of it. Based on the way things are going this season I’d say the magic number to reach the playoffs this season may be right at 39 or 40 points just like a season ago. Which should mean we won’t see any losing clubs.

With that right there you can pretty much go a head and eliminate New York, San Jose and Dallas from contention. Especially New York who have played half of their season slate right now and are 2-10-3 in those first 15 games. To even reach the playoffs based on what they’ve done midway through their season they will need at a minimum of 10 wins (30 pts.). Which would be 39 total points. Anyone see the Red Bulls pulling off 10 wins in their final 15 games? Didn’t think so either.

Dallas and San Jose aren’t nearly as bad but aren’t that far off from New York’s pace. Their chances combined are probably a good 2-3%. In other words it probably won’t happen this season.

On the flip side I think you could nearly pencil in Houston and Chivas already. Both clubs can pretty much reach the post season with another three or four wins each.

Speaking of JCO

Remember how a lot of people were saying Juan Carlos Osorio would be a great coach in New York when he left Chicago? Well his number aren’t impressive at all as we now know. His all-time mark in MLS is up to 12-21-12. Most of that is due to poor scouting and player signings. Though some of it may also be to the fact that he isn’t that great of a coach afterall.

Who get’s the worst of this though? The Red Bull fans. For years we get loads of hype surrounding this club by the media machine and writers that cover the side. Thing is for years they haven’t been that good for a reason…well lots of reason actually.

NO Draws

Week 13 was good to the league in that there were no draws. In fact the league is possibly on a season long streak of no draws, nine games without a draw. Not bad considering what we’ve seen so far this year.

Look out for Columbus and GBS

We have never seen a repeat MVP in MLS but I think it is high time that it happens. Guillermo Barros Schelotto and his crazy hair is not only carrying Columbus on his back yet again he is doing it by the goal load. The Crew’s come-from-behind win over Chivas yesterday was all at the hands of GBS. Remember last year when he was dropping assists like no other? This year he is dropping the goals like no other. He’s the first this season to reach 10 goals. Yeah, 10 goals in 13 games for the 36-year-old designated player. Probably the best money the Hunts have ever spent would you say?

When Trades Work

It seems like every year Dominic Kinnear strikes a deal with some other club and it is instant pay for his Dynamo side. The pay keeps coming as Kinnear’s newest striker struck goal twice this weekend on the road against Dallas. I knew the Cam Weaver trade would be big for Houston but I honestly didn’t believe he would work out this well this quickly. Two goals and an assist in two games with the Dynamo is not bad at all folks.

When will other managers and GMs realize they only set themseleves up for disaster when they deal with Kinnear.

A Little Road Luck

I think it is fair to say that sometimes you just need things to go your way. In the case of RSL their season may have been slightly saved with a big time road win in LA. RSL managed just one goal in six road games all year until Saturday. With LA down a man it was a perfect time for Jason Kreis’ bunch to cash in on the chance at some road points and goals. For once Yura Movsisyan stepped up and hammered home a goal for his side. That may have saved his job with the club and his club’s season. Sometime it just takes one win to get going, though I do believe RSL still has a lot of work to do here this summer before I see them reaching the post season again.

Chivas Out of Gas?

I think it is fair to say right now that Chivas USA is spent. Preki’s side is still good don’t get me wrong but their last five games haven’t been their best. After racing out to a great start this season they’ve been dropping games like flyes here. It has been to quality sides like Houston, Columbus and Chicago which make me wonder if Preki’s side is ready for big time competition here or if they are just hitting a wall right now. Based on what I saw yesterday in the game against Columbus and the one last Wednesday in Houston…its a giant wall. Then again these international call-ups haven’t helped and one could say his side still isn’t fully healthy here but we know that excuse is old news with this club.

Maybe a break in league play will help them out as they have SuperLiga here soon.

Parity Is Fun

I look at the standings right now and see a bunch of clubs clumped together after Chivas and Houston. Its fun you know, this parity game we play. Seven points in the standings between the 3rd best side (DC) and the 11th/12th (RSL and LA – both with 15 pts.). That isn’t a whole lot of seperation. Though with clubs like KC and Toronto having five losses each makes me think there is still a bit of class between some of these clubs that are just clumped in the middle right now.

Streaking Sides

Some streaks left us this weekend: RSL’s road winless streak of six games; LA’s 10-game unbeaten run; and Chicago’s unbeaten road record.

Some decided it was best if they stayed a bit longer: New York’s woeful road record, now at MLS-record 20 straight games without a road win; San Jose’s winless road record now at six. Some good in DC’s unbeaten home record; Columbus’ unbeaten in their last nine, not to mention yet another home win; and Houston’s unbeaten mark in 10 games.

Butts in Seats

Yeah this weekend was better but that was due to home games in LA, Seattle, DC and Toronto. The one sub-par was once again in Dallas. Sad to say I failed to make it to that game (thanks to those who were kind enough to send me a get well wish over the weekend…I get migranes easy and they usually put me out for the day).